Staying active is the key to enjoying and prolonging your golden years. Living in active retirement communities helps you maintain a healthy and balanced lifestyle, but making your fitness a regimen makes a real difference. For older adults, consistent, not vigorous, exercise is the way to go. As the body’s muscles and bones grow weaker with age, fall prevention exercises and exercises to improve balance are essential to staying strong. Here are some other tips to keep you in peak shape as you age.
Healthy Living Tips for Active Seniors
Staying physically active helps slow the aging process, stimulate the brain and strengthen the immune system. Many active retirement communities are thoughtful about accommodating the needs of older adults who are looking to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Here are some easy activities you can do on your own or with friends to stay sharp and healthy.
Walking or Light Jogging
Most retirement communities have designated areas where you can go for a walk, and many even have paths to jog on. Set a goal to walk or jog at least 30 minutes a day. This, combined with stretching and staying hydrated are great fall prevention exercises, keeping your joints loose and arthritis at bay.
Yoga
One of the best exercises to improve balance is yoga. Many active retirement communities offer classes, but even if they don’t, it’s easy to do yoga poses on your own. Incorporating stretching, breathing and mindfulness, yoga is easy on the joints and can even be performed by those who are disabled or less fit. Not only is this form of exercise great for the body, it’s relaxing and provides stress relief.
Golf
The combination of physical activity and socializing involved with a routine game of golf is one of the best healthy living tips out there for seniors. It may not seem like you’re exerting much energy during a round, but you’re engaging many body parts with every swing, and walking for what can add up to be miles on the greens. What’s more, researchers have found that those who play golf as they age are expected to live five years longer than non-golfers!
Swimming
If there is no pool in your retirement community, you may want to consider finding one elsewhere. When it comes to keeping your body strong and engaging in effective fall prevention exercises, swimming is a low-impact way to improve your fitness level. Many older adults walk or jog in the shallow end of the pool, and/or use swimming as a way to rehabilitate injuries or soothe arthritis. It also happens to be one of the best exercises to maintain a healthy heart.
Healthy living tips are easy to follow if you make them a part of your daily routine. The right type of activity and exercises to improve balance for you are the ones you feel you can do on a regular basis. Try to select activities that you have fun with. You might even want to consider getting a group of friends together. The shared experience with others in active retirement communities helps with motivation and it’s good to have others with you in case of an emergency. Remember, staying fit is essential to living a long and healthy life.