This event is the nation’s largest annual health and wellness event for older adults. It is celebrated as part of Older Americans Month. As a senior, feeling well is the best return on your health investment. Regular physical activity helps to improve the health of older adults. Stay active with this event!
Empower yourself to care for your health and well-being as you age. Get involved in National Senior Health & Fitness Day and take charge of your fitness. Mark your calendars for May 28 and boost your fitness level and quality of life!
A sedentary lifestyle increases the risk for conditions that can lead to negative health issues, even causing early mortality. Regular physical exercise helps maintain:
- balance, reducing falls and fractures
- independent lifestyle
- stamina, muscle strength
- mood, well-being
- healthy bones, muscles, and joints.
Regular exercise can also help:
- control arthritis and healthy blood pressure
- prevent disease such as some cancers, Type 2 diabetes, etc.
- improve living with debilitating conditions.
| Type of Exercise | How Often (per week) | Duration (per session) |
| moderate aerobic OR vigorous aerobic | 5 days OR 3 days | 30 minutes OR 20 minutes |
| Resistance training (muscle strengthening) | 2 days to 3 days | 20 to 30 minutes |
| Flexibility and Balance | 2 days (or daily) | 10 minutes |
More is better: Exercising more than the minimum recommendation results in extra
health benefits and increased fitness. Increase workouts gradually. As always, check with your doctor before beginning any new exercise
To celebrate the 32nd Annual National Senior Health & Fitness Day we will be posting exercise videos that will encompass workouts that cover aspects of a complete full-body body workout: warm-up, strength training, cardiovascular/aerobics, core, balance, movement patterns, flexibility, stretching, and cool down. These videos may be accessed at any time on or after National Senior Health & Fitness Day.
Warm-Up – Warm-Up first. Use dynamic stretching to move your joints gently before starting any strengthening or aerobic training. A warm for 5 to 10 minutes helps to loosens muscles, preparing your body for the challenges of strength training and range-of-motion exercises.
Strength (Resistance Training): Strength Training Basics After 40, Prevent Muscle Loss with Resistance Training.
We start losing muscle after the age of 40. Resistance training (strength training) works to prevent this muscle loss and helps to maintain and build healthy bones. During strength training muscle pulls against bone. The force of muscle pulling against the bone stimulates bone building and improves calcium retention. This increased strength will help to:
- prevent falls
- climb stairs
- get up out of a chair
- increase muscle elasticity
- strengthen connective tissue, tendons, and ligaments.
In general, exercise and strength training will improve quality of life by helping to slow down and even reversing some diseases that are caused by a sedentary lifestyle such as: type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, heart and metabolic disease. The correct diet containing enough protein is also important. Don’t forget to hydrate and rest, too!
Cardiovascular/Aerobics: Strengthens the heart and lungs, increases efficiency for delivering oxygen to muscles, helps burn fat, regulates blood sugar and helps lower blood pressure, and increases bone and muscle health. Regular aerobic exercise helps:
- slow cognitive decline
- improve memory and learning
- brain structure (hippocampus ) grows
- boost focus.
Core: The body’s core muscles include abs (abdominal muscles), back muscles, pelvic floor muscles, glutes (buttocks) and other torso muscles. Improve your total body health by training these areas of your body. The results will be increased strength, stability and balance.
The plank is one of the best exercises for the core. It is a simple isometric exercise that can engage more than 20 muscles, including the abs, back, arms, shoulders, glutes, and hamstrings.
Balance: Balance training is an important and effective part of fall prevention. Performing safe home exercises can help strengthen your lower body to promote balance and reduce your overall fall risk. Physical activity, including exercise, reduces falls by 13% to 40%. Nearly any activity that keeps you on your feet and moving, such as walking, can help you maintain good balance.
Balance Training movements are slow and deliberate. Many daily activities require good balance: walking and going up and down the stairs, standing up from a sitting position, bending over, etc.
Movement Patterns: increased cognitive benefits result from exercises involving complex movement patterns that require muli-tasking. This engages both the body and the brain to improve flexibility, body awareness (proprioception), cognitive health and overall well-being. By challenging mental focus and coordination, long term brain health is maintained.
The best cognitive results come from exercise that includes complex movement patterns that require the mental and physical engagement of dual tasking. Three mind body activities that require dual tasking and complex movement patterns are:
- Pilates,
- Yoga
- Dance
- Self-myofascial release with the foam roller or ball.
Stretching and Flexibility: Stretching includes both dynamic stretching and static stretching. Stretching helps to improve a muscle’s elasticity, tone and flexibility. It also works to enhance balance and increase blood circulation. Use Dynamic Stretching during the warm-up phase of exercise. By warming up the muscles and raising the heart rate (HR), dynamic stretching prepares the body for exercise with improved physical performance.
Static stretching is typically employed at the end phase of an exercise session. It works to re-align and lengthen muscles and connective tissue, improving range of motion. Stretching also reduces the level of lactic acid to help relieve stiffness by increasing the production of synovial fluid to reduce friction in certain joints. To avoid injury remember to maintain proper form and function while stretching.
To tap into your capabilities and help you reach your goals, exercise at home with Fitness Coaching tailored to your needs! Fitness coaching with Nancy L Fitness is the perfect way to get started https://nancylfitness.com/coachingplans/. We provide expertise, guidance and motivation on your pathway to better health, fitness and nutrition. It is customized, online personal training/coaching that is accessible in the gym, at home, or when travelling using your cell phone.
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