Essential Safety Tips Your Senior Should Follow When Strength Training
Many seniors are hesitant to try strength training, but engaging in strength training a couple times a week can offer some great benefits for seniors. Regular strength training helps to increase bone density, improves stamina, builds strength, and increases coordination and balance skills. It also has the potential to reduce the symptoms of various chronic conditions, such as high blood pressure, obesity, depression, arthritis, back pain, and diabetes. Of course, any senior, particularly those requiring elder care, need to do strength training safely. As always, consult with your senior loved one’s physician before beginning any exercise routine.
Tip #1 – Focus on Safety
First, it’s essential to focus on safety when your elderly loved one begins a strength training routine. As long as seniors start slowly, strength training is usually safe for seniors. However, inactive seniors and seniors with health conditions should discuss strength training with a physician before beginning.
Tip #2 – Consider a Personal Trainer When Getting Started
When first getting started, it can be helpful for seniors to work with a personal trainer, even if it’s only for a few sessions. This can ensure that seniors develop an effective, safe routine that can be continued alone. A good personal trainer can be found at a local fitness facility or a health care provider, such as an in-home care professional, may be able to recommend one. If this isn’t an option, it’s possible to find senior strength training videos that can provide seniors with age-appropriate strength training exercises.
Tip #3 – Senior Classes Offer Help and Socialization
For seniors that need a bit of motivation or those that don’t want to exercise alone, senior strength training classes may offer many benefits. Not only do they offer help with form with professional instructors, they also offer the chance to socialize with other seniors. Many fitness centers offer senior strength training classes, so check your local centers to see what’s available.
Tip #4 – Invest in the Right Equipment
If your senior requires elder care and can’t get out to a gym, consider investing in the right equipment to make it possible to engage in strength training at home. Some strength training exercises can be done with body weight, such as leg squats, sit-ups, and push-ups. However, great tools for better strength training include resistance bands, ankle weights, medicine balls, and hand weights. It’s easy to find these items online or in local sporting goods stores.
Source
http://seniorliving.about.com/od/basicexerciseseries/ss/strengthexercis.htm
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jim-t-miller/strength-training-tips_b_2118143.html
If you or an aging loved one are considering elderly care in the Denver Metro Area, please call and speak to the caring staff at Talem Home Care. Call today at (720) 797-8548.
