Many senior adults start to wonder how they can start their fitness journey to increase mobility, stay active, and achieve maximized health when they reach their 60s and 70s.
While you might think it’s too late to begin now, trust us when we say this, it’s not! It is never too late to start your fitness journey and focus on improving your lifestyle activities to make healthier choices.
According to a report by the American Heart Association and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, adults should get at least 150 minutes of exercise weekly. While this might sound like a big number, it’s important to take it one day at a time and achieve your health goals.
Read on to learn how to maintain your health and wellness in retirement.
1. Start with Weight and Strength Training
The first thing you can start with is weight and strength training. Don’t be scared to start your fitness journey by throwing some weights around and then seeing your body transform with improved mental function, mood, and overall health.
Studies show that strength training allows older adults to have better physical and mental health and reduced risk of injury. You can start by lifting lighter weights and then slowly progress to using various weights. You can make it a routine to try out different exercises every day and explore your options until you find one that you enjoy doing the most.
2. Get Physical Exercise Everyday
According to the World Health Organization, getting at least 30 minutes of physical activity every day can help:
- Enhance cardiorespiratory fitness and improve muscles
- Reduce the risk of falling and getting injuries
- Alleviate symptoms of chronic stress and depression
- Minimize the risk of coronary heart disease, cancer, and diabetes
You can join your local gym or sign up for online group classes to get more active and take part in different kinds of exercises.
3. Engage in Relaxing Yoga for the Mind and the Body
One of the most effective ways to strengthen the mind and the body is through relaxing meditation techniques like yoga. This practice isn’t just good for the body but also promotes mental health, improves focus, attention span, and memory. Yoga is also a form of resistance training since you’re using the asanas to hold your body weight.
You could consider practicing chair yoga if you have trouble maintaining balance standing up. Here are some health benefits of practicing yoga.
- Increased flexibility
- Complete stress relief
- Improved mental health
- Reduced inflammation
- Increased strength
- Reduced anxiety and depression
- Improved immunity
4. Try Swimming and Water Aerobics
One of the most efficient and fun ways to improve and maintain your health is to jump in a pool and take part in aquatic sports. Aquatic sports are another form of strength training that allows the body to strengthen its muscles.
Aqua aerobics and swimming are also fun and efficient ways to reduce the impact on the joints and ease body pains and aches.
5. Stay Up to date with Your Appointments
We cannot emphasize this enough, but always make time for your appointments. You can prevent several health issues by attending all of your doctor’s appointments and getting regular checkups.
Make sure to consult your physiotherapist about any physical activity you’re about to participate in and find out whether this activity will benefit you. Getting regular checkups also ensures you stay on top of any health issues that could escalate and make matters worse.
6. Follow a Nutritious Diet Plan
One way to maintain your health is to have a well-balanced nutritious diet. Make sure your diet includes plenty of legumes, vegetables, lean meat, milk, cereals, fish, and foods high in fiber.
Try to cut down on processed and packaged food since they can contain a lot of salt, which can raise blood pressure.
7. Beat the Retirement Blues
Not sure how to cope with the idea of retirement? Seek new opportunities that boost your mental health. You can achieve this by sticking to a schedule to maintain a sense of purpose. You should also keep exploring new passions and find new hobbies that help you connect with a new community and keep meeting interesting people.
Reach Out to Arrow Senior Living Advisors
Still not sure how to improve your overall quality of life at your age? Maybe finding an assisted living community in Des Moines and nearby areas can help!
Check out Arrow Senior Living Advisors now. We have more than a decade of experience providing expert guidance on finding the best home care, memory care, and assisted living services and will ensure you lead a comfortable and healthy life.
We provide our services in New Mexico, Texas, Iowa, Pennslyvania, and Oklahoma and offer professional guidance in helping you find the right assisted living community.
Contact us now to get started.
