Working out is a fantastic thing for your elderly family member to do, especially if she’s managing her weight or health problems through what she eats and how often she moves. But it’s easy to make small mistakes while working out that could be impeding her progress.
She Needs to Warm Up.
Warming up is just what it says. It’s taking time to do a few movements that warm up the muscles your senior is about to use. The reason for this is that exercising cold muscles and joints is not only uncomfortable, but it can make injuries more likely. Warming up can be as easy as walking in place for a few minutes at a slow pace.
She Needs to Stretch.
Stretching can be something that your elderly family member tacks onto the end of her warmup. Taking a few minutes to stretch increases blood flow to those muscles and joints and allows them to limber up before exercising. Your senior might also benefit from stretching after she exercises as a part of her cool down. This can help her muscles keep from tensing up after activity.
She’s Focusing Only on One Type of Exercise.
It’s really easy to land on one type of exercise and stick with that. This can especially be an issue if your senior isn’t fond of exercise at all and has to convince herself to stick with her workouts. Balancing cardio exercise with other exercises, such as weight lifting or yoga, helps to improve your senior’s range of motion as well as her balance and strength. Try to help her find several different types of activities that she enjoys and that she can do well.
She’s Going too Easy on Herself.
Some aging adults are a little wary of exercise. Your senior might not want to hurt herself or to put herself in a situation in which she overdoes it. As a result, your senior might not be getting the workout that she could or should be getting. Make sure that you talk with your elderly family member’s doctor about how much exercise she should get and what the intensity should be.
It might help if your senior has someone else around when she’s working out to remind her about some of these ideas. You can do that for her, but when you’re not there, senior care providers can offer companionship and some extra reminders to help her exercise.
If you or an aging loved one are considering hiring senior care in Columbia, SC, contact Heart of the Carolinas Home Care at 864-991-3116. Providing Home Care Services in Greenville, Simpsonville, Greer, Anderson, Spartanburg, Mauldin, Seneca, Laurens, Charleston, Columbia and the surrounding areas.
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