4 Fitness Ideas for Seniors to Maintain Their Overall Health While Staying Safe

Maintaining an active lifestyle is excellent for people of all ages, especially during such uncertain times. For seniors, staying active can come with numerous benefits, including strength and balance improvement, lowered risk of health issues like heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and cancer, improved mood and feelings, enhanced ability to learn, think and decide, and boosted appreciation of one’s self. Get Up and Get Moving shares some great ideas to help seniors stay in good health.

Stay Healthy With Mild Physical Activities

Numerous seniors suffer from boredom and depressive thoughts due to isolation or health conditions that may limit their ability to exercise fully. This issue should not be looked down upon as isolation affects physical and mental health and is a precursor for depression. Fortunately, there are ways for seniors to stay active and achieve a healthy lifestyle. Here are a few great ideas to explore on how to stay active as a senior while prioritizing safety. 

Volunteer or Help at Church

Getting yourself more involved in the church community by volunteering to mow the lawn of a friend who cannot do it themselves or taking care of the clean-up work at the church can do wonders for both your physical and mental health. This way, you get to stay healthy and also discover new things, meet new people, and perhaps even acquire a new passion – all while following your area’s social-distancing rules. Maintain your overall health and positive outlook by doing things that are not only enjoyable but also meaningful.

Participate in Senior Sport or Activity Classes

Many churches have created activity classes for different ages since the pandemic started. While respecting the safety rules, these classes include various fitness activities, including golf, yoga, exercise classes, Tai Chi, and performance classes.

Exercise can help decrease the risk of developing different diseases and disabilities as you grow older. Regular movement and exercise are vital and treatment for numerous chronic conditions, as well as mental issues. People with heart disease, arthritis, diabetes, balance problems, high blood pressure, and difficulty walking can benefit from daily exercise – whether done in a social-distanced class or at home. Church activity classes are a great place not only to stay active but to meet new people as well. In case you’re unable to frequent the church classes, ensure you maintain your fitness routine at home. There are numerous easy and simple exercises to do indoors, such as stretching, indoor walking, playing Wii games, or step workouts.

Go on a Hike

Hiking is one of the best ways to explore new sights and places while getting some relaxation time and keeping up with your fitness routine. If your church isn’t organizing such a trip, you can step up and do it with your church friends, especially since there aren’t many people out now. While staying safe, you can take advantage of various perks such as senior travel deals and the flexibility to pick up and go. Make sure you pack an emergency kit, health insurance cards, and enough medication. 

Grow an Herb Garden

Growing an herb garden is very easy and requires almost no gardening experience; however, it keeps your body and mind sharp. A herb garden is also easy to maintain and doesn’t need massive effort. One of the biggest advantages of having a herb garden is that you can easily grow the herbs to then taste and enjoy various new combinations. This also helps improve your health, as herbs are incredibly wholesome for our bodies. When we learn to use herbs in different dishes, we can be assured that we’re consuming a healthy, balanced, and nutritious diet. Herbs are particularly helpful as we age since it helps reduce and even eliminate various food additives that aren’t necessarily healthy. Some of the herbs you can keep indoors include oregano, thyme, lemongrass, basil, parsley, chives, and mint.

The Bottom Line

Physical activity helps you stay independent, healthy and keep doing the activities you enjoy. No matter your fitness level, there are numerous fun, low-cost, and safe activities to enjoy and keep doing to maintain your overall health.