Seven Tips for Senior Health and Fitness

Seven Tips for Senior Health and Fitness

By Debi Young

1. Know your own numbers

By this I mean blood pressure, total cholesterol including LDL & HDL and triglycerides. It is also important to know your blood sugar and your weight. You can also use this information to adjust your exercise and nutritional needs. Your physician can assist you with this, so be sure to consult your doctor before making any changes.

2. Water and Nutrition

As we have always heard, 6 to 8 eight ounce glasses of water a day is important, because it improves your energy, increases your mental and physical performance, keeps skin healthy and glowing, and allows for proper digestion. It also helps to remove toxins and waste products from your body. Still simple but true, eat a well balanced diet from the five major food groups: whole grains, vegetables, fruit, calcium rich foods, and lean meats. Sensible eating needs to be a part of our daily lives.

3. Balance and Coordination

The way balance is greatly improved is with practice. Here are some examples you can do at home: Stand on one foot for ten seconds then the other foot for ten seconds. Repeat three to four times. You can also stand heel to toe, come up on your tip toes and extend your arms in front of you or to your side snapping your fingers. Again hold ten seconds and repeat three to four times. If needed hold on to a chair or the wall.

4. Cardio Vascular Endurance

Aerobic exercise is important for all ages. It is never too late to begin an aerobic exercise program and to experience the often dramatic benefits which include: building good muscle tone, improving balance and reflexes, burning fat, aiding the bowels, and making the bones stronger. Try walking or walking with a friend, swimming, bicycling or an organized exercise program.

5. Muscular Strength and Endurance

It is important to incorporate resistance training; it increases bone density, muscle density, strength, and strength endurance. Several tools can be used for resistance training. You can use one to five pound hand held weights, if you do not own hand held weights you can use soup cans or 16 ounce water bottles. Resistance training improves your overall physical fitness level and gives you a sense of well being.

6. Rest and Relaxation

We all know how stressful our lives can be. Take time to spend with your friends, family, and enjoy your pets. How you feel is an indication of your need to rest. If you feel like being up and at em’- go ahead! But if you feel the need to rest make sure you give your body what it needs because sometimes nothing feels better than a well deserved nap.

7. Resources

Our community offers many places where you can satisfy your exercise needs, from community centers to parks, walking paths, golf courses and fitness centers. At Family Sport and Fitness in San Jacinto, we offer exercise classes designed especially for seniors including seated aerobics with resistance training focusing on flexibility, strength and endurance. We also have exercise classes in our pools approved by the arthritis foundation.

I can’t stress enough the importance of good nutrition and a regular exercise routine, which will lead to good physical, mental, and emotional health, in turn this will keep us younger, more vital, and happy.


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		Seven Tips for Senior Health and Fitness By Debi Young 1. Know your own numbers By this I mean blood pressure, total cholesterol including LDL & HDL and triglycerides. It is also important to know your blood sugar and your weight. You can also use this information to adjust your exercise and nutritional needs. Your physician can assist you with this, so be sure to consult your doctor before making any changes. 2. Water and Nutrition As we have always heard, 6 to 8 eight ounce glasses of water a day is important, because it improves your energy, increases your mental and physical performance, keeps skin healthy and glowing, and allows for proper digestion. It also helps to remove toxins and waste products from your body. Still simple but true, eat a well balanced diet from the five major food groups: whole grains, vegetables, fruit, calcium rich foods, and lean meats. Sensible eating needs to be a part of our daily lives. 3. Balance and Coordination The way balance is greatly improved is with practice. Here are some examples you can do at home: Stand on one foot for ten seconds then the other foot for ten seconds. Repeat three to four times. You can also stand heel to toe, come up on your tip toes and extend your arms in front of you or to your side snapping your fingers. Again hold ten seconds and repeat three to four times. If needed hold on to a chair or the wall. 4. Cardio Vascular Endurance Aerobic exercise is important for all ages. It is never too late to begin an aerobic exercise program and to experience the often dramatic benefits which include: building good muscle tone, improving balance and reflexes, burning fat, aiding the bowels, and making the bones stronger. Try walking or walking with a friend, swimming, bicycling or an organized exercise program. 5. Muscular Strength and Endurance It is important to incorporate resistance training; it increases bone density, muscle density, strength, and strength endurance. Several tools can be used for resistance training. You can use one to five pound hand held weights, if you do not own hand held weights you can use soup cans or 16 ounce water bottles. Resistance training improves your overall physical fitness level and gives you a sense of well being. 6. Rest and Relaxation We all know how stressful our lives can be. Take time to spend with your friends, family, and enjoy your pets. How you feel is an indication of your need to rest. If you feel like being up and at em’- go ahead! But if you feel the need to rest make sure you give your body what it needs because sometimes nothing feels better than a well deserved nap. 7. Resources Our community offers many places where you can satisfy your exercise needs, from community centers to parks, walking paths, golf courses and fitness centers. At Family Sport and Fitness in San Jacinto, we offer exercise classes designed especially for seniors including seated aerobics with resistance training focusing on flexibility, strength and endurance. We also have exercise classes in our pools approved by the arthritis foundation. I can’t stress enough the importance of good nutrition and a regular exercise routine, which will lead to good physical, mental, and emotional health, in turn this will keep us younger, more vital, and happy.
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