Want to age well?
Exercise…
Just because you’re over the age of 60 doesn’t mean that you should shy away from exercise! You may not want to be doing heavy lifting or high intensity training anymore but keeping active can help keep your heart, brain and body ticking along well. It will also help you to look and feel younger!
Why should I exercise?
We all want to feel safe and confident in our own homes. As we get older, everyday household tasks like making the bed, hanging out the washing and reaching the top cupboard can become a bit more challenging. We can start to feel a little less steady on our feet and running our errands can start to feel like running a marathon!
By adding exercise to your routine you can:
- Prolong and maintain your independence
- Help control weight, blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes
- Limit the impact of bone and joint problems (like arthritis or osteoporosis)
- Reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke and some cancers
- Help to manage pain and improves joint movement & flexibility
- Improve memory and maintains your brain health
- Decrease your risk of falls by Improving your balance
- Improve strength following an illness, injury, or operation
- Increase your general fitness
How can I increase my fitness?
To get the most out of exercising we recommend that you aim to exercise for a short time each day. A combination of balance exercises, strength training and aerobic exercise (exercise that makes you puff) is an ideal plan as you get older. Remember though, you can start with just a day or two a week and build your way up to something more consistent.
Now you might not be getting out on the footy field or rock climbing but there is still lots of different types of physical activities you can try:
- Group classes with people of similar age and ability
- Exercises in the comfort of your own home
- Joining a community walking group
- Gardening
- Hydrotherapy classes or swimming
- Social sports such as lawn bowls and golf
Who can help me?
Speaking with an Allied Health Professional like an Accredited Exercise Physiologist (AEP) is a great place to start. AEP’s are university qualified allied health professionals who prescribe exercise to help their clients improve their health and well being.
Our exercise physiologists are skilled and experienced at working with people across the lifespan so regardless of your age and ability, our AEPs can help you create an exercise plan to suit your needs. A targeted plan can help you achieve specific functional goals like lifting and carrying grandchildren or maintaining the ability to climb stairs or garden. Keeping up these skills will help you ensure you have the best quality of life. You can start working with an AEP no matter what your current fitness level is, whether you are very active or have been inactive for a long time.
Here at Melbourne Osteohealth we have Accredited Exercise Physiologists with much experience in working with people over the age of 60. If you feel you would like to have a discussion about how exercise can help you then we would love to hear from you.
