How much do you know about endurance exercises for seniors? The increase in life expectancy in many countries of the world has increased the number of elderly people. According to the statistics of the World Health Organization, by 2030, one out of every six people will be over 60 years old. The share of the population over 60 years old will increase from one billion people in 2020 to one billion and 400 million people. Based on these statistics, by 2050, the population over 60 years old in the world will double and reach 2 billion and 100 million people. Also, the population of people over 80 years old will triple between 2020 and 2050 and reach 426 million people.
This has redoubled the attention to issues related to old age, including physical and mental health in this era. Endurance exercises for seniors, like walking and balance exercises, is one of the ways to maintain physical health in old age, which, while being useful, also has certain sensitivities. We have answered any question you have about endurance exercises in this article from humanhealthmag and have also introduced endurance exercises you should be doing after 60.
What Are Endurance Exercises?
Endurance exercises are also called resistance exercises. These exercises are the most endurance means to remain stable, that is to move forward when things are difficult. In performing endurance exercises, persistence in exercises and having endurance strengthens the person’s constitution and strength.
By carrying out endurance exercises, you put your body under pressure for a long time. During these exercises, the body desperately needs oxygen. It is the endurance of the muscles that helps us in performing endurance exercises.
Endurance exercises for seniors are not only limited to sports where you only have to run hundreds of kilometers, ride a bike or swim, but some exercises that you may not even think of can be called endurance sports. Rugby, squash, gymnastics, etc. are examples of these exercises.
Benefits Of Endurance Exercises for Seniors
Performing sports exercises suitable for elderly conditions, such as endurance exercises for older adults, can not only prevent many problems of old age, but also improve the mood of the elderly and prevent possible injuries to the body of these people. Performing sports activities in the elderly can prevent Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, heart disease, diabetes, constipation, high blood pressure, obesity, etc. and control these conditions.
Reparative processes in the body of the elderly, even with exercise, will be slower due to aging, and the functions of some body systems will decrease. But this issue is not a reason not to exercise, but exercise should be done in a more controlled manner.
One of the problems of the elderly is the decrease in bone density, which leads to osteoporosis, especially in women. According to research, strength training such hand strengthening exercises for seniors can significantly reduce bone loss and even prevent fractures by improving balance. Also, exercise and physical activity can be very useful for joint swellings and arthritic pains.
Endurance Exercises for Seniors: How to Do?
Statistics show that more than three million elderly people die every year due to the lack of sufficient physical activity in the world; That is, along with chronic diseases and problems of old age, the lack of physical activity and sufficient mobility can be harmful and dangerous. Endurance exercises for seniors:
- should be done at least 2 times a week using large muscle groups to increase muscle strength and endurance.
- It is recommended to do 8 to 10 minutes of exercise at least 2 non-consecutive days a week.
- To increase the strength, a resistance (weight) that can be lifted 10 to 15 repetitions should be used.
- The level of effort to lift the weight should be moderate to high.
- In order to perform regular physical activity, the elderly should do activities to maintain and improve flexibility at least 2 days a week for at least 10 minutes.
Endurance Exercises Suitable for Seniors
What activities will increase endurance in the elderly? Endurance exercises help your muscles and bones stay strong. Strength training and bodybuilding in old age are particularly beneficial in increasing bone density and reducing the risk of falls in people with osteoporosis. What do you think is a useful and effective solution for fall recovery training?
- Weight training
- Bodyweight resistance training
- Lifting and carrying (eg, groceries or small children)
Try to include strength training and muscle building in your daily schedule 2-3 times a week. We suggest you get a specific exercise program and exercise with it. Preventing the risk of falling in the elderly is possible by increasing muscle strength, especially in the lower limbs. A problem that is common in the elderly and may scare them a little from exercise is lack of balance.
Endurance exercises for seniors should be conducted more slowly and regularly. Carrying out endurance activities such as walking, jogging, swimming, cycling and even climbing can lead to the improvement of the cardiac and respiratory conditions of the elderly. If a person does strength training with weights, exercise bands or even with body weight and exercises like Pilates and yoga, these exercises can increase his/her muscle strength.
Finally, we will have flexibility exercises that, due to the increase in age, people’s muscles tend to get shorter. Flexibility and stretching exercises can prevent muscle shortening and thus maintain the range of motion in elderly joints. For this reason, we always recommend that before taking a walk in the elderly, stretching movements should be performed for about five minutes and stretching exercises should be performed again at the end of the physical activity to cool down.
Example of Performing an Endurance Exercises for Seniors: Walking
Endurance exercises in old age increase heart rate and breathing and oxygen consumption increases during these movements. As a result, the work of the heart, lungs and circulatory system increases and increases your ability to do daily tasks. These endurance exercises include sports such as walking, running, cycling, swimming and climbing. Here we describe walking, which is one of the simplest and most appropriate endurance exercises for seniors.
- Walking outdoors should start slowly and gradually increase its speed and distance.
- It is better to warm up your muscles before starting the walk with stretching movements. Then walk for 10 to 15 minutes. Gradually increase the duration of walking until it reaches a maximum of one hour a day.
- It is better to walk twice in the morning and in the evening for 30 minutes each time. If you are not able to do 30 minutes of continuous walking, you can take 3 10-minute walks instead.
- Choose a smooth path with clean air for walking. Be sure to have a bottle of water with you.
- Wear comfortable, well-fitting, strappy shoes that support the foot and prevent impact. Also, wear thick cotton socks that absorb sweat and protect your feet.
- Wear comfortable, light clothes suitable for the weather. Wear light-colored clothing in the summer, and several thinner clothing in the winter instead of one thick one, so that you can gradually reduce your clothing as your body warms up while hiking.
- Start walking at a slow speed, which is one of the most suitable and safe endurance exercises for the elderly.
- Walk in a balanced and comfortable position. Keep your head up, look ahead, not at the ground. In each step, move the arms freely by the side of the body. Lean the body slightly forward. Land on the heel and move forward in a smooth motion. Avoid taking too long steps.
- Walk without stopping if possible. Frequent standing and starting to walk again prevents its positive effects.
- Take deep breaths while walking. Fill your lungs with air by taking a deep breath in through your nose and with your mouth closed, then exhale through your mouth.
- Try to take a special time of every day to walk when you are not tired or hungry and if possible, walk with your friends.
- If you are walking uphill or downhill, lean forward and take shorter steps to maintain balance.
- Write down the duration of the walk and the distance you have covered in your calendar every day.
- Increase the duration of walking once a week.
- At the end of the walk, gradually slow down your steps. You can also do flexibility movements and cool down your body little by little.
- If you experience chest pain, shortness of breath, or leg pain while walking, rest immediately or consult a doctor.
Concluding Remarks
In this article from the humanhealthmag, we talked about endurance exercises for seniors. Aging is an inevitable stage of the human life process; Considering our physical activities and health, how better to go through the old age in a way that is far from illness and we can go through this time better and more comfortably.
People have the wrong belief that when they enter old age, the body needs a lot of rest and they should not exercise at all! But no person should rest more than his body needs, and having a coherent and regular plan for performing physical activities and sports makes a person perform more diverse activities throughout the day. He/She should consider himself bound to do physical activity at a specific time every day according to the schedule in order to experience a better quality of life.
Now is the time for you to include endurance exercises for seniors in your daily schedule, because it has many benefits for your health. These exercises are not only for the gym, you can do these exercises at home and on the go. Whether you are a beginner or advanced, these endurance exercises are very beneficial for you. Because by increasing the body’s metabolism and maintaining lean muscles, it causes weight loss.
FAQs
What Effect Does Endurance Exercise Have on the Aging Process?
People who do not do endurance exercises cannot delay the aging process and lose 4 to 6 pounds of muscle in every decade of their life and replace it with fat mass. The American Heart Association also recommends that people do endurance exercises twice a week. They should start with easy and small exercises in the beginning.
How Much of Our Training Program Should We Devote to Endurance Training?
Endurance training should definitely be included in your fitness training program. In the research conducted in the American School of Sports Medicine, a 25-minute period of endurance exercises should be done at least 3 times a week.
Can I Do Endurance Exercise Every Day?
No, endurance exercises for seniors; because the body needs recovery, to recover its muscles after endurance exercises, and you will not suffer from overtraining. It is better to do these exercises at intervals of 48 hours.