Aerobics For Seniors | Senior Aerobics

Everyone wants to get healthier, and everyone knows what when it comes right down to it. Doing aerobic exercise on a regular basis is something that can really take you from a point of being unhealthy, and bring you to a place where you can be healthy and you can enjoy all that life has to offer you. This goes for everyone, but there are certain groups of people who have to design their aerobic exercise very carefully to avoid hurting themselves. The types of aerobics for seniors are important factors to consider since seniors are more prone to body injuries.

Dieting for seniors is also an important factor since the body hormones are different from young adults. The body ability to absorb nutrients and the effects on muscle with the same workouts will differ from young adults. Since seniors are more prone to health problems in general, it is advisable to consult a doctor before taking up any aerobic exercise or gym workout.

With regular aerobics, it helps to reduce risk of heart disease, lower blood pressure, stroke, hypertension, and arthritis. It is recommended to exercise three to five times each week.

There are many types of senior aerobics. In fact, most of the aerobics are practiced by all ages; the only difference is the intensity. Below are some of the recommended aerobics for seniors which must be performed only according to individual level of comfort.

Jumping Jacks – This is the exercise practiced by many people. It can be a warm up exercise for resistance training or any other workouts and by increasing the intensity you will find that it is a very good aerobic exercise. It works almost the whole body muscle – shoulders, thigh, and calf. For seniors, start slow as a warm up and slowly increase the intensity to which your body feels comfortable. Three to five minutes of jumping jack should be sufficient. Combine with other aerobic exercise to work on other muscle groups will provide all round results.

Water Aerobics – One of the advantages of water aerobics is that it is a low impact or low intensity exercise. Water aerobics benefit people with knee or joint problems. It does not stress on your joints since water provide buoyancy. Water aerobics for seniors help to relief joint stiffness and tone body muscles.

Fast Walking – Do you find walking easy? Try fast walking for 30 minutes and feel your heart pumping. The intensity of fast walking is between jogging and slow walking. This is one of the preference aerobics for seniors since it has less stress on knees and joints as opposed to running and burn calories more than just walking. Depending on your body weight, you may burn about 10 calories or more per minute.

Chair Aerobics – People find themselves lacking the time for aerobics especially working adults may like chair aerobics. Stretching and punching in the air sitting on the chair not only help to circulate the blood but also wake up the sleepy mind and relief stress during office hours. To work on the legs and abdominal, try cycling in the air with both legs elevated above the ground. Chair aerobics can be performed while working in the office or at home watching television.

Other than the above exercises, any movements with higher intensity can be considered as aerobics for seniors. For example, gardening, mopping the floor, and walking up the stair. These are indoor activities. It is most convenient for seniors staying at home. There are many more outdoor aerobics such as swimming, jogging, and cycling. Whether you take it as cardio exercises or aerobics, as long as you get the heart pumping you are on the way to a healthy lifestyle.