Exercises essential for older adults over 65 to enhance muscle strength
Keeping active is paramount to living a healthy life, especially as you age. It's no secret that being physically active has numerous advantages for your overall health, helping prevent diseases and enhancing your quality of life.
For seniors, the Ministry of Health encourages engaging in exercises or any physical activity suitable for their age and health status. Ideal options include taking the stairs, going for a walk, swimming, and practicing relaxation poses. These activities promote both mobility and relaxation.
Dr. Luis Revilla, a representative of the National Strategy for Non-Transmissible Damage of the Ministry of Health, shared that physical activity significantly contributes to preventing and managing a variety of diseases, such as diabetes, obesity, and high blood pressure.
Now, let's talk about an exercise that's perfect for older adults: calisthenics. This workout doesn't necessitate any fancy equipment; all you need is your own body weight. You can perform movements using everyday objects like chairs, walls, or water bottles to activate your main muscles. Exercises ranging from assisted chair squats to seated leg lifts can help improve stability. Even simple activities like lifting your knees or moving your arms in circles have a significant impact when performed consistently.
Calisthenics offers numerous benefits. It strengthens muscles, enhances coordination and mobility, and most importantly, increases balance – crucial for seniors as a fall can be extremely hazardous. By practicing calisthenics, the risk of falls decreases, enabling daily activities to be carried out more safely.
Some common health issues faced by older adults include cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, arthritis, osteoporosis, and neurodegenerative diseases. Regular exercise, like calisthenics, can help manage or prevent these conditions.
Calisthenics may not be the best choice for building significant strength and managing specific conditions like sarcopenia (muscle loss due to aging), but it still provides numerous benefits for seniors. It's an affordable and accessible way to maintain overall health and prevent chronic diseases.
Engaging in calisthenics, an exercise reliant on one's own body weight, is recommended for seniors by the Ministry of Health as it promotes mobility, relaxation, and strength without requiring expensive equipment. Calisthenics helps enhance coordination, mobility, and most importantly, balance - essential elements for seniors to prevent falls that could lead to serious health risks. Regardless, calisthenics may not be ideal for building significant strength or managing specific aging-related conditions like sarcopenia. However, it remains an effective tool for maintaining overall health, contributing to the prevention and management of common senior health issues such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, arthritis, osteoporosis, and neurodegenerative diseases. Regular practice of calisthenics, as part of a health-and-wellness routine, can make a significant impact on the quality of life for both men and women during the aging process.
