the Perfect Exercise Routine for Seniors: Expert Recommendations
Throughout life, diet and exercise are vital components of a healthy lifestyle, and as we age, our needs change constantly. An increasing number of studies demonstrate the need for regular exercise, particularly for seniors, and the trend of seniors choosing an active lifestyle over a sedentary one. Seniors have distinct motivations for maintaining their physical fitness compared to younger people because of the biological changes that occur with aging. While there are advantages to physical fitness at any age, the health benefits experienced by physically active seniors are more significant. Seniors should continue to be as active as possible without going overboard, according to doctors and academics. Exercise contributes to a longer, healthier, and happier life for older people.
The importance of the exercise program for seniors
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Exercise Program for Seniors is crucial for older adults (age 65 and over) because it facilitates the performance of activities of daily living (ADLs), such as eating, bathing, using the restroom, dressing, getting into and out of bed or a chair, and moving around the home or neighborhood. Elderly people who are physically active also have a lower risk of falling, which may result in major injuries.
Exercise increases bone density and muscular strength, which is particularly beneficial for women as they lose bone density more quickly than males do after menopause. In the meanwhile, the advantages of physical activity for the heart and lungs support general health and reduce certain risks associated with chronic diseases and disease.
Some kinds of exercises are most beneficial for seniors.
Experts advise seniors to engage in a variety of fitness activities, including:
Aerobics: Also referred to as cardio, exercises that raise your heart rate include swimming and running. They’re excellent for increasing your general level of fitness and giving you more energy to go through everyday responsibilities.
Strengthening exercises: Exercises that increase muscular mass and strength, like push-ups and lunges, make daily chores like carrying groceries simpler to do.
Exercises for flexibility and balance: It might be simpler to do everyday chores like tie your shoes and maintain equilibrium if you practice both balancing and flexibility exercises.
Seniors’ Top Aerobic Exercises
It is recommended that older persons engage in moderate-intensity aerobic exercise for at least 2.5 to 5 hours per week, preferably distributed over many days. Walking briskly, cycling, swimming, dancing, and going on nature hikes are examples of moderate-intensity aerobic activities.
The following are a few of the top cardio workouts for seniors:
Walking
One of the finest aerobic exercises for seniors is walking, which may be tailored to an individual’s preferred speed, distance, or duration. Although it requires excellent balance, using a cane or walker can help someone do it.
Cycling
Cycling puts more strain on the heart and lungs and increases blood flow since it uses bigger muscles, such as the hamstrings and quadriceps, whether one is riding an outside bike or a stationary bike. Similar to other types of cardiovascular exercise, the body adjusts to the increased demand by improving its tolerance, which benefits the heart and lungs throughout the activity. Moreover, cycling is a low-impact exercise that may benefit those with joint or muscle discomfort or dysfunction by lowering ground reaction forces during exercise.*
Dancing
Dancing continuously while moving your body, particularly your hips, qualifies as aerobic exercise, whether you choose Zumba, line dancing, or tango. In addition to increasing heart rate, dancing also strengthens many significant muscle groups, improves balance, and uplifts your mood. You may combine it with a group or a partner to get social and physical exercise.
Walking in natural settings, such as along a brook, on a beach, or atop a mountain, may test one’s proprioception, or sense of one’s own body in space. Walking on varied surfaces helps enhance balance, strength, and agility for safer mobility in general. Additionally, there may be psychological benefits to spending time outdoors, including less anxiety and happier moods.
Resistance training routines are appropriate for seniors.
Compound exercises, or multi-joint exercises, are motions that use several joints and train various muscle groups simultaneously. They are a vital component of any resistance training program, regardless of age or skill level, since they are a very efficient means of developing whole body strength. Our best picks for multi-joint workouts for senior citizens are as follows:
Squats
Lower-limb age-related strength loss is more common than upper-limb age-related loss. In addition to impairing more basic everyday tasks, lower limb weakness may raise the risk of falling as we age. Therefore, the lower body’s muscles need to be strengthened first.
The squat is an extremely effective lower-body workout that works several muscles across multiple joints. It is highly recommended for all fitness levels. specifically, the quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, calves, adductors (inner thighs), abdominals, and certain key back muscles. It’s also a really effective workout since it works all of these muscles at once!
Master the Squat: Transform Your Bodyweight Training with Various Forms
Depending on your present level, the squat may take many various forms. It may begin as a bodyweight squat, a wall squat, or a six-to-stand from a chair or bench. Then, they may be advanced by adding weight, such carrying a weighted item around the home, adding a band, or using a weight at the gym like dumbbells or kettlebells.
A variety of equipment, like the leg press, hack squat machine, and smith machine, engages the quadriceps and glute max in a closed-chain manner. Using an additional weight on the free bar in the gym is a great technique to improve the load and gives your balance and coordination a greater test for those with higher levels of fitness.
Deadlifting
The biggest and strongest muscle in the body is the gluteus maximum, or glut max. Lateral rotation and hip extension are its main functions. It is necessary for a variety of functional tasks, such as running, walking, climbing stairs, and lifting.
Because of its attachments, it plays a crucial role in preserving balance and posture by supporting knee, trunk, and pelvic stability. Injuries and chronic pain have been related to low glutmax strength in the general population, whereas falls are more likely to occur in the senior population.
Hip extensions are among the greatest workouts for targeting the glutmax. The hamstrings, which are the posterior thigh muscles that aid in hip extension by crossing the hip joint in addition to flexing the knee, are another significant muscle group involved in this action.
The deadlift is one of the finest exercises for hip extension. This exercise has several versions that may be tailored to target various muscle groups more efficiently and to suit a range of abilities. The fundamental concept is to pick up a weighted item from the floor while maintaining a somewhat neutral spine. Your hips should be the primary source of movement for this exercise.
The glut bridge and hip thrust are two more exercises that may be done in different ways to enhance difficulty.
Bench Press (Chest Press)
Although the significance of lower limb strength has been emphasized before, upper limb strength is just as important. It’s necessary for everyday tasks like getting dressed, cleaning, cooking, eating, and more.
Numerous functional constraints and upper-limb strength have been related in studies. For instance, worse hand grip strength is linked to a higher chance of experiencing difficulties with eating, cleaning, dressing, and using the restroom. There is a significant mortality risk independently linked to each of these functional impairments! Cardiovascular events have also been connected to upper-limb strength.
Shoulder Press
The big muscle at the top of your arm and shoulder is called the deltoid. Anterior, middle, and posterior are its three constituent parts. When combined, they enable the arm to be lifted out to the side, which is a highly practical and functional action for daily tasks. Both the anterior and posterior sections aid in raising the arm and extending it (drawing the arm back down from elevation).
Exercises like the shoulder press, which may be performed with bands, machines, dumbbells, or free bars, are excellent for strengthening the deltoid.
The rotator cuff muscles, which have a dual function in stabilizing the shoulder joint and facilitating arm mobility, are additional crucial muscles surrounding the shoulders. These are the muscles that are often weaker in various diseases, including shoulder discomfort. Exercises incorporating weight bearing via the arms, bands, small weights, or cable machines, as well as internal and external rotation, are effective ways to strengthen the rotator cuff muscles.
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Age-related changes in spinal alignment, such as increasing thoracic curvature (the classic old posture of being flexed and bowed forward), may be exacerbated by a loss of trunk strength.
Research has shown a robust correlation between impaired trunk muscle performance in geriatric females and a heightened susceptibility to debilitating spinal vertebral fractures. Six
The muscles in your trunk are also vital stabilizers for your body throughout daily activities; they help to maintain your body’s stability as you move your upper and lower limbs.
Although crunches are often regarded as a core workout, studies have revealed that isometric or trunk stabilization exercises more successfully target the muscles of the trunk and core.
A great example of this kind of exercise is the plank, which requires your trunk and core muscles to contract in order to stabilize your body. This may seem intimidating to some, but you may begin by leaning against a wall, work your way down to a seat or table, then work your way up to your knees and finally the floor.
As the next generation approaches senior age, there is a growing need for a senior fitness program. Active seniors have an edge over others. They have benefited from exercise, controlling several avoidable ailments with an active lifestyle. Compared to other seniors who have sedentary lifestyles, they take fewer sick days. In comparison to those who pursue sedentary lives, they also consume fewer prescriptions. People have used exercise as a way to reduce stress and blood pressure. They have boosted their own immune systems and maintained a healthy weight through activity.
Senior fitness programs provide a lot of advantages. To get the advantages of exercise, one does not need to be an extreme athlete. Workouts, even if limited to a few days a week, are still preferable to none at all. It just takes a few days a week to see the benefits of exercise.
References
Admin. “What Are the Best Resistance Training Exercises for Older Adults?” Keeping Strong, 12 Apr. 2023, (1)
DPT, Rachel Tavel. “A Guide to the Best Exercises for Seniors.” Forbes Health, 18 Apr. 2023,(2)
GoodRx – (3)
Kilroy, Dana Sullivan. “Exercise Plan for Seniors.” Healthline, 27 Mar. 2023, (4)
Lifestyle, Senior. “7 Best Exercises for Seniors (and a Few to Avoid!).” Senior Lifestyle, 25 Oct. 2021, (5)
The National Council on Aging. (6)