Strength Training for Seniors
Lacey Strength Training for Seniors
Bodybuilders and marathon runners aren’t the only ones who benefit from strength training. It’s for anyone who wants to feel younger, energetic, and healthier. To start gaining muscle and increase your strength, you don’t even need a gym or special training equipment.
Everyone, regardless of age, should engage in some form of strength exercise. Of course, a strength session for a 75-year-old client will differ from a strength session for a 25-year-old client, but strength training is just as crucial, if not more so, for seniors on your client list.
Health benefits of Strength training
Mental health is just as essential as physical health when it comes to ageing. As you become older, you’re more likely to experience loneliness and social isolation, as well as depression and other mental health difficulties. Building strength enhances happiness and general quality of life by increasing mobility and function while also improving overall health.
Strength-training techniques have been shown in recent study to be effective in combating weakness and frailty, as well as their detrimental repercussions. These activities, when performed on a regular basis (e.g., two to three times per week), increase muscle strength and bulk while also preserving bone density, independence, and vitality as people age. Strength training can also help to prevent osteoporosis and the signs and symptoms of a variety of chronic conditions, including heart disease, arthritis, and type 2 diabetes, as well as improve sleep and reduce depression.
Why is Strength training important for seniors?
Of course, as we get older, our bodies change, and often in ways we don’t like. Even normal, healthy ageing entails:
- A sluggish metabolism
- Muscle mass and strength have decreased.
- Body fat has increased.
- Bone density is reduced.
- Increased porosity of the bones.
- Joints that are stronger.
- Reaction times and reflexes are slower.
- Aerobic capacity has deteriorated.
Name strength training for seniors
Resistance band workouts
Resistance bands are flexible rubber strips that increase resistance to workouts while reducing body tension. Resistance band workouts are simple to use and can be done by anyone. Resistance band workouts are perfect for at-home fitness and are becoming increasingly popular among seniors due to the comparatively low upfront expenses of equipment. These exercises are also great for strengthening your core, which helps with posture, mobility, and balance.
Chair yoga
Chair yoga, like water aerobics, is a low-impact exercise that develops muscle strength, mobility, balance, and flexibility, which are all important health factors for seniors. Chair yoga is a simple kind of yoga that puts less strain on the muscles, joints, and bones than more traditional yoga.
Pilates
Pilates is a popular low-impact exercise that has been around for over a century. Breathing, alignment, attention, and core strength are all stressed in Pilates workouts, which generally include mats, Pilates balls, and other inflatable accessories to assist build strength without the stress of higher-impact exercises. Pilates has been demonstrated to help elderly persons improve their balance, core strength, and flexibility.
Walking
Walking is one of the least stressful and accessible kinds of exercise. Walking presents a greater barrier for certain seniors than for others, therefore distance and step goals vary. For the general public, 10,000 steps per day is recommended for a healthy lifestyle, but people who have trouble walking or suffer from joint pain may set a lower goal. According to a study published in PLOS One, walking 10,000 steps reduced death by 46% over ten years. Walking helps you live a healthier lifestyle by strengthening your muscles and decreasing your chances of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and colon cancer.
Conclusion
All seniors should undertake some type of strength exercise that targets all of the major muscle groups at least twice a week, according to the US Department of Health and Human Services. If health or capacity precludes older folks from doing two complete sessions, they should undertake as much strength training as their abilities allow.