{"id":10325,"date":"2016-10-05T07:00:58","date_gmt":"2016-10-05T12:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.senioradvisor.com\/blog\/?p=10325"},"modified":"2017-09-19T13:30:24","modified_gmt":"2017-09-19T18:30:24","slug":"8-tips-for-exercising-safely-as-a-senior","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/d30braiqprupoq.cloudfront.net\/blog\/2016\/10\/8-tips-for-exercising-safely-as-a-senior\/","title":{"rendered":"8 Tips for Exercising Safely as a Senior"},"content":{"rendered":"

8 Tips for Exercising Safely as a Senior\u00a0\"8<\/strong><\/h1>\n

We\u2019ve all been hearing our whole lives how important exercise is. The longer you\u2019ve lived, the longer you\u2019ve been hearing the recommendation to exercise regularly. But once a person reaches their senior years, exercising comes with greater risk.<\/p>\n

Getting in a regular amount of exercise is at least as important for seniors as for any other age group, but the consequences of injuring yourself while working out<\/strong><\/a> are more serious. That makes exercising safely as a senior a bit trickier, but it\u2019s certainly still possible.<\/p>\n

With a few extra precautions, seniors can keep up their health with regular exercise without ending up in the hospital due to strains or falls<\/strong><\/a>. <\/strong>Here\u2019s how to keep your exercise routine safe as you age.<\/p>\n

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  1. Talk to your doctor before trying out a new exercise.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Your doctor is familiar with you and your health issues. They\u2019ll know any particular types of exercise issues you should be aware of and can advise if you need to take a more careful approach to something you\u2019ll be trying or avoid it altogether.<\/p>\n

    As an added benefit, your doctor will likely be pleased to hear about your plans to pursue different or new exercises. If you\u2019re like most people, you\u2019re more used to making shameful admissions to your doctor than sharing plans about improving your health, so now you finally get to come in with a question that will impress them.<\/p>\n

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    1. Stretch regularly.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Stretching is a good habit for everyone to develop, but it\u2019s especially useful for seniors to do in order to maintain their flexibility. Try to get into the routine of doing stretching exercises<\/strong><\/a> for a few minutes every day. Not only will regular stretching make any other type of exercise you do easier, it will make lots of day-to-day tasks you need to do easier to manage, like reaching up to remove dishes from your kitchen cabinet or getting dressed in the morning.<\/p>\n

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      1. Know your limits.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        This is one of the most important tips for exercising safely as a senior.<\/p>\n

        Some parts of exercise culture emphasize always pushing yourself and working harder. That might be ok for your average 25-year old body builder, but it can be extremely damaging for seniors. Pushing yourself past the point where you\u2019re comfortable during exercise is very likely to lead to injury.<\/p>\n

        Pay attention to how your body feels as you exercise and if what you\u2019re doing starts to hurt, either switch to an exercise that works out another part of your body or take a break. If something continues to hurt long after your workout (beyond the typical soreness that follows exercise), don\u2019t hesitate to talk to your doctor about it.<\/p>\n

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        1. Work with a trainer or instructor if you\u2019re doing something new.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          When you do branch out to try a new work out, start in a class or with a personal trainer. Yes, it costs more than trying to do it on your own with a video or instructions from the internet, but a skilled professional will ensure that your form is good and you aren\u2019t doing any particular moves in a way that could end up hurting you.<\/p>\n

          Eventually, you should be able to switch to doing the exercise on your own, if that\u2019s your preference. To start though, get that extra guidance.<\/p>\n

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          1. Stick with senior-friendly exercises.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

            There\u2019s not one clear standard for which exercises are ok for seniors, since all seniors are built differently and have different physical issues. Even so, there are a number of exercises that are best avoided<\/strong><\/a> in your senior years if you want to avoid injury.<\/p>\n

            Even ruling a few types of exercise out, you still have loads of options for exercises that are safe for seniors. In particular:<\/p>\n