During winter, it can feel tiring to even get off the couch. The cold weather and shorter days mean that you or your loved ones are more susceptible to becoming inactive. However, physical activity is an important component of your health, especially for seniors. You should aim for about 2½ hours of moderate-intensity exercise per week. While achieving this can seem like a daunting challenge, there are actually many ways to keep active during the winter. Read on the learn more about how to keep active at senior living communities in Broken Arrow, OK during the winter.
The Importance of Staying Active
Engaging in regular physical activity can benefit you or your loved ones greatly. By exercising regularly, you can gain healthy muscle mass and bone density. This helps to reduce your risk of becoming severely injured in falls. Moreover, arthritis pain commonly increase during the winter. Exercising can help reduce this pain by effectively lubricating joints and ensuring a stable body temperature. Regular physical activity helps to reduce your risk of chronic medical conditions such as coronary heart disease and high blood pressure.
Regular physical activity can even benefit you mentally and emotionally. Studies have shown that exercising regularly reduces your risk of anxiety, depression, and stress. Furthermore, exercise can help slow down cognitive decline, reducing your risk of Alzheimer’s and dementia.
Join a Walking Group
Walking is a good form of exercise for seniors as it isn’t too intensive and can be done over a long period of time. Joining a walking group can motivate you or your loved ones to walk regularly. With many retirement communities being built near malls or parks, you can take advantage of these large spaces to get your fix of exercise. A walking group can also allow you to socialize and bond with others.
Do At-Home Workouts
If getting out of your house is simply too difficult in the cold weather, there are still many ways to stay active in the comfort of your home. You can search for videos online or download fitness apps. These resources can provide you with full exercise routines that are tailored to seniors and do not require too much equipment or space.
Go For a Swim
Swimming is one of the best forms of exercise for you or your loved ones to stay active as it is light on your joints. A heated pool is one of the many senior living amenities that we offer. You can make plans with other residents to go for a swim together, or check out your retirement community’s activity calendar for water-based exercise classes such as water aerobics.
Join Fitness Classes
There are a wide variety of fitness classes such as yoga or swimming that can be well-suited for seniors to enjoy. At our Personal Care Community, our Dimensions Health and Fitness program ensures that you or your loved ones have ample opportunities to join fitness classes that interest you. Our fully-equipped fitness center also provides you with all the equipment that you need to stay physically healthy.
