May 25th is Senior Health and Fitness Day! ? The Rite Bite Blog

Consistent physical activity and exercising are two of the most important health improvement steps that older adults can take to maintain physical and mental well being as well as quality of life.

Aerobic exercise also referred to as ?cardio? helps keep hearts strong and physical endurance high.? This helps with burning fat, improved sleep, better blood sugar control, and stronger bones.? Older adults should try to get in some form of cardio activity 3-5 days a week for a minimum of 20 minutes each time. Some examples could be biking, walking, swimming, and land and water aerobics classes.

Strength exercises are also safe and effective for the older adult population.? Lack of strength and poor balance puts older adults at a much higher risk for falls and muscle degeneration.? Regular strength training will help decrease arthritis, obesity, and osteoporosis.? Strength training helps keep muscles and joints strong, which will help lower joint and back pain. Having muscle mass will also keep metabolism higher. ?Older adults should try to get in strength training 2 non- consecutive days a week.

It?s a good idea for anyone starting a strength routine to be sure to pay close attention to form and alignment to decrease the risk of injury.? It?s advised to start a new routine in a supervised environment with an instructor or trainer. Seniors should use light weights and or bands when starting a strength routine.

Check out these YouTube Videos for some free senior workouts:

Cardio and lower body work in a chair: http://www.youtube.com/user/StrongerSeniors?feature=pyv&ad=8653057536&kw=%22senior%20exercise%22#p/u/0/m7zCDiiTBTk

Balance Work:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJisTCwzhJM&playnext=1&list=PLD8AEC46628441F3C

Chair Pilates for core and flexibility:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elOyApQYwuw&playnext=1&list=PLD8AEC46628441F3C

Always be sure to check with a doctor before starting any exercise program to be sure what you?re doing is safe and that you have no restrictions.

Tags: body fat, Emily Olsen, Exercise, Exercise Benefits, Fitness, health, The Rite Bite

This entry was posted on Monday, May 23rd, 2011 at 12:09 am and is filed under Fitness, General, Lifestyle. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Source: http://theritebite.com/blog/?p=672

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