With the monsoons gone, winter is right around the corner, and a lot of us will be starting to make preparations for it. Considering that it is generally believed that nothing is more important than health, sports and exercise have taken a new level of importance because they can make the body become healthy and give people a good mood. However, if we strain ourselves more than necessary, some problems can arise after the exertion, sometimes as serious as sudden fainting and death. It therefore is necessary for us to be careful when planning and executing the exercise plan, keeping in mind senior citizen care and health.
To build a proper plan we need to examine the meaning of exercise and what it contains; exercise is anything that you’re your body moving, from walking to aerobics to recreational sport. The most important thing to bear in mind as you get older is to keep moving. On a basic level, that means making sure you don’t spend hours on end sitting down during the day, whether you are at a home for senior citizens or elsewhere. This means avoiding long periods of TV viewing, computer use, driving, and sitting to read, talk or listen to music.
While a unique plan is needed for everyone according to their specific needs, here are a few general tips that will help you as you are making your plan:
- 2 hours and 30 minutes of moderate intensity aerobics every week
- Do something every day. At least for 10 minutes
- Pick up an activity and do it 30 minutes on at least five days a week
- Two days a week, activities should include those that strengthen muscles and bones, such as weight training, carrying heavy loads and heavy gardening
Here are some examples of moderate-intensity aerobic activities:
- Walking fast
- Doing water aerobics
- Riding a bike on level ground or with few hills
- Playing doubles tennis
Make sure you don’t count your daily chores such as shopping, cooking or housework towards your 150 minutes because the effort isn’t hard enough to raise your heart rate.
Building a plan based on the above suggestions will help you generate a plan that works and keeps you healthy. We’d love to hear your comments on our approach.
