Senior Health and Fitness
Why Staying Active is Key to Senior Health and Fitness
Remaining Active. Much of our mental and physical health is tied to our active life-styles. Physical Exercise is tied directly to our physical abilities, social interaction and conversation is tied directly to our mental health. After retirement, some people stay very busy and others start to slow down. When you notice that you are spending much of your time at home, not going out as often, or taking trips, there is reason for concern. For many people it is simply needing someone fun to do things with, that gets the activity started. A creative activities director, convenient transportation, a group of enthusiastic friends and an attractive town center to stroll around in, will always make it easier.
You may be familiar with the saying “use it, or lose it”. It suggests that we are designed and built for a whole range of motions, activities, and physical abilities. Our muscles play a very important role in our balance, the strength of our joints, and our mobility. If we were to put an arm into a sling and not use it for a year, it would be weak and unable to function normally when it was first put back into use.
Later in life, people change some of their habits, hobbies, and activities. They may no longer play golf, tennis, ride a bike or swim as they once had. Gradually, people often become
less physically active over time. Each time we put a set of our muscles on hold, we run the risk of losing the use of that muscle when we need it. Over time if enough muscles stop functioning, there is great risk for falling, loss of balance and the breaking or fracturing of important bones or joints.
“Exercise seems to be one of the key factors that distinguish people who have a health old age from those who don’t, says Suzanne Leveille, a professor of nursing at the University of Massachusetts Boston who is conducting research on disability in older people. “Being sedentary is a known risk factor for just about every poor health outcome, from being hospitalized to ending up in a nursing home, and even to mortality.”
Exercise is easy when it comes naturally. The beauty of urbanSeniorLiving is that the setting encourages physical activity without feeling like it is an “exercise program”. People come and go to run errands, shop, go out for coffee, or get some fresh air while window shopping and watching people. The convenience of walking to nearby entertainment, services, dining and shopping is the perfect opportunity to get the workout you need, while doing the things you need or want to do anyway.
In terms of longevity and wellness, regular exercise seems to have benefits that few other health options can match.
