10 Reasons to Encourage Activity in Elderly Loved Ones

While some parents and elderly loved ones remain active well into old age, plenty of them use their retirement years to sit around their homes and do nothing. They may feel like they’ve earned the rest, but being active into your golden years has major benefits for both physical and mental health. Here are 10 excellent reasons to encourage your elderly loved ones to stay active:

It will improve balance and flexibility.

Balance and flexibility are some of the first things to go as we age. While it’s impossible to completely stop this aspect of physical decline, your loved one can significantly slow it by doing exercises such as yoga and Pilates. Moving around constantly in their daily life will also help keep them spry and help them work on their balance in everyday situations, such as putting on elderly clothing or reaching for an item on a shelf.

It will help manage their body weight.

Unfortunately, our metabolisms slow as we age, leading many older adults to gain unwanted pounds. This extra weight can worsen conditions such as arthritis and limit their mobility in the long run. A regular exercise routine will burn excess calories and help older adults manage their weight in the process. While it won’t replace a healthy diet, working out is a great complement to eating well when it comes to managing your weight.

It will fight bone and muscle loss.

As people age, they lose both bone and muscle mass, putting them more at risk for fractures, breaks, sprains and other musculoskeletal injuries. Thankfully, regular strength training can fight this loss and help them stay healthy well into old age. Weight lifting, resistance bands and bodyweight exercises are all great ways for your loved one to incorporate bodyweight training exercises into their workout routine.

It will improve their cardiovascular health.

Older people are at risk for many cardiovascular conditions, including hypertension, heart disease and stroke. Doing a mix of aerobic exercise and strength training will strengthen their heart and lungs and improve their quality of life. It won’t make hereditary conditions go away, but it will make their cardiovascular system more resistant to disease.

It will help to prevent falls.

More than one in four older adults falls each year, and about 20 percent of those falls result in a serious injury such as broken bones. Having one fall also increases your likelihood of falling again, which is why it’s important to prevent falls in the first place. Being active and working out can help reduce your loved one’s chances of a fall by improving their balance. Having a strong body will also help them recover faster should they ever fall.

It will help them sleep better at night.

Many seniors struggle with falling and staying asleep. This can be due to a variety of factors, including night sweats and nighttime incontinence, and addressing those underlying problems will help. However, sometimes seniors simply can’t get a good night’s sleep for seemingly no reason, and that’s where working out can help your loved one. Working out tires you out physically, making it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep. If your loved ones have been having sleep issues, a regular workout routine might actually make a difference.

It will increase their energy.

Yes, working out makes you sleepy — but it also gives you more energy in both the short- and long-term. In the short-term, they’ll get a burst of adrenaline after each workout, followed by a feeling of tiredness. Once they have a full night’s rest, they will wake up the next day feeling energized and ready to go. As their strength and stamina increases over time, they will have more energy and be able to get more done before they get fatigued. It takes time, but they will see a difference eventually.

It will encourage them to stay connected to family and friends.

Many adults find it hard to participate in activities outside the home due to declining physical health. A regular exercise routine can help keep them strong and give them the energy that they need to continue attending social events, helping them to stay connected to friends and family that they might otherwise withdraw from. Working out can also become a social event on its own if they attend classes with other seniors, helping them to make new friends in this new phase of life.

It will boost their mental health.

As a result of reducing loneliness and isolation, being active will help improve your loved one’s overall mental health. Many older adults struggle with conditions such as depression and anxiety, which are exacerbated if they are confined to the house by themselves, unable to see their loved ones. By staying active and getting out more, seniors will boost both their mental and physical health.

It might help prolong their life.

As a result of all these benefits, staying active might help your loved one live longer. Now, there’s no way to tell how long they would have lived if they never worked out vs. how long they would have lived if they exercised every day for years. However, the evidence does point to the positive benefits of exercise on lifespans — even just 15 minutes a day can make a positive difference.

Keep in mind that having the right gear or access can be a barrier to your loved one being active. Make sure that they have the proper footwear, adaptive clothing for men or adaptive clothing for women and equipment that they need. If they can’t drive themselves, offer to give them a ride to the gym or set them up with at-home workout videos. Your support could be what they need to start being more active.

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