Stay Fit in Your Senior Years

As you get older, staying active is more important than ever. Research shows that regular exercise can ward off “silent strokes,” prevent falls, manage incontinence, and even improve your memory. One study, funded by the National Institute on Aging and conducted by researchers at four universities, found that moderate aerobic exercise increased the size of the hippocampus (a part of the brain that plays a role in memory) and improved spatial memory.

You may wonder, though, if you can keep up the same pace you once did. Can you still ride a bike, run some laps, and play a round of tennis? The answer can be yes, if you make the appropriate adjustments to your fitness routine.

Staying fit comes down to you and what you're comfortable with, says Carol Ewing Garber, PhD, associate professor of movement sciences at Columbia University and a registered clinical exercise physiologist who researches the role of exercise in senior health.

"In general, seniors should continue to do what they've always enjoyed doing,” Ewing Garber says. "Really, the caveat is that there may need to be some modifications. If it feels comfortable to you, there's no reason to change. But if you start to feel insecure, it might be time for a change."

Adapting Your Fitness Activities

Senior health experts say that a sedentary lifestyle can rob seniors of much of their health and enjoyment of life. Still, many older adults might be concerned about the safety of activities like bicycling, jogging, swimming, dancing, or tennis. The following health tips can help ease those concerns:

• Pay attention to your body. "Exercise at a level where you feel like you’re working a bit, but it shouldn't feel extremely hard," Ewing Garber says.
• Pay attention to your surroundings. "The hard part as people are getting older is they don't notice that they don't see as well, react as quickly, or have the same balance," says Ewing Garber.
• Warm up and cool down before exercise. It's important that seniors warm up to help prepare the body for the workout to come, and they should also bring down their heart rate during a cool-down phase at the end of an exercise session.
• Drink plenty of fluids. Don’t forget your fluids — even when you may not feel thirsty. Staying hydrated is always important, but especially on hot days.
• Watch out for the weather. Seniors can be more vulnerable than others to extreme cold or heat. Be sure to dress appropriately, and move inside to exercise when the weather isn't cooperating.
• Use the proper equipment. Wear a helmet when bicycling and comfortable shoes when running, for example. The right equipment can keep you safe and prevent injury.
• Be prepared to change activities if you need to. Runners may develop knee problems and have to switch to another sport, warns Ewing Garber, acknowledging "that can be pretty traumatic for some people." But if you can find something else you like quickly, you won’t lose your fitness level.

Best Exercises for Senior Health

To stay fit in your senior years, focus on these three types of exercises:

• Flexibility exercises. "The very easiest exercises are stretching and flexing, and they tend to become more important as people get older," Ewing Garber says. "[Seniors] tend to have range of motion problems in their joints. These exercises maintain the ability to get around and enjoy your life." Practices such as yoga or Pilates can improve flexibility; many gyms also offer stretching exercise programs designed for seniors. Try to stretch every single day. If you have problems with balance, be sure to do your stretching while sitting or lying down.
• Strength exercises. "The next easiest may be strength exercises," Ewing Garber says. "Strong muscles are very important to daily living, whether you're getting out of a chair or carrying groceries. Strength training can reduce the rate at which your bones become weaker. If you have a little more muscle around the bone and you fall, it could help prevent a fracture." Try to perform strength exercises on all of your major muscle groups at least twice a week for 30-minute sessions, but don't exercise the same sets of muscles on back-to-back days. Start with lighter weights, and then move up as you gain in strength. And be sure to pay attention to your form to avoid injury. Especially when starting out, have an instructor spot you.
• Aerobic exercises. Getting your heart rate up can benefit your entire body and make it easier for you to walk or perform just about any everyday activity. You should try to perform at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise nearly every day of the week. "The main concern would be if individuals have problems with balance," Ewing Garber says. "For example, they might want to switch to a treadmill versus walking outside." This modification can make the exercise safer.

Getting older shouldn’t mean surrendering to a sedentary lifestyle. Staying fit should remain a part of your daily routine.