Low Impact Exercises for Seniors: Safe and Effective Workouts for All Abilities
Ranfurly Hospital General Interest
You may have heard of the idea of varying levels of impact in exercise before. Normally, this idea is used to create high-intensity, high-impact exercise that burns fat and builds muscle and doesn’t require a biga large investment of time investment.
However, the opposite is also true, and there are a variety of exercises that can be modified to make a lower impact. These exercises are suitable for beginners, or for those who may have an injury or illness that affects their health and makes it harder to exercise.
Recommended Exercises
Cardio
Working your cardiovascular system is essential to maintaining a healthy body, especially for seniors who may have health conditions like heart disease or diabetes, where the cardiovascular system is at risk.
However, traditional high-impact cardio like running is often unattainable or can even cause injury. Transitioning to a lower impact exercise like walking can be a great way to get some cardio in without straining your joints or having the potential for a fall.
If you struggle with mobility and find walking difficult, then there may be even lower impact options like swimming, or swim-assisted walking. This is where you get in a pool to reduce the weight on your joints, and then try either swimming or walking along the side of the pool to get some cardio and movement in.
Leg Exercises
Getting some quality leg-strength training can be a great way to keep your mobility up as a senior. Maintaining strength in your legs may offer an increase in the ability to complete movements like squatting, bending down, or walking.
High-impact strength training exercises like bodyweight squats or leg raises might not be a good idea for seniors with health or mobility issues, as these exercises rely quite heavily on balance and core strength to avoid falls.
Using an assistance device like a chair or taking the movement to the floor can be a great way to mitigate the risk of falling. For squats, you can sit backwards in the chair and hold onto the back of the chair as you stand and sit down for extra balance. For leg raises, you can remain seated in the chair, or sit on the floor and try lifting your leg up and down without moving the rest of your body.
Arm Exercises
Some of the highest impact exercises are arm and back exercises, like push ups. We would recommend avoiding these without the aid of a trained professional in case of accident or injury.
Alternatives you can try at home include doing bodyweight-only arm raises, or above-shoulder raises which can also be done while seated for some extra safety and stability.
If these feel too easy, you can add some small weights in the form of lightweight water bottles filled with a small amount of water. You can alter the amount of water in the bottle to suit your weight needs. Make sure the water bottle has plenty of grip, and make sure not to raise it above your head or into an area where you could drop it and cause harm to yourself.
Ranfurly Hospital’s Programs
Ranfurly Hospital offers a great range of exercise programs and physical therapy services available to residents. If you have the mobility to do so on your own, there are facilities available for use such as the hydrotherapy pool, the sensory garden, and the community gardens for you to go and engage with.
Encouragement
Here at Ranfurly Hospital, creating a holistic environment to support overall wellbeing is of the utmost importance. We have a great team available and ready to assist with whatever low-impact exercises you feel ready and comfortable to try. For more information, please get in contact with a member of our friendly team today!
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