How Seniors Can Truly Benefit from Low-Impact Workouts

By Christopher W. Grayson, M.D.

Activity is vital at any life stage. It helps children develop correctly, keeps adults healthy and reduces the impact of old age in seniors. Elders that stay active can enjoy various benefits to their well-being, even from low-impact workouts.

Still, it isn’t always easy to keep motivated to work out, especially during these hot summer days. To avoid loss of motivation, seniors should always keep in mind how beneficial exercise can be for them. Let’s have a look at how seniors can genuinely benefit from low-impact workouts, as well as what the best low-impact workouts are.

Better Mental Health

Whichever form of exercise you choose, it’s sure to produce endorphins. Activities in nature will further increase the impact of the “feel good” hormone, ensuring you’ll feel satisfied and happy afterward. Nature walks or hikes, cycling, and yoga can serve you well in reducing bad moods and improve your overall mental health. Exercise has an exceptionally positive impact on insomnia and other sleeping problems, which are common in seniors.

Better Physical Health

Regular activity prevents or lowers the risk of many illnesses, and keeps your body strong and healthy. Working out improves our immune system, which is especially crucial for elders since they are more vulnerable to diseases. But low-impact workouts don’t only keep diseases at bay. They also reduce the risk of falling by improving strength, flexibility, balance, and coordination. Even the most basic low-impact exercise like walking can help, as long as it’s done regularly.

More Social Engagement

One of the best things about exercise is that it doesn’t have to be a solitary activity. Like-minded seniors can get together for walks or hiking. Having company usually improves accountability as well, so you’ll be more motivated to keep up with your workout habits. Another right way to stay active while enjoying company, is signing up for dancing or a fitness class. By maintaining social ties, you’ll keep loneliness at bay as well.

Improved Brain Function

According to multiple studies, physical activity also has a positive influence on our cognitive function. Exercise improves and fine-tunes our motor skills, which in turn keeps our mind sharp. Active seniors are in less of a risk from dementia, regardless of whether they’ve always been active or not. What matters is that you stay physically active.

Best Low-Impact Exercises

Sometimes seniors can find the idea of exercise intimidating due to fear of falling or injury. It is precisely why low-impact workouts are recommended as they are relatively easy compared to full-blown workout routines. Walking is the easiest one to get into but provides a full-body workout. The same goes for swimming, which is considered to be one of the safest solutions for exercising when joint health is in question. Stretching and yoga are great for building flexibility and balance or maintaining them in old age. Alternatively, you might want to take up cycling, dancing or tai chi.

Ultimately, staying active is one of the best ways to ensure a good quality of life even if you’re well into your senior years.