There are many reasons why your body tends to slow down and become more sedentary as the years go by. Perhaps you’ve recognized that your physical strength and athleticism might not be what it was before. You may find that health problems, issues with pain caused by injuries, or a fear of falling stops you from pursuing a more active lifestyle. However, maintaining a regular exercise routine can improve your overall physical and even mental health without causing any additional pain to any preexisting injuries.
Celebrated on Wednesday, May 30, 2018 and in honor of National Senior Health Fitness Day, here are five ways you can be more active without adding any additional pain. As always, it is important to get medical clearance before adding any new exercise program into your routine, especially if you have a preexisting condition.
1. Warm Up and Cool Down
Before starting any physical activity, it is important to ensure your body is properly warmed up. A light cardiovascular exercise, such as walking outdoors or on a treadmill, combined with adequate stretching—particularly around the area you will be exercising—helps prepare your body for exercises by gradually increasing your heart rate and circulation, as well as loosen the joints and increase blood flow to the muscles.
Like warming up, cooling down is an essential part to any exercise routine. Cooling down after physical activity helps to reduce your heart and breathing rates—helping to avoid fainting or dizziness—as well as gradually cools your body’s temperature. Cool down for 5-10 minutes with a low-intensity activity, such as walking or stretching the area that was focused on.
2. Listen to Your Body
While exercise can be strenuous from time to time, it should never be a painful experience. Especially when preexisting conditions are present, it is important to listen to your body for signs of overexertion. Practicing mindfulness as you exercise can be helpful when you’re wanting to avoid additional pain in any areas that may be injured. Recognize how your body feels before and during your exercise in order to avoid any accidents or injuries. If you feel faint, dizzy, short of breath, or develop chest pain, immediately stop your physical activity and call your doctor.
3. Improve Endurance with Aerobics
Aerobics is a popular way to improve your endurance at an older age. That is because aerobic activities like swimming and water aerobics are more low-impact exercises that help increase your heart rate, while also being less straining on painful joints, helping to protect preexisting injuries. Other aerobic activities include tai chi, dancing, walking, and cycling.
4. Sneak Strength Training into Your Everyday
While you may never have the muscle strength you did in your primitive years, you may be able to build up your strength from what it is right now with simple, everyday activities. Carrying groceries, climbing stairs, and getting up out of a chair are all things that require muscle strength. Small weights, such as 1-2-pound dumbbells, or using your body weight for resistance, can help you complete a variety of activities to help strengthen all of your major muscle groups.
5. Work on Balance and Flexibility
If you have a fear of falling, focusing on balance and flexibility might need to become a higher priority for you. Introducing more balance-focused activities into your exercise routine, such as yoga, may help to improve the condition of present injuries, as well as prevent future injuries that may be caused by falling.
Steadily introducing less-strenuous activities to your exercise routine can help improve current injuries, as well as armor your body to prevent any future injuries. It is important to always consult with your physician before adding new daily physical activities. However, living a more active lifestyle may help to improve your overall physical and mental state, as well as improving your overall quality of life.
If you currently suffer from any condition that contributes to pain in the lower back, contact the trained and knowledgeable chiropractors at MacKenzie SDI. Conveniently located in Coquitlam, MacKenzie SDI has been focused on providing each of their clients with the highest quality of chiropractic care by treating a variety of conditions, including:
For more information about how you can live a pain-free life without using potentially harmful medications that only mask your pain, call to schedule your consultation today.
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