Benefit of Aerobic Exercise for Elderly
Aerobic exercise is one form of exercise with low to moderate intensity which is done for a longer or a moderate duration. With aerobic exercise, our blood flow increases to the muscles, thus strengthening cardiovascular and lungs. Muscles need oxygen, and the increases muscle activity associated with aerobic exercise makes body to allow for more oxygen to the muscles being used. This does the heart and lungs working better and harder. At the end it will also strengthens the lungs and the entire cardiovascular system. There are also another term that you may have heard before: Anaerobic exercise. Aerobic exercise is in contrast to anaerobic exercise which usually involves intense activity that is abruptly or short in duration, such as weight lifting.
How long you should have aerobic exercise to reap its benefit? Doctor is recommending 30 minutes of aerobic exercise per day for average person. If you have not been exercising or seldom exercising, even less than 30 minutes can have a significant impact for your health. When people think of aerobic exercises, they frequently imagine jogging, or exercises classes with much of the portion is kicking, running, and jumping all in place. But do you know aerobic exercise does not have to be that intense. You can get the benefit of aerobic exercise by only walking alone. Walking does not have to be done specific for exercise to count. Consider walking to the mall, walking the dog, walking to grocery store, all are great ways of getting light benefit of aerobic exercise.
Aerobic exercise is an significant part of a healthy lifestyle for everyone. Exercise for the elderly is an especially important part of maintaining good health, mobility, and a positive outlook in senior people. Even elderly or individuals with chronic illness such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases can importantly got the benefit of aerobic exercise for elderly. In numerous cases, regular aerobic exercise can be an crucial part of cutting the occurrence of chronic disease symptoms.
For seniors or elderly, many different options are available for exercise for elderly activity. Most community center for senior often offer exercise classes designed especially to be low impact to minimize the stress on seniors’ joints. In some neighborhoods walking groups are formed to help provide the benefit of regular exercise for elderly along with the comradely of a group activity. Some retirement communities have gyms staffed with people especially trained in assisting seniors take part in aerobic exercise and strength exercises for elderly with minimal risk of accidental injury. Many retirement home and assisted living houses also have gyms specially designed to meet the exercise needs of their residents.
Elderly often facing a variety of challenges when it relates participating in aerobic activity. The most significant challenge, is the challenge of getting started. A 30 minutes a day of exercise can seem like an unachievable amount if an individual is in poor health or has had a very sedentary lifestyle form any years. Starting small and short, with manageable amounts of exercise daily, such as walking around the block, or even walking to the mailbox and back every day instead of waiting form some one else to get the mail, can be a great first step. If 10 minutes of walking is too much, an individual can start with two five minute walks.
Problems with mobility can be a significant challenge to aerobic exercise. Using a walker or other assistive device, or being confined to a wheelchair can make getting exercise seem like a daunting task. However, many types of aerobic exercise can be modified by a trained professional for seniors with mobility limitations. Individuals should talk to their doctor, physical therapist, or other healthcare professional to get recommendations about aerobic activities that will best fir their mobility needs.
The results and benefit of aerobic exercise for elderly can be drastic. Many people lose weight when they add aerobic exercise to their daily routine, even if they do not eat less, because of the additional calories that are burned. Regular aerobic exercise can have a variety of health benefits for seniors. Increased cardiovascular, heart, and lung health can result in a longer, more active life. Regular aerobic exercise can improve flexibility and mobility. Some studies have indicated that it can even help reduce the pain from osteoarthritis.
Another benefit of regular exercise for elderly is it can help seniors live longer. A Harvard study found that regular exercise reduced the risk of premature death by 25%. Another study found that people who exercise regularly may live up to 3.7 years longer than people who are completely sedentary. Regular exercise can also help manage chronic conditions, and exercise combined with good eating habits and other healthy lifestyle choices can decrease the occurrence of symptoms of some disease such as type 2 diabetes.
Regular exercise may also help memory and cognitive function. Animal studies have shown that regular exercise increases animals’ ability to remember. Women who exercise regularly have been found to exercise fewer hot flashes during menopause and afterwards than women who do not exercise regularly. Men who exercise regularly are lees likely to have problems with erectile dysfunction. Another benefit or aerobic exercise for elderly is that it has also been found to lead to faster healing. A recent study conducted by researcher at Ohio State University found that seniors who exercised just 3 days a week healed 30% more quickly than seniors who did not.