Four types of exercise
can help you improve your health and fitness.
Discover the four different types of exercises and how they
might help you. Visit NIA's YouTube channel for workout videos and explanations
of how to do some of the exercises described here.
Most people concentrate on one sort of exercise or activity
and believe that this is sufficient. According to research, it is critical to
engage in all four types of exercise: endurance, strength, balance, and
flexibility. Each one has its own set of advantages. Doing one type can help
you enhance your ability to do the others, and variety can help you avoid
boredom and injury. You can choose activities that suit your fitness level and
needs regardless of your age!
On this page, you will find:
- Endurance
- Strength
- Balance
- Flexibility
Exercises that Build
Endurance in elders
Endurance activities, often known as aerobic exercises, raise
your breathing and heart rates. These exercises help you stay healthy, develop
your fitness, and do the duties you need to do on a daily basis. Endurance
activities help your heart, lungs, and circulatory system stay healthy. They
can also help to delay or prevent a variety of ailments that affect the
elderly, including diabetes, colon and breast cancer, heart disease, and
others. Among the physical exercises that improve endurance are:
- Jogging or brisk walking
- Work in the yard (mowing, raking)
- Dancing
- Swimming
- Biking
- Stairs or hills to climb
- Playing basketball or tennis
Increase your endurance or "staying power" to keep
up with your grandchildren at the park, dance to your favorite songs at a
family wedding, or rake and bag leave. Build up to at least 150 minutes of
hard-breathing activities every week. To achieve this goal, try to stay active
throughout the day and avoid sitting for long periods of time.
Tip for Safety
- Warm-up and cool down with a mild activity like easy walking before and after your endurance activities.
- Listen to your body: endurance activities should not make you dizzy, produce chest pain or pressure or make you feel like you have heartburn.
- When undertaking any exercise that causes you to sweat, make sure you drink enough water.
If your doctor has advised you to limit your fluid intake,
double-check before increasing your fluid intake while exercising.
- Be careful of your surroundings if you're planning to exercise outside.
- Dress in layers so that you can add or remove clothing as needed to accommodate hot or cold weather.
- When bicycling, utilize safety equipment such as a helmet to avoid injury.
Quick Tip: Put Your Workout Intensity to the
Test
Try talking while you're active: if you're breathing heavily
but can still hold a conversation, you're doing moderate-intensity exercise.
It's a vigorous-intensity activity if you can only pronounce a few words before
taking a breath.
Older Adult Strength
Exercises
Muscle strength can make a significant difference. Strong
muscles allow you to remain independent and make common tasks such as getting
out of a chair, climbing stairs, and carrying groceries simpler. Keeping your
muscles strong might help you maintain your balance and avoid falls and
injuries caused by falls. When your leg and hip muscles are strong, you are
less prone to fall. Weight lifting is referred to as "strength
training" or "resistance trains” by certain people.
Weights are used by some persons to assist them to develop their
strength. If you do, begin with modest weights and gradually increase them.
Others employ resistance bands, which are stretchy elastic bands of varied
strengths. If you're a newbie, start by exercising without the band or with a
light band until you get used to it. When you can easily accomplish two sets of
10 to 15 repetitions with a band or a stronger band (or more weight), add a
band, or move on to a stronger band (or more weight).
At least two days a week, conduct strength workouts for all
of your major muscle groups; however, don't exercise the same muscle group on
consecutive days. Here are a few strength-building exercises to get you
started:
- Performing weightlifting
- Grocery shopping
- Taking a hold of a tennis ball
- Curl your arms above your head
- Curls of the arms
- Push-ups against the wall
- Using your own body weight
- Making use of a resistance band
Tip for Safety
- During strength exercises, don't hold your breath and breathe regularly.
- As you raise or push, exhale, and inhale as you relax.
- If you're unsure about a particular workout, consult your doctor.
Older Adult Balance
Exercises
Balance exercises assist older persons to avoid falls, which are the prevalent problems with devastating implications. Many lower-body strength
workouts will also help you gain balance. Exercises for balance include:
- Tai Chi is a form of "movement meditation" in which the body is moved slowly, gently, and precisely while breathing deeply.
- One-footed standing
- The heel-to-toe walk is a type of walking where you move from your toes to your heels
- The walk of balance.
- From a seated posture, stand up.
Tips on Safety
- If you feel wobbly, have a firm chair or someone close to grab on to.
- If you're unsure about a particular workout, consult your doctor.
Exercises to Improve
Flexibility in the Elderly
Stretching can help you become more flexible. It will be
easier for you to reach down to tie your shoes or look over your shoulder as
you back your car out of the driveway if you move more freely. Exercises to
improve flexibility include:
- Exercise to stretch your back
- The stretch in the inner thigh
- Ankle stretches
- Leg stretch at the back
Tip for Safety
- When your muscles have warmed up, stretch.
- After endurance or strength training, stretch.
- Don't overextend yourself to the point of pain.
- When holding a stretch, remember to breathe normally.
- If you're unsure about a particular
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