With average life expectancy on the rise, staying fit and healthy through the senior years is more important than ever. As your body ages, muscle strength, endurance and flexibility starts to suffer. In fact, once you turn 25, your body's strength naturally decreases by 4 percent each decade, according to Epigee.org. Counteract this natural decrease with regular exercise.
Start Slowly
Start slowly and know your limits when beginning a fitness routine to avoid injuries. Track how much exercise you do during the day, then figure out where you could add extra exercises, SeniorJournal.com says. Adding just 10 minutes of brisk walking can enhance your daily routine.
Plan Your Workout
To achieve maximum health benefits, senior citizens should do multiple types of exercise. Include aerobic activities, strength exercises and flexibility training. Try to do 30 minutes of moderate aerobic activity that raises your heart rate five times a week. Low-impact exercises that do not put stress on bones and joints -- such as walking, swimming, and cycling -- are ideal. Perform strength-conditioning exercises, such as weight lifting or resistance training, twice a week. Flexibility training can improve overall body movements and balance, which helps protect against falls and muscle injuries. Good flexibility exercises include yoga, tai chi and stretching.
Work With Your Wheelchair
Many senior citizens must overcome the obstacle of staying fit while using a wheelchair. Fitness is achievable, however, through strength training, as well as some aerobic exercises designed especially for those in wheelchairs. For strength exercises, use dumbbells for bicep curls and shoulder raises. Resistance bands can be attached to furniture or your own wheelchair and used for pull-downs, shoulder rotations, and leg and arm extensions. For aerobic exercise, either look for a special program or machine that is meant for those in wheelchairs, or do repetitive movements such as quick leg lifts to raise your heart rate.
Be Safe
Concentrate on safety while exercising. If you feel pain or pressure in your chest, arms, neck or jaw; shortness of breath; pain in your legs, calves or back; dizziness or nausea, stop your activity and call your doctor. While exercising, drink plenty of water and wear the right shoes, clothes and safety gear. Allow plenty of time to recover after exercising.
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