Exercise is one of the pillars of good health and long life, I bet you’ve never heard that one before? It’s also no surprise that exercising can become more difficult as we age. Injuries we experienced as youth can return as arthritis and balance can become trickier.

Not exercising can become a vicious cycle where you become more injury-prone and bad habits can form.

Luckily, we’re here to give you solutions. No matter where you’re starting from, we’ve laid out 5 types of exercise perfect for seniors:

Note: be sure to consult your physician before starting any exercise program. Stay safe!

  1. Water aerobics
    • What makes it great:
      • Water aerobics are the perfect low impact exercise for seniors and elite athletes alike. Water is ~12% more resistant that air, which creates a workout environment that simulates having weights all around your body. As well, working out in water is low-impact on your joints as much of your weight is relieved due to waters anti-gravity properties.
    • Tips:
      • Many community pools offer water resistance classes led by an instructor that helps you work out all of the right muscles. If you’re lucky enough to have your own pool you could also buy water weights, which are foam-like pool toys that you push under the water.
  2. Stretching
    • What makes it great:
      • Stretching alone can give you the strengthening, flexibility, and balance your body craves. Stretching loosens your muscles and increases your blood flow, which can reduce injuries. In one study, researchers split participants into 3 groups, yoga (focussed heavily on stretching), swimming (focussed on cardio), and no exercise, then measured their mood levels before and after classes. They discovered that the yoga or swimming groups had equally better moods than the group that didn’t exercise. This proved that stretching was just as effective at improving mood than cardio was.
    • Tips:
      • There are two major types of stretching: static and dynamic.
      • Static stretching is what first comes to mind when you think of stretching. Bending over to touch your toes is static stretching. It helps loosen muscles that are tight, and can provide you better mobility while reducing pain in your joints.
      • Dynamic stretching is when your body is constantly moving while you stretch, a great example would be swinging your leg up in front of you and up behind you. Dynamic stretching really warms up your muscles and gets your circulation going before a big workout. It is a better form of stretching than static as it does everything static stretching does plus some. However, it does require balance and is more demanding! So you have to listen to your body. Static stretching is a great form of exercise for those who find dynamic stretching too challenging to start off with.
  3. Walking
    • What makes it great:
      • Walking is something many of us take for granted until age, injuries, or disabilities make it difficult. We are meant to move and if you are able, then walking is one of the best and most basic forms of exercise. Countless studies show the positive impact walking has on our well-being, especially walking in nature. A study analyzed the mental health of 1,991 individuals that took part in a weekly walking group to individuals who didn’t. It was shown that frequent nature walkers were able to lessen the perceived stresses in their life, essentially not “sweating the small stuff.”
    • Tips:
      • Even if you’re in a wheelchair or use a walker for support, getting outside and moving around will engage your muscles and get you some vitamin D.
      • Make it social. Joining a walking club or asking a friend to go for a stroll is a great way to be social and active. You’ll also be more likely to go when you and a friend make a commitment to one another.
  4. Weightlifting
    • What makes it great:
      • When you think of weightlifting you probably imagine a rundown gym that smells of stale sweat, with large men bench pressing, squatting, deadlifting, and grunting. While true of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s old training facility, weightlifting is simply lifting any weight that challenges a particular muscle. This could be a full grocery bag to a 100-pound dumbbell. What’s important is testing your muscles so they grow or maintain their current abilities. This is when we’ll gently pull out the phrase, “Use it or lose it.”
    • Tips:
      • Weightlifting doesn’t require fancy equipment. Try a weight you don’t have to purchase, your bodyweight. You want to be able to do certain exercises with your body before you start using weights anyways. For instance, should you bench press if you are still working on being able to do a pushup? You don’t want to rush into weights, take a look at these 50 bodyweight exercises.
      • Squats are one of the best weightlifting exercises around as they engage your entire lower body and your core. However, they are also one of the most difficult. Try an easier version and also our favourite bodyweight exercise: the chair squat. Start standing in front of your comfiest chair and your feet shoulder-width apart. Press down on your heels and keep your arms crossed in front of you as you briefly sit down and touch the chair cushion with your behind. (Note: you don’t want to squat so far that your knees aren’t parallel to the floor. Choose a high enough chair.) Once you get as low as you can go, throw your arms to your side and stand back up. That’s 1 rep, congrats! The best part about this exercise is that once you’re all done you can sit back and relax.
  5. Tai chi
    • What makes it great:
      • If you’ve ever walked through a park during dawn or dusk you’ve probably seen someone doing what looks like a slow-mo martial art. This is Tai Chi and it’s health benefits are astounding. Think of Tai Chi as a moving yoga that combines the power of meditation. It improves balance, brings about a tranquil mind, increases circulation, plus its roots are in martial arts and that’s always cool.
    • Tips:
      • Tai chi might look simple and easy-going, but you’ll discover you have muscles you never knew you had. This is a type of exercise we recommend you start by first going to a class. Learning the new moves and the coordination required could use a watchful eye to make sure you are doing it correctly. Once you get the hang of Tai chi you can start looking at videos to add additional moves and sequences to your arsenal!

After a hard workout, soak those aching muscles (a good ache) and joints in a walk-in spa (you deserve it). Warm water and jets ease lactic acid build up, relaxing both your muscles and joints.

There you have it! A few options to keep your body strong and your mind stronger. What is your favourite way to get active? Please comment below, we’d love to hear from you.

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