Healthy Living • YMCA Health and Fitness
5 ways to promote active aging
04 November 2016 - by Nicole Meredith
November 6–12 is National Senior Safety Week. There are plenty of reasons for older adults to stay active — from warding off heart disease to building strength to help prevent those all-too-common slips and falls. Here are five safe, gentle activities seniors can do to get moving:
1. Tai Chi
This low-impact martial art form fuses physical activity, breathing techniques, meditation practices, and awareness exercises. Sequences of smooth, dance-like motions are performed in slow motion, making Tai Chi an ideal starting point for those who are new (or returning) to fitness. These classes help relieve muscular tension and joint pain and promote balance, coordination, and mental concentration.
2. AquaFit
This water-based group fitness class focuses on building cardio, strength, and flexibility. AquaFit exercises are gentle enough to be safe for participants of any fitness level, but resistance from the shallow water offers a full-body workout without the risk of injury that comes with high-impact forms of cardio.
3. Swimming
Getting exercise while floating in water is hugely beneficial, because it allows for a high heart rate without straining muscles and joints. Swimming slow laps or just floating around solo can offer all the benefits of working out in the water.
4. Yoga
Yoga classes teach basic breathing techniques, postures, and movements that increase flexibility, build strength, release tension, and encourage body awareness. These poses are simple enough to be safe and doable, even for total beginners.
5. BodyFit Walk
BodyFit Walk improves cardiovascular endurance and stamina, and can help participants walk for longer distances — through the park, around the grocery store, and up stairs at home — without feeling tired. This low-impact class provides a great introduction to cardio training for those who need to start slow.
At the Y, one of our Core Values is inclusiveness, which is why we provide programs that welcome and benefit people of all ages. All of our classes are guided by certified fitness instructors who have been carefully trained to modify exercises according to each individual participant’s unique needs. Our staff members and volunteers can develop endurance-building alternatives that will allow participants to slowly and safely build up the strength and flexibility needed to master more challenging movements.
Honour National Senior Safety Week by telling someone you know about these classes, and taking one together!
1. Tai Chi
This low-impact martial art form fuses physical activity, breathing techniques, meditation practices, and awareness exercises. Sequences of smooth, dance-like motions are performed in slow motion, making Tai Chi an ideal starting point for those who are new (or returning) to fitness. These classes help relieve muscular tension and joint pain and promote balance, coordination, and mental concentration.
2. AquaFit
This water-based group fitness class focuses on building cardio, strength, and flexibility. AquaFit exercises are gentle enough to be safe for participants of any fitness level, but resistance from the shallow water offers a full-body workout without the risk of injury that comes with high-impact forms of cardio.
3. Swimming
Getting exercise while floating in water is hugely beneficial, because it allows for a high heart rate without straining muscles and joints. Swimming slow laps or just floating around solo can offer all the benefits of working out in the water.
4. Yoga
Yoga classes teach basic breathing techniques, postures, and movements that increase flexibility, build strength, release tension, and encourage body awareness. These poses are simple enough to be safe and doable, even for total beginners.
5. BodyFit Walk
BodyFit Walk improves cardiovascular endurance and stamina, and can help participants walk for longer distances — through the park, around the grocery store, and up stairs at home — without feeling tired. This low-impact class provides a great introduction to cardio training for those who need to start slow.
At the Y, one of our Core Values is inclusiveness, which is why we provide programs that welcome and benefit people of all ages. All of our classes are guided by certified fitness instructors who have been carefully trained to modify exercises according to each individual participant’s unique needs. Our staff members and volunteers can develop endurance-building alternatives that will allow participants to slowly and safely build up the strength and flexibility needed to master more challenging movements.
Honour National Senior Safety Week by telling someone you know about these classes, and taking one together!
