The Best Low Impact Exercises For Getting Older
Aging changes quite a few things about our bodies. Sometimes we gain weight, we have less energy, and our bodies don’t move like they used to. Mood and mental health can then be affected by these physical changes. This can have an impact on how we take care of ourselves and stand in the way of our health.
Knowing how to best approach these changes makes a huge difference in how they can affect your life. One way to combat the effects of aging is by engaging in exercise as it has been found to improve mood and mental health in aging adults. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of exercises specifically selected to meet those particular needs.
What Is Low Impact?
Low impact exercises generally refer to activities that put less harmful stress on the body. This refers to activities such as running. When you run, all of your weight is bouncing on your skeleton and joints, causing strain and potentially pain. Having that weight coming down on one hip joint, knee, or foot can lead to new pain or exacerbate existing joint problems.
Low impact exercises involve smoother motions where weight and stresses are transferred throughout the body more smoothly—avoiding that jolt of stress that can cause pain. Low impact is all about raising the heart rate and improving health without wearing on your joints.
Walking
We do it every day, and most people don’t consider it that much of a struggle to walk. If you’re looking for a good intro to low impact exercises, walking is a great option. For added difficulty, set your walk on an incline or with added weight like a backpack.
Cycling
Just like walking, cycling is a straightforward low impact exercise. Your body is in fluid motion and muscles are always working. It’s possible to either bike out and about or at home on a cycling machine.
Tai Chi
When it comes to smooth fluid motions, there’s really one activity that stands out as obvious. There are a variety of health benefits associated with Tai Chi, from improved balance and physical self-awareness, to improved mood and reduced stress. Unlike some other exercises, you don’t need any additional equipment to start practicing, and Youtube has plenty of videos for beginners looking to try their hand at this relaxing low impact exercise.
Yogo
Along the same vein of smooth motions and body control, yoga is a fantastic way to improve flexibility and balance. The awesome part about yoga is that you don’t need to be a master contortionist to get started (or even maintain the practice), and you can measure your improvements in easily identifiable ways. After a week or so of these stretches, you might notice you can reach down and touch lower on your legs or even get to your toes when you previously could not!
Swimming
Swimming is the ultimate low impact exercise. Your full weight is being supported in the water, meaning at no point is your body working to support it. Simply treating water is a fantastic way to increase your heart rate and improve cardiovascular health. Walking through water is even less impact than walking on dry land! You also get the added benefit of walking through the resistance of the water, meaning your exercise is even more effective. For an even more practical reason to try out this exercise, consider it a great excuse to hang out in the pool during the hot summer days!
Reaping The Benefits
There are a few reasons to do these exercises as we previously mentioned: physical, mental, and emotional health. Unlike heavy weight training or running where you can mark your success by checking your increased mileage and added weight on the dumbbell, low impact training requires something more internal.
Taking a look at your overall daily experience both in and out of your training is important. Some of these exercises allow for measuring of physical benefits—how far you might swim; can you touch your toes; length of a cycling session—but it’s hard to quantify the emotional benefits.
Try to notice how you feel before, during, and after an exercise. Even if you aren’t motivated before a workout, most people will testify that their mood has improved after the fact. Once you recognize this in your own experience with low impact exercises, that becomes a motivation in itself.
Doing regular personal check-ins about how you feel throughout the day, both before and after, can also put everything in perspective. Having a regular mental check-in regiment about your exercise routine can keep you sharp and improve/maintain overall functionality.
The Takeaway
Getting older doesn’t mean your body can’t continue to improve and maintain mobility and strength. By engaging in these simple and accessible low impact activities, you can hold off the more negative impacts associated with growing older.
Working with a professional to identify which exercises and practices might be most effective for you is always a good idea. The experts at Renewed Vitality are especially knowledgeable about these kinds of practices. Give us a call to set up an evaluation and check in today!
Everyone has some notion about what it means to grow older. These ideas aren’t always positive and can generate a certain level of anxiety around getting on in years. In many cases however, these tend to be myths and misconceptions about how our bodies change as we get older.
While there is some truth to every myth, getting older is always a subjective experience, unique to each person. Let’s take a look at some of the most prevalent thoughts regarding aging, and how they might not be entirely accurate for everyone.
Older People Can’t Adapt
This is a major myth. While it is true that some people don’t adapt to change in their older age, it’s also possible that those same people didn’t adapt to change when they were younger either! As we age, it’s entirely up to each person to decide how they will roll with changes to their everyday life. While it might be harder to adapt after years of living the same lifestyle, age isn’t the only factor.
Your Brain Isn’t As Sharp As It Used To Be
It’s a common trope that older people are mentally slowed or have bad memories. It’s a stereotype that doesn’t take into account each person’s unique experiences and qualities. Regular mental exercises and continuing to challenge yourself can keep memories and wits sharp even as we age. This is true at any age!
Older People Don’t Have Sex Lives
As we’ve discussed in previous articles, getting older doesn’t mean that your sex life disappears. It does change though! As hormone levels shift when we get older, we need to learn to adapt and figure out what works best for each of us. Physical changes might also have an impact on sexual relationships, but learning to adapt and live with changes is a normal part of getting older. In many cases, imbalances in hormone production can be addressed through hormone replacement therapy.
Getting Older Leads To Depression
Adults experiencing depression are usually dealing with the same causes as anyone else. Age is not a defining trait of someone with depression. Depression can be caused by any number of factors, with one of them being a hormone imbalance. These kinds of imbalances can be treated with proper diagnosis and hormone therapy.
Retirement Leads To Lack Of Productivity
Just because someone has left the workforce, does not mean that they no longer contribute to the community they live in. Many take the abundant free time to engage in activities they did not have time for prior to retirement. Some dedicate time to volunteer services, while others pursue hobbies and travel.
Once You Retire, You’re No Longer Creative
This goes hand in hand with the previous myth. Taking full advantage of the free time available is something most retired people look forward to. Taking on new challenges, exploring hidden talents, or cultivating a new skill are all possible at any age. There’s no reason creative pursuits have to stop as soon as you have the time to work on them!
You Become More Lonely As You Age
There’s no hard and fast rule saying that you have to stop being social as you get older. While mobility can be an impediment to staying socially active and going out to participate in activities, it varies from person to person. Just like with other points on this list of misconceptions, people tend to carry over lifestyles and habits from earlier in life. If someone spends time avoiding social activity their whole life, they’ll potentially keep up that trend in later years.
Dementia Is Inevitable
Dementia is a condition that affects less than 10% of those over 65. This myth is linked to the idea that older people’s minds start to go with age. Dementia is very different than simply becoming more forgetful or not as quick with a joke. In some cases, these symptoms are the result of medications or other medical conditions that can be addressed and treated separately from dementia.
Any time you hear a phrase that lumps all members of a group together, you should be skeptical of it. The idea that all old people are the same is as ridiculous as the concept that all middle aged or younger people are the same. In most cases, it’s possible to maintain the same kind of life and level activity even as we get older. It’s all about how you approach your aging. With the right mindset and knowledge about how to adapt, aging doesn’t have to slow you down or completely flip your life!
