When caring for an older person, nutrition goes hand in hand with exercise to promote a fulfilling and healthy lifestyle. As our body’s requirements change as we age, regular exercise is essential for women, especially those over 60.
It’s crucial you speak to your elderly loved one about exercising, and encourage her to lead an active lifestyle rather than a sedentary one.
Although exercising may seem challenging or uninteresting for older adults, you can make the exercise time fun and a time to catch up with what is happening in your loved one’s life. Doing this will make them look forward to exercising.
At Amy’s Eden, we can help you come up with fun activities that you and your loved one can enjoy together as part of your daily exercise routine.
Benefits of Exercise for Women Over 60
Regular exercise can have a significant impact on your parents’ lives. Your parents will benefit by remaining physically fit and, at the same time, enjoy excellent emotional and mental well-being.
Older women over 60 will have more energy, enabling them to embrace their twilight years head-on. When you or your loved one exercise regularly, you will enjoy some of the following benefits:
Prevent Diseases
Maintaining a regular exercise routine helps in the prevention of some common diseases:
- Diabetes
- Colon cancer
- Heart disease
- Obesity
- cardiovascular disease
- Hypertension
Regular exercise also helps boost the immune system. It doesn’t have to be vigorous; something as light and simple as walking will help boost the immune system, which will help the body fight diseases.
Relieves Osteoarthritis Pain
While exercising may seem counterintuitive for osteoarthritis, it helps relieve the pain and stiffness. You can ask your loved ones’ doctor for arthritis-friendly exercises, which they can try at home.
These exercises include:
- Low-impact exercises
- Range of motion exercises,
- Strength training.
These exercises will help relieve your parents’ joint pain by taking the pressure off the aching joints. Regular training and exercise will also strengthen the muscles surrounding the aching joints.
Prevents Bone Loss
As people age, they lose bone density, with women past their menopause losing up to 2% a year. When your loved one does strength exercises, they stand a chance of restoring bone density. Exercise also helps counteract bone loss.
When an older person regularly trains and exercises, it restores their bone density, leading to stronger bones. Stronger bones are not prone to fractures and help with balance, reducing the risk of falls in seniors.
Increase Social Engagements
When your loved one joins a walking group, a gardening club, or a fitness class, they increase their chances of meeting and interacting with other like-minded individuals.
Strong social interaction helps reduce the risk of developing cognitive disabilities, as well as experiencing the acute loneliness or depression in seniors. Additionally, when your loved one participates in numerous social activities, it gives them a sense of purpose.
Improve Cognitive Function
Studies show that physically active seniors have a lower risk of dementia. Engaging your loved one with exercises and brain-stimulating activities will help boost cognitive function.
Improves Mental Health
Regular training and exercise help the body produce endorphins, which assist in stress relief and leave a person feeling happy and relaxed.
Additionally, exercises are linked to improved sleep patterns in older adults. If you realize your loved one has insomnia, encourage them to exercise, and they will benefit immensely.
Boost Your Loved One’s Mood
Studies show that regular exercise helps boost mood in most seniors over 60. Exercise helps your loved one feel good, easing anxiety and depression. With exercise, one experiences an increased sense of relaxation, boosting their overall well-being.
Simple Ways You Can Help Your Elderly Loved One Exercise at Home
Apart from coming up with exercise ideas that you and your loved one can enjoy at home, you can also offer support to help your loved one enjoy exercising.
Provide Comfort to Your Loved One
Exercising in a room full of strangers can be terrifying and embarrassing for some people. If your loved one is not keen on exercising at a public fitness center, you can help them carry out their exercises at home, where it’s comfortable for them.
Exercising from the comfort of home, away from unfamiliar faces, sounds, and sights, can help seniors overcome their fear of exercising.
A senior caregiver can help them feel at ease by exercising with them or showing them comfortable or easy ways to perform a particular exercise.
Be Their Cheerleader
Most older adults can easily get discouraged from performing their exercises, especially when those exercises are challenging. If your loved one has to follow an exercise routine but is getting discouraged, your encouragement will help them stay on track through each exercise repetition. You can also monitor their progress and show your loved one the results to motivate them.
Offer Transportation
Sometimes exercises for women over 60 may include physical therapy sessions.
If a senior has difficulties driving to and from the rehabilitation center, you can offer to drive. You can also help them get in and out of the car if they are having difficulties.
Your presence during their exercises will make a huge difference; they know they can count on your assistance.
Watch Out for Their Safety
Some exercises may tire most older adults quickly, resulting in potential fall or accidents. It is crucial to be keen and watchful to help them rest when needed. You can as well provide a steady hand to help them get through some exercises.
Another way to help your loved one exercise safely at home is to monitor the home for safety hazards and install safety devices.
For example, if your mother or relative has to exercise while sitting, you can ensure she sits on a sturdy chair. If her exercise requires her to stand, you can help her perform the exercise near a countertop to ensure they don’t fall.
Types of Exercise for Women Over 60
Exercises for women over 60 can be a daunting experience, especially if they have never done so before, or led a sedentary lifestyle due to a medical condition. Below we have compiled some workouts for 60-year-old females that your loved one could try at home.
Be sure to help them start at a slow pace, apply the right approach, and increase the intensity as they make progress.
Swimming
Swimming as an exercise for women over 60 can help relieve muscle and joint pain if they have chronic pain or joint problems. Swimming can also help your loved one build strength, balance, and flexibility.
Yoga
This type of exercise can help your loved one by providing mental health and cognitive benefits. Yoga also promotes physical mobility.
New to yoga? See this video for yoga exercises for older adults.
Strength Training
As a person age, they face the challenge of muscle atrophy, which is a condition that develops when their muscles waste away. To counteract muscle atrophy’s effects, doctors recommend that older adults do strength training exercises. These exercises help in increasing bone density, managing weight, and promoting insulin sensitivity.
They can be done with or without equipment, with the latter preferred for seniors.
Equipment-free strength training exercises include:
- Squats to a chair
- Lying hip bridges
- Side planks, and
- Wall push-ups.
Tai Chi
Although this is a Chinese martial art usually practiced in defense training, it is one of the best exercises for women over 60 wanting to improve their balance.
Here’s a video demonstrating 3 simple exercises your elderly loved one can try.
Walking
You can encourage your loved one to walk as an exercise. You can accompany a senior during their evening walk around the block or a park and enjoy the fresh air. With walking, your loved one doesn’t have to hit the gym if they don’t want to.
Cycling
Seniors can take up cycling, as it is a low-impact exercise that will help build their muscles and doesn’t put a lot of stress on their joints.
How to Create An Easy Exercise Plan for Women Over 60
When considering creating an exercise plan for your loved one, the first step is to consult with their doctor. Depending on their medical condition and physical ability, their doctor will advise them on the type of exercises, and activity levels they can participate in.
Additionally, you should consult with your loved ones’ doctor if they have been inactive for a prolonged period. Exercise may elevate a senior’s risk of cardiac complications and internal organ and joint issues.
Tips For Creating the Best Workout Plan For A 60-Year-Old Woman
Your loved one’s exercise plan should include at least 150–200 minutes of moderate exercise each week. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommends this time for seniors over 60.
Incorporating this time into your loved one’s schedule may seem like a lot in the beginning. However, it is manageable if you break it into 15-minute workout blocks that they may perform twice daily. An example of a workout plan for a 60-year-old woman might look like this:
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30-minute walking (15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes in the evening) | 30 minutes cycling | 30 minutes swimming, or Zumba. | 30 minutes walking (15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes in the evening) | 30 minutes cycling | 30 minutes swimming, or Zumba | Rest |
| Strength training | Balance and flexibility | Strength training | Balance and flexibility | Strength training | Balance and flexibility | Rest |
Overcoming Barriers to Exercise for Women over 60
There are several reasons why most seniors stop exercising. At Amy’s Eden, our caregivers can help your loved one overcome these barriers and make exercise enjoyable.
Some barriers hindering your loved one may include:
- Pain and discomfort
- Cognitive decline
- Fear of falls and injuries
- Lack of time
- Limited Mobility
- Lack of resources
- Isolation
How Can a Caregiver Help A Senior Overcome These Barriers
Pain and Discomfort
Although most seniors may be in pain and experience discomfort when exercising, a senior caregiver can provide encouragement, and show low-impact ways to carry out the exercise.
A caregiver can assist your loved one:
- Warm up before exercising
- Focus on low-impact exercises
- Focus on exercises aimed at pain relief management.
Lack of Time
If your loved one complains of lack of time to exercise, a senior caregiver can help them overcome this barrier by
- Prioritizing exercising
- Schedule exercise into their daily routine
- Encouraging them to try light workouts as they watch TV or while preparing their meals
Fear of Falls and Injuries
Most seniors fear falls and injuries, as they perceive healing will take a long time. However, encouraging older adults to exercise will minimize the risk of falls, as regular workouts help improve their balance. A caregiver can encourage your senior to:
- Start small with lighter exercises and slowly scale them up
- Wear supportive and comfortable clothing and shoes while exercising
- Please consider their limitations before starting any exercise.
Limited Mobility
Mobility becomes an issue as we age, and may discourage older adults from exercising. Some ways a caregiver can encourage a senior to overcome this barrier include:
- Forming a consistent routine
- Helping them stay committed to their workout routine
- Encouraging them to put in the effort no matter how small
Lack of Resources
If your elderly loved one cannot pay for a gym’s monthly subscription, encourage them to exercise at home. There are numerous exercises that a senior can try at home, like walking and cycling. Plus doing these exercises with a caregiver will make it more fun.
Isolation
Isolation may lead to a senior failing to engage in physical activity, which could affect their overall health. Encourage your loved one to partner with other seniors, as this will help them overcome isolation.
Let your loved one find an exercise buddy who will motivate them and hold them accountable when they fail to exercise. This can be their caregiver or their friends. You can also help your loved ones join a fitness class where they feel at home exercising with other seniors.
Conclusion
Regular exercise is crucial for women over 60 to maintain a healthy and fulfilling lifestyle. When considering seniors’ exercise routines, try to include activities they love. This will make exercising a joyful adventure they will always eagerly await.
Additionally, the support of a senior caregiver can play a vital role in motivating and ensuring the safety of your loved one as they exercise.
If you are looking for assistance to make exercise enjoyable and beneficial for your loved one, contact us today and discuss how our caregivers can help you. Our caregivers can help you develop a personalized exercise plan tailored to your loved ones’ needs.
