Exercise has a lot of benefits for your senior, especially if she can stick with her new plan for moving more. Talk with your senior’s doctor about what she needs to know about exercise and then try some of these ideas to help her keep going.
Keep Exercise Easy and Simple
One big mistake that a lot of people make when they’re trying to get more active is that they complicate the exercise process. Don’t let that happen for your senior. Talk with her doctor about the exercise she’s thinking about starting and see what you can do to simplify the process. Adding some variety can help if your elderly family member finds that she gets bored easily with the same exercise all the time.
Make Sure She Knows Her Why
Having goals is a big part of helping your senior to succeed with her exercise plan. Goals remind your elderly family member why she’s exercising at all, especially if those goals are ones that truly tie in with her big “why.” Some of your senior’s goals might involve walking for a certain amount of time a set number of times a week or they might be even more specific. They need to be adaptable so that she can change them as she needs and wants to.
Track Exercise and Accomplishments
It’s easy to ignore progress toward goals, especially when that progress is happening in small steps. One of the best ways to stay on top of how close your senior is to meeting her goals, both big and small, is to track her exercise and the accomplishments that she hits while she’s moving more. This is also great information for her doctor to have over time.
Make Exercise Social
When exercise is a more social event, people typically find it easier to stick with it. Your elderly family member might have people in her life who are interested in moving more, too. When she incorporates people she cares about into her workouts, she can improve her results. Even if she doesn’t have friends or family members that want to work out with her, group classes can serve somewhat the same function.
If your elderly family member is concerned that exercise is going to take more energy from her than she has, she might benefit from having more help. Senior care providers can take over tasks that are draining for your senior so that she can benefit from putting that energy toward moving safely.
If you or an aging loved-one are considering senior care in Denver, CO, please contact the caring staff at SYNERGY HomeCare today. Call us at (303) 756-9322.
