As she ages, your mom gets less active. It’s time to break her of that habit. Get her outside and exercising every day for these reasons. Here are a few great reasons why exercise is so important for your parent, and how senior home care can help.
Aids in Weight Loss
Regular exercise can help you lose weight. If your mom is overweight, exercise is a great way to start shedding some pounds. A daily walk for 30 or more minutes is a good start. If it’s rainy outside or too cold or hot to walk far, a treadmill is a great option.
Eases Stress
Regular exercise, especially exercise routines done outside in nature, can help reduce stress. If your mom frequently feels tense and overwhelmed, a walk in nature is important. The fresh air, sunshine, and sounds of nature help her relax and unwind. How much exercise is needed to reduce stress?
- Resistance Training – Eight reps for each muscle group two or three days per week
- Tai Chi – 60 to 90 minutes two or three days per week
- Yoga – As little as 15 minutes of Chair Yoga at least twice a week
If an hour of Tai Chi in one session is too much for your mom, she can break it into two or three sessions each day instead. She could do 30 minutes of Yoga after breakfast and the other 30 minutes before dinner.
Helps With Balance
Regular exercise builds muscle and helps improve balance. For the best results, your mom should mix up the fitness programs she does. She could walk for half an hour twice a week, take a Yoga class twice a week, swim twice a week, and finish up with a Zumba or aerobics class.
If your mom suffers from joint pain, swimming is a great exercise as the buoyancy in the water eases pressure on her joints. Balance issues don’t have to mean your mom can’t get exercise. Look for chair exercises that allow her to tone her arms and legs while sitting down.
Lowers Blood Pressure
When your mom exercises regularly, it can help lower her blood pressure. If her body responds well to exercise reducing her blood pressure, it can also lessen the odds that she’ll need prescription medications for blood pressure management.
A study found that regular aerobic exercise lowers systolic blood pressure by 3 to 5 mm Hg and diastolic by 2 to 3 mm Hg. If your mom’s blood pressure is usually 155 over 100, it could drop to 150 over 97 using those averages. The more she exercises, the lower it can get.
Reduces the Risk of Some Chronic Health Conditions
Regular exercise reduces the risk of chronic health conditions like stroke, heart disease, and even Alzheimer’s. One study found that a sedentary lifestyle increases the risk of Alzheimer’s by as much as 45%. Upwards of 20% of people with Alzheimer’s did not exercise regularly prior to their diagnosis.
If your mom is alone and doesn’t like to go outside without you, it’s a good time to address the benefits of senior home care services. Have a caregiver available to walk with her each day. Learn more by talking to a senior home care advisor.
Sources:
https://synapse.koreamed.org/articles/1047872
https://journals.lww.com/acsm-healthfitness/fulltext/2013/05000/stress_relief__the_role_of_exercise_in_stress.6.aspx
If you or an aging loved one is considering senior home care in Greenwood Village, CO, call the caring staff at SYNERGY Home Care of Denver today. 303-756-9322
