Remain Active walk in tubs is always looking for ways to help seniors be active and motivated. There are thousands of research articles written about the importance of exercise, social interaction, and healthy activities for senior citizens. Our new “ACTiveCare” weekly blog is written with the sole intention of helping you to be healthy, active and to lead an independent life.
The importance of exercise can not be stressed or stated enough! Your motivation and action is what will keep you healthy and strong. Today, we are going to focus on the Five Key Components to a good exercise routine. The following Five Components were derived from the Health and Fitness website www.beactivenc.org.
#1 FLEXIBILITY: Flexibility is measured by your ability to move through a range of motion. All joints have a different ranges of motion, but all have optimal ranges. Don’t over do it, but in time you’ll be able to stretch and flex and will feel so much better in the process! There are many exercises that can help to improve your flexibility, including yoga, pilates and basic stretching technics. If you have difficulty with balance or mobility- please be sure to stretch with a friend, or with the use of a chair or something to stabilize yourself. Always seek the advice of your physician before starting any new routine.Stretching can be done throughout the day- even when sitting down and watching TV! However, it is most successful when completed after the muscles are warm, such as at the end of an evening walk or swim.
#2 MUSCULAR ENDURANCE: “Muscular Endurance” is defined as a muscle’s ability to complete a task over and over again. Cardiovascular fitness is an example of muscular endurance as it relates to the heart’s ability to beat strongly during physical activity. Muscular endurance is improved by completing activities that strain the muscles less than strength activities, but are completed with a greater number of repetitive motions. Senior Citizens or those with limited mobility can do simple repetitions (while seated or leaning against a chair for support) in order to gain muscular endurance.
#3 MUSCULAR STRENGTH: A muscle’s ability to complete an activity one time, for example, lifting a heavy box onto a table. Muscle strength is improved by completing a few repetitive, lower weight movements that lengthen and shorten muscles. These exercises are mainly in the form of traditional resistance training with weights and resistance bands.
#4 CARDIOVASCULAR FITNESS: This component is defined as the heart’s ability to generate energy by delivering blood and oxygen to the body. The heart is strengthened by prolonged aerobic exercise such as brisk walking, jogging, swimming and many others that keep the heart beating faster for 10 or more minutes. Please note that water aerobics, swimming and hydrotherapy are a wonderful way for seniors to exercise. The buoyancy of water helps keep pressure off of sore or tired joints and the cardiovascular exercises help to promote better blood circulation without the strain of gravity on your body.
#5 BODY COMPOSITION: Defined as the ratio between lean body mass and fat mass. Lean body mass is made up of muscle, bone, cartilage and other internal organs. Fat mass is all of the fat tissue throughout the body. It is important to remember that some fat is needed in the body to store vitamins and support the nervous system. However, too much fat mass can impede the body’s other four components of health.
Remain Active Walk In Tubs and our line of premier walk in tubs can be a beneficial key to your active lifestyle. The hydrotherapy action of massage promotes blood circulation, the buoyancy of the water releases tension on tight joints and the fact that you’ve eliminated the necessity to step over the side is a boon for peace of mind!
Always consult with a physician before beginning any exercise regime or hydrotherapy treatments.
