The current lockdown situation provides challenges for people of all ages, but specifically fitness challenges for seniors.
It can be difficult to find the motivation to continue to exercise when you are not able to see family and friends or go out as you would normally walking to shops, parks and other facilities.
If you attended any gym classes these will have stopped, and you may be wary of exercising alone in case you are injured. The benefits of exercise outweigh the fear you may be experiencing and there are plenty of modifications you can make to protect your safety.
Walk More
If you find that you are spending too long sitting in a chair, then you need to make an effort to move more.
Next time the phone rings, take the call whilst walking around the living room or walking up and down a hallway. Challenge yourself to walk across the room for the duration of a television programme for 20 minutes or so.
Set a reminder to stand up every hour and use this opportunity to walk to the toilet or to make another drink.
But be careful If you have any kind of mobility problems. In this case, it’s recommended to slow your pace. Look for some mobility aids like these walking sticks for sale before starting exercise. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.
Your House is Your Gym
Whether you live in an apartment, house, or bungalow there are plenty of ways you can get creative in using your home as a gym.
Stairs are really useful exercise as they are good for both your muscle strength and cardiovascular health.
If you have stairs in your home, you should take the time to walk up and down them a few times in a row so that you are slightly out of breath but not working too hard.
If you are an apartment and have communal stairs it is still possible to observe the rules of social distancing and climb them once or twice a day, but care should be taken when touching surfaces that other people may have come into contact to such as handrails.
Wash your hands before you begin, avoid touching your face and wash your hands as soon as you get home.
Use Household Items as Weights
Canned food provides the perfect weight for strength exercises, you can either stand or remain seated and perform some bicep curls and other arm exercises while holding a can of food in each hand.
If you are able to access the Internet you will find a wide range of workouts designed specifically for people with lower mobility who need to remain in their chair, and you will also find a range of creative ideas for exercising during quarantine.
Become Green Fingered
If you do have a garden then this can provide an excellent way to help stay fitter, even indoor gardening gives you something to do and involves stretching, and lifting small weights such as pop pots with soil in.
When you are gardening try and make more than one journey to achieve the same purpose.
So, if you want to take something up to the greenhouse take one item, walk to the greenhouse and come back for the second item as this increases your movement.
Growing some vegetables is also an excellent way to ensure that you have some healthy food to eat if supermarket stocks are unreliable.
Featured Image | Harli Marten on Unsplash
