Losing physical abilities is a part of the natural aging process. The various aches experienced with age are often associated with the deterioration of muscles and connective tissues which also affects motor skills, balance, body strength, and stamina. As a result, physical activity becomes more difficult, which also undermines the motivation to exercise. Following all these reasons, the senior members of your family may find it easier to avoid exercising altogether.
There are many benefits of exercise for the elderly. Apart from speeding up recovery, exercise also keeps their mood lifted. They do not get tired so easily, thus keeping themselves energetic throughout the day. Encouraging the senior members of your family to exercise is one of the best things you can do for them. The task is not rocket science. Here’s how you can push the elderly members to follow an exercise routine.
Bring in the Awareness
First things first. If your elderly family members haven’t engaged in exercise or any physical activity ever in their lives, you should bring the awareness associated with working out. Educate them about the many benefits of exercise. Tell them how working out can boost the level of happy hormones in their body and improve their mood.
Building awareness may motivate many of them to start exercising regularly.
Start our Small
Instead of introducing an extensive workout routine, start small. Give your loved ones an easy routine to follow in the first few days of their workout. Simplifying the routine may make their goals seem more achievable.
For instance, you can give them a workout routine of 30 minutes twice a week. You can also buy some senior exercise DVDs to check what all movements to include in their workout schedule. Always plan the workout according to their current physical abilities.
Motivate Through Personal Achievement
A good way to keep your elderly loved ones motivated towards their fitness and exercise is to highlight their achievements from time to time. Check their progress repeatedly to see where they have come. Make notes of their initial performance and admire their progress timely to keep them encouraged towards achieving their goal.
You can also buy them a pace counter or other wearable gadgets to let them track their progress themselves. Teach them how to use it and they are good to go.
Practice What You Preach
What if you motivate your elderly parents to work out regularly, but you do not do it for yourself? Before you preach anything to others, you must practice the same.
Thus, besides making them follow their workout routine religiously, follow yours too. Start working out with them to make them feel more motivated. Working out together will also make you spend some quality time with each other.
Make Working out A Fun Activity
You can turn working out into a fun activity in many ways. For instance, once your loved ones have started following the exercise routine, you can make some easy changes to make it more enjoyable for them. Introduce yoga and some stretching exercises to invite a change of routine in their workout.
Additionally, you can also introduce other physical activities such as aerobics, dancing, swimming, hiking, cycling, etc. from time to time to make the whole episode of exercising fun and worth cherishing. Always play their favorite music in the background while working out to keep them entertained.
Takeaway
For the elderly, engaging in physical activity not only means that they can boost their health, but also improve their quality of life. Besides keeping their workout routine in check, you should also pay attention to what they eat. Add nutritious meals into their diet. All these instances will give them a happy life.
