What Are the Four Biggest Tips for Your Elderly Loved One to Enjoy Her Workouts?
Exercise doesn’t have to be a chore for your elderly loved one. The more that she can enjoy her workouts, the better they’ll be for her.
Always Warm Up
Warming up is a pre-workout activity that involves stretching muscles and warming up joints. What that does for your elderly loved one is it helps to get her blood flowing and it reduces the risk that she’ll injure herself while she’s working out. Warm ups don’t have to be elaborate, though. If your loved one enjoys walking, for example, a warm up can be as simple as walking more slowly than she intends to during her workout. It’s a way for her to gradually ramp up her activity level.
Cool Down, Too
At the end of the workout, cooling down is just as important. It allows your loved one’s heart, lungs, and muscles to slow back down to her pre-workout state. Cooling down doesn’t have to be complicated, either. For a walking workout, for example, this can mean slowing down gradually instead of stopping completely when she’s walked as far as she wants to walk.
Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate
Water is important for your elderly loved one at any point during her day, but it can be especially important during her workout. If your loved one is working out on a hot day or for a long time, she should have a water bottle handy during the entire workout. For shorter workouts, your loved one might want to drink some water before working out and then top up her water intake after she’s done.
Pay Attention to How it Feels
The most essential aspect of working out for your elderly loved one is that she needs to pay attention to how her body is feeling. If she’s experiencing pain or other forms of discomfort, that is her body’s way of letting her know that something isn’t right. She might need to rest or to solve the issue that’s causing the discomfort. Ultimately, this one step can do the most to keep your loved one from injuring herself during her workout.
Elderly care providers can help both you and your elderly loved one to stay on target with her exercise program.
If you or an aging loved one are considering elderly care in Falls Church, VA, call the caring staff at Medical Professionals On Call today. 703-273-8818
Excerpt: When your elderly loved one is new to exercising, you want her to enjoy what she’s doing. The more that your loved one enjoys her exercise program, the more likely she’ll be to stick with it.
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