As seniors get older, they often believe they don’t have to exercise as much, or they are afraid of falling while doing so. However, it’s critical to continue exercising in some form to continue healthy senior living and maintain great heart health and avoid a reduction in muscle mass.

According to the Centers for Disease and Control Prevention, by age 75, roughly one of every two women and one of every three men will be largely inactive, and reduced physical activity can directly lead to loss of stamina and strength. Continuing to exercise even as the weather gets cooler is critical, and here’s why.

Your Heart Works Harder When You’re Inactive

A person’s resting heart rate largely remains the same throughout their life. However, as they get older and become more inactive, the resting heart rate can increase and work harder than it should consistently. Continuing to participate in physical activity can keep your resting heart rate as low as possible, so it won’t have to work as hard when you aren’t active. Protecting your heart is critical as you get older, and engaging in as much physical activity as you can is one of the most ideal ways to do it.

Maintain Muscle Mass

A natural part of aging involves losing some muscle strength and mass over time. However, if exercise is not part of your senior living regimen, then you’ll likely lose more muscle strength and mass than those who participate in some sort of physical activity regularly. Inactivity speeds up the process of muscle loss as well, and can even expedite conditions like osteoporosis.

If seniors have not been participating in many exercises as they’ve gotten older, it’s not too late to start building up muscle mass again. Doing so can increase strength and stability and potentially reduce the risk of falling and getting injured.

What Exercises Are Ideal To Engage In?

Physical exercise doesn’t have to be strenuous for seniors to remain healthy. If you’re providing senior care to a loved one, make sure they are set up in their home to do some physical activity when it gets cold outside. Having open space big enough to stretch or do some resistance training exercises can encourage more activity. Balance exercises can also be beneficial to strengthen the legs, core, and other important muscles. Even if a senior is unable to walk outside due to colder temperatures, physical activity should be maintained inside the home.

Need Help Continuing Senior Exercise as the Weather Changes?

Next Day Access can help make exercising for seniors easier, even as the weather turns colder. We offer a wide variety of mobility products that can help make navigating the home easier, like a stair lift, a lift chair, a wheelchair ramp, a threshold ramp, and many more. Independent senior living may mean making some home modifications to make mobility simpler and safer. As we transition into cooler outdoor temperatures, contact us at any time if your home could use some updates and you need some advice.