As seniors age, it is common to experience a loss of mobility, and the main reason seniors live a less active lifestyle. When you are used to walking around unaided, learning to walk with a walker, cane, or using a wheelchair or all-terrain mobility scooter can be a struggle at times.
It is often harder for people with less mobility to get around, but the good news is there are exercises, suited for seniors, that increase mobility. Exercising regularly will allow you to walk with more ease, leaving you feeling more stable and confident. Read on to see our six tips that will improve your mobility.
Maintain an Active Lifestyle
Lounging on the couch all day won’t help you build muscle. It’s important you maintain an active lifestyle, or start one if you are not very active. Being active engages your muscles, helps you maintain your weight and can improve your flexibility. If you live alone, join a senior group to meet more people who will keep you active, and with family and friends, take walks around your town or a nearby park. Any activity is better than staying immobile, and just twenty minutes a day walking around the block can be a way to maintain your active lifestyle.
Use a Proper Walking Aid
If your balance is impaired, the worst thing you can do is not walk with a walking aid of some kind. The aid will provide you with maximum mobility while working all your muscles properly. It is also important to use the right aid for your ability, as using a walker, when you only need a cane, can offer you too much assistance, leading you to rely on it. This is not a good way to remain mobile. Talk to your doctor about what mobility aids you may need.
Work on Your Balance
Working on your balance is key to mobility. A lack of proper balance can lead to slips and falls, which are not want a senior wants, as a fall can set you back months, cause possible breaks of legs or hips and your mobility can end up worse than before. Balance comes from your core muscles, back, hips and bum. Some exercises can be done to improve balance; standing on one foot, side leg raises, back leg raises and even some gentle yoga can help.
Maintain a Healthy Weight and Diet
Added weight on your body puts more strain on your knees when you walk or go up and down stairs, which is one of the biggest complaints from seniors. You need to ensure you’re a healthy weight if you want to stay mobile. Keep track of what you eat with an app or journal, ditch soft drinks that are high in sugar, and leave all junk food, sweets and processed food. If you are unsure about where to start, speak to a nutritionist.
Start Strength Training
You can still gain muscle in old age, even if you have never weight trained before. As a senior, you will want to take it nice and slow; a personal trainer that deals with senior strength will help. Having up to four trips to the gym a week will be enough to help build your strength, lose fat and regain your balance, all of which improve mobility.
Talk with Your Doctor
If you have health issues that don’t allow you to be very active, talking to your doctor about what can you do is very important. Your doctor will keep you up to date about what limitations you may have before moving forward. Ask them which activities you can do, or what they would recommend. They may suggest a physical therapist or personal trainer.
When it comes to improving your mobility at a later age, make sure you put safety first, so you don’t injure yourself. Injuries can hinder any progress, so ensure safety precautions are in place before starting your active lifestyle.
Why not take a look at some of our other blog posts that may be of interest to you:
Five winter safety tips for the elderly
Top tips for buying your first mobility scooter
