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Exercise, Even in Small Doses, Offers Tremendous Benefits for Senior Citizens

  • October 14, 2016

New research confirms that the extraordinary benefits of physical activity, which has been shown in previous research to lower an individual’s risk of heart disease, cognitive impairment, diabetes, depression and some cancers, is helpful for seniors, even in small doses, Kaiser Health News reports.

The study showed that walking and strength and balance exercises helped most. This is something I’ve been talking about for a very long time, and what’s wonderful is that it’s never too late to start an exercise program. In fact, my own mother didn’t begin strength training until she was 74 years old and, today, she’s gained significant improvements in strength, range of motion, balance, bone density and mental clarity, and even is a model for films I make on exercises for senior citizens.

As you get older, if you aren’t concentrating on strength training, you are more susceptible to falls, due to poor balance and coordination, weakness in your hips and legs, poor posture, and reduced ability to lift your feet, which can lead to stumbling. Therefore, it’s important to practice coordination exercises, graduating to standing balancing exercises, which ultimately can help you walk with a steadier gait.

A beginning exercise program that is both gentle and beneficial could include yoga, which may also help stave off cognitive decline, according to a recent study of older adults with early warning signs of waning memory. Other studies have demonstrated that regular yoga practice can impart a number of different physical, mental and emotional benefits.