From mobility to strength, aging is a natural process that brings many changes to the body. It comes in with brittle and weak bones to older adults. In fact, 21.7% of seniors around the world suffer from osteoporosis.
With this, maintaining an active lifestyle is crucial for seniors. It allows them to preserve independence and quality of life. In achieving these, performing upper body exercises for seniors is effective.
Aside from staying fit, these upper-body workouts offer a range of health benefits. Do you want to know how these can help older adults? Learn more about the benefits of upper body exercises as we cover them in this blog!
Seniors often experience weakened muscles and decreased strength. These make everyday tasks challenging. To improve upper body strength, incorporating exercises focused on this area is vital.
Although it's an issue for all ages, poor posture is common among seniors. A report shows that about 40% of adults who are older than 60 experience hyperkyphosis. Aside from spinal degeneration, the hunched posture results from muscle weakening.
Failure to address it can lead to:
Staying fit and active becomes crucial to avoid these problems. With body exercises targeting the upper body, older adults can correct their posture.
Upper body exercises for seniors can strengthen the muscles supporting the spine. Training gradually corrects their posture, reducing discomfort and improving physical appearance.
As you age, your metabolism slows down. It makes gaining weight easier, yet harder to lose. For seniors, excess weight reduces mobility and increases the risks of health issues.
However, engaging in regular upper body exercises can combat these declines. How do they work? Elderly strength training can boost metabolism by building muscle mass.
With this, seniors can improve their metabolic rate. An increase in metabolism allows the body to burn more calories, supporting weight management. Moreover, it reduces the risk of metabolic-related issues, such as type 2 diabetes.
Aside from posture and metabolism, seniors often struggle with mobility. It makes everyday tasks, such as gardening or carrying groceries, more challenging. If not addressed right away, every activity may mean you need assistance for everything.
To keep the independence, incorporate upper body exercises. It maintains and improves mobility by increasing the range of motion in this area.
To stay fit, focus on the shoulders, arms, and chest. With increased mobility, older adults can enhance their quality of life.
For seniors, injury prevention is crucial as aging comes with fragile bones and muscles.
In most cases, older adults are more at risk of falls. Data shows that one in four seniors report falling every year, which often results in injury. Depending on the severity, they can experience sprains or fractures.
How can upper-body workouts prevent injuries? By strengthening the upper body muscles, seniors can improve their stability and balance. These can protect their joints, reducing the chances of joint-related injuries like strains.
For instance, triceps extensions help build muscles. It adds the muscle mass necessary to catch oneself during a fall or to lift oneself.
Through strength training, seniors stimulate muscle growth and improve strength. As a result, it benefits health and functionality.
What are the best upper body exercises for seniors? After exploring their benefits, here are some simple yet effective senior fitness routines. Older adults can incorporate these exercises into their wellness programs.
One of the safe exercises for seniors is the arm raise. Arm raise is an exercise focused on strengthening the shoulders. Moreover, this targets the deltoid muscles.
What is the proper way to perform it?
First, prepare light dumbbells for each hand. Next, stand up straight with the feet shoulder-width apart. Ensure you are holding the equipment and keep your arms at your sides.
Then, slowly raise your arms out to your side. After holding it for a second, slowly put your arms back to their starting position. To see results, perform arm raises for 10 to 12 repetitions.
As its name suggests, triceps extension focuses on the muscles at the back of the upper arms. It is an effective exercise to build strength in the targeted area. This can also improve arm tone and function.
For seniors, this helps push movement, such as supporting oneself during a fall. To improve arm function, do triceps extensions for 10 to 12 repetitions for each arm.
Start by standing or sitting with a dumbbell in one hand. Next, raise the equipment above your head.
In performing this exercise, keep your elbow close to your ear. Lower the dumbbell behind your head after holding it up for a second. Then, bring back your arm up to the starting position.
If you plan to do outdoor activities, do this first to warm up your triceps.
The shoulder press is a good upper-body workout for seniors. To enhance shoulder stability and strength, it strengthens the deltoid muscles. Shoulder presses improve upper body strength, which plays a vital role in lifting objects.
Like in arm raises, you need a dumbbell in each hand for shoulder press. Stand straight with your feet shoulder-width apart. When in position, hold the dumbbells at shoulder height with the palms facing forward.
Next, press the weights upward with arms extended. Then, slowly position them back to shoulder height. Perform this exercise with 10 to 12 repetitions with rest between sets.
Aside from enhancing mobility, shoulder press promotes improved posture. It can ease shoulder pain caused by the hunched position. Further, keeping functional independence.
To make exercising fun, recommend doing this with your senior social club.
Upper body exercises for seniors play a crucial role. They offer a range of benefits that can improve health and quality of life. From correcting posture to supporting activities, start your upper body workouts today.
Are you looking for wellness programs to help you maintain a healthy body? At Addington Place of Edwardsville, we offer senior fitness programs that can improve mobility and strength.
If you have questions about our senior living community services, contact us here!