The Best Exercise For Senior Citizens

| Wednesday, February 2, 2011
By Tony Garrett


There are a many reasons why swimming and water-based exercise may be the best choice for seniors.

Water based exercises are second only to walking in lowest rates for injuries.

They are commonly used for physical therapy modes for those recovering from major surgery. People who are deskbound or less active can make up for their lack of excise by swimming; swimming also is an option for people with a history of injuries. Swimming is considered as one of the more complete forms of exercises with all the body parts in some kind of activity.

A person who goes on swimming exercises not only the arms and legs but all the body muscles as well. Water hinders movement so swimming requires more energy and therefore is an exercise that combines strength building and endurance training. Swimming is one of the activities that involve not only strength building and endurance exercises, but improves body reflexes and coordination as well. Although it incorporates certain elements of running, aerobics and weight training, swimming has the advantage of not putting too much strain on the tissues and joints of the body and thus is a recommended exercise for older people.

Physically challenged individuals who need to exercise can go into swimming. Water supports the body weight so there is no part of the body that is under tremendous strain that can result to an injury. The safety factor is always a concern when older people exercise so swimming is the perfect sports for them. This is so because a person is about 90% lighter when he is deep in water. Thus a 150 pound senior will weigh only 15 pounds while doing his chin deep water based exercise. One limiting factor in exercise routines is the possibility of injury, and this factor is not an issue in water exercises allowing the individual to exercise more often, plus he will get more exercise because of the resistance of water to movements. To recap, seniors can get their much needed exercises in the relative safety of swimming or other water based activities.




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