Sports routine: Three leg and arm exercises for the elderly

Get older It is an inevitable natural process, but the way in which it is done depends, to a large extent, on the lifestyle of each person. It seems topical, but the physical activity It is one of the factors that can most influence good aging. Currently, according to data provided by the Statistics National Institute, As of January 1, 2020, the population over 64 years of age in Spain amounted to 9.28 million people, thus again increasing again following the trend of the last decade. Of these nine million people, an increasing percentage dedicates some time of their day to physical activity, but the population group over 65 years of age continues to have very high figures of sedentary lifestyle.

Although, obviously, with age there are certain activities that become impossible, physical activity can be adapted to each stage and type of person. In fact, it is important to do it, because an appropriate exercise for one person may not be suitable for another, especially in the elderly. “The training that a 70-year-old person can do is very different from that of an 80-year-old, and it is not the same exercise that a person who has done sports regularly throughout his life than the one that can be good. for someone with little sports practice & rdquor ;, explains Andreu Fadó, CEO of TecnoSport.

It is shown that exercise slows aging and with it, associated diseases. “Life expectancy in Spain is similar to that of Japan, but in Japan you don’t visit the doctor until 77 and on the other hand, in Spain we start to suffer chronic diseases at 69. That’s because of the lifestyle & rdquor ;, explains Fadó.

Active routine

It is advisable to maintain an active routine forever, but if you have already reached retirement and you still do not have the habit of exercising, all is not lost. It is never too late if happiness is good, they say. “Starting physical activity must always be the sooner the better Because the more you train (as long as it is in the right way), when you reach an advanced age you will have a higher bone density and the tendon that is inserted into the bone will be able to exert greater muscle tension & rdquor ;, explains Fadó. This force allows the circulatory system to always be more active, have more strength and better balance and all this contributes to better health. A sedentary person will tend to higher levels of cholesterol, triglycerides and cardiovascular problems.

Even so, when we talk about suitable training for the elderly, we cannot generalize, since it is not so much the chronological age that must be taken into account as the biological. “The aging clock is slowed down in people who do sports. It is important to undergo a medical check-up before exercising to determine your health, the state of the cardiovascular system and bone density & rdquor ;, explains Fadó.

It’s never too late to start

For those older people with little exercise habit and with reduced mobility or a fragile balance, there are some exercises that can be done without putting health at risk. In fact, strength training, and especially strength training aimed at improving explosive strength, is of vital importance in programs to prevent falls in the elderly.

Make no mistake, strength training, in the elderly does not mean picking up weights or working with high loads, but doing exercises that strengthen the muscles. This physical activity should be done at least three times a week and at any time of the day, but it is always important to do especially joint movements They tend to shorten over time and range of motion is reduced. “It is better to work strength than cardiovascular, walking is fine, but working the muscles is much better to be able to remain independent,” says Fadó. Once joint mobility has been performed, these are 3 recommended exercises to start physical activity in the elderly:

Arm mobility

Depending on the range of mobility you have, you can do one or the other exercises, but you can start from a sitting posture in a chair and raise your arms parallel to the top of your head. If it is very easy, you can do the same by holding a small weight or small water bottle with each arm. About 10 repetitions of the movement should be done as long as there is no pain.

Leg strengthening

A good exercise to generally strengthen your legs and try to slow down the loss of independence is to get up and sit down from a chair. It is important that this exercise is carried out safely as the loss of stability could lead to a fall. To avoid this, it is advisable to perform the exercise with a front support. It can be a table or some type of railing that serves to hold on when getting up. This exercise consists of getting up and sitting down from the chair about 10 times.

Leg mobility

From a sitting posture with the knees bent at 90 degrees, raise one leg leaving the other in the starting position. With the leg raised, we proceed to perform inward and outward circles about 10 times on each side and then proceed to perform the same exercise with the other leg. If this exercise was too complicated by the force of holding the leg up for too long, it could be varied and instead of doing circles, one leg would be raised with the knee towards the chest and it would be lowered again. Like this 10 times with each leg.

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