Walk 10,000 steps a day. The 10,000 steps program is part of a concentrated effort to encourage Americans to get active and stay fit. According to many recent studies, engaging in moderate exercise three to five times a week can help reduce the risk of heart disease, hypertension, stroke, diabetes and arthritis. Coupled with a balanced diet, exercise is the number one way to get healthy and stay healthy.
This message is especially important for those over the age of fifty-five, says the American Heart Association. Because regular exercise helps maintain weight and tone all the body’s systems, it’s one of the keys to avoiding the most common diseases and disorders affecting older Americans.
Among the exercise that the American Physical Therapy Association recommends for seniors are golf, gardening, walking, swimming and jogging. There’s almost no physical activity that you can’t turn into a heart healthy aerobic workout. Choose your sport and try one of these workouts from the American Physical Therapy Association.
Golf
If you haven’t played golf in a while – or if you’re just starting and haven’t been active – start exercising a few weeks before you go into full swing. Take a twenty minute walk three or four times a week. Spend some time practicing your swing, starting with a shorter, lighter club and gradually working your way up.
Gardening
Gardening can give your heart a surprisingly energetic workout. There’s digging and bending and lifting and carrying. To turn a gardening session into a heart healthy workout, the APTA suggests that you start with a series of stretches to help loosen up the muscles. Once you’re warmed up, do some ‘aerobic gardening’ – activities that use your whole body – for 15-20 minutes.
Water Aerobics
Water fitness classes are among the best aerobics exercises you can do, especially if you suffer from joint stiffness or arthritic pain. Because you’re in the water, there’s no impact shock, making water exercises the ideal form of low-impact aerobic exercise. You can get a full workout that includes jumping jacks and all the benefits of cross-country skiing in deep water aerobics – with less than 10% of the stress on your joints. Do take it easy, though, warn many fitness experts. Because exercising in water is so easy, it’s also easy to overdo and strain muscles.
