Maintaining muscle mass as you grow older is one of the keys to good health throughout your retirement years. To get fit and stay healthy, you need to exercise. But where to start? Regardless of your fitness level right now, you can get started without an expensive gym membership or fancy equipment. Here are 5 simple types of age-defying exercises you can try right now.
Improving your balance is key for avoiding dangerous falls. Depending on how steady you feel, you can start with simply standing tall and shifting your weight from foot to foot. If that feels too easy, try raising one foot and holding your balance for a count of 10. Gradually increase the length of time as you get more comfortable. More advanced balance exercises can incorporate yoga poses, such as tree pose. As you get started, don’t hesitate to lean on a chair or wall to support yourself.
The simplest age-defying exercises are often the best. For most people, walking is versatile, easy, and pretty much free. However, those with joint problems or other issues can get the same benefits from swimming instead. Remember, even a short walk or brief swim is better than no activity. Try to build up endurance instead of pushing yourself to your limits the first time out.
Your “core” consists of the muscles of your back as well as your abdominals. A strong core supports the spine and makes it easier to complete other exercises. Planks are a fantastic way to build those core muscles, but they can be pretty challenging.
Start off by bracing your forearms against a wall and moving your feet back so that you must lean forward at an angle. Keep a straight line from your neck all the way to your heels and breathe deeply as you hold the position for a count of 20. Gradually increase the length of time or the angle to make the exercise more difficult.
Some exercise programs put an emphasis on smaller movements to get toned arms, legs, or glutes. That’s not the best to increase overall health, though. Instead, your routine should be centered on large muscle movements. Those include squatting, pulling, pushing—in other words, the kind of basic motions we do every day. You can modify these movements to make them easier or harder—do pushups against a wall, for example, or practice your squats by getting up and down from a chair.
As you age, flexibility becomes ever more important. Stretching helps prevents muscles from settling into potentially harmful patterns, such as spending a lot of time at a desk or looking down at your phone. There are tons of videos online for simple stretches. You can also ask your doctor for advice—which you should do anyway before you begin any age-defying exercises.
