Tips For Keeping Your Aging Parents Healthy & Fit

Tips For Keeping Your Aging Parents Healthy & Fit

So, your parents have entered their golden years.

The days of going to a 9-to-5 job are over, and now their time is occupied with playing bridge and spoiling your children.

And while the stresses of being young and working are beginning to wear off, so too can the desire to remain fit and active.

However, staying active as we age is extremely important. Staying active while getting older decreases the risk of heart disease, helps lower blood pressure, keeps bones and muscles healthy, and helps maintain a strong immune system.

This could be your parents

This could be your parents!

With that being said, getting old does mean that it can be physically harder to workout. So here is a little list of workouts and tips you can give your parents to ensure they maintain a healthy lifestyle in their retirement. *Disclaimer: this list DOES NOT include shuffleboard

 

Light Cardio

You can still get your daily does of cardio in as you enter into days of getting an AARP check. Things like playing half a round of golf (or be bold and play all 18 holes. you know you want to), going for a brisk 10 minute walk or jog, playing a couple games of tennis or pickleball, or taking a little dip in the swimming pool all constitute a good round of cardio.

Chair Workouts

Grab onto the back of a chair and do some calf raises. You can also do some light leg raises. Not only do these exercises promote strength in your legs and lower back, but they also help improve balance. Plus, if you tend to struggle with balance there is already a chair there to help support you.

Stretching

Stretching is a great workout. It improves muscle health and flexibility. Plus it’s easy on joints, and if getting in exercise is starting to get difficult this is the perfect way to still fit some form of workout into your day.

Body Weight Workouts

You don’t need to lift weights in order to build muscle. Just doing simple squats while using your body weight is plenty. Push-ups are another great body weight exercise to try. You can do traditional push-ups on the ground, use your knees on the ground, or do push-ups facing the wall while standing up. You can also get a good arm workout in with bands or light weights.

Take a Cooking Class

We all know that Grandma and Grandpa love meat, potatoes, and butter. There is never a shortage of cookies or cakes or candy around their house either. Sign them up for a cooking class, so in addition to the usual favorites they make, they can add a few healthy dishes to their lineup too.

At the end of the day, we just want to keep our aging parents healthy. After all, who else will take your kids while you go away for the weekend?

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As a special thank you to all the grandparents out there, we’d like to invite them to celebrate Grandparent’s Day at the club with the grandkids THIS Sunday, September 13th! Sign up in advance at the front desk for a chance to win a FREE Family Membership at Elite Sports Clubs!

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