When we are over 60 years old, our bodies begin to deteriorate and not be vigorous like when we are young. The skin starts to wrinkle and the nervous system begins to deteriorate. Responses to stimuli decreases, while coordination between the brain and muscles decline along with vision. Hearing also becomes worse than before, and bones start to be more brittle with reduced muscle strength, and importantly, the heart and lungs begin to deteriorate. With knowledge about the physical changes that occur as you grow older, it becomes increasingly necessary to be careful about your body.
- In older people without chronic diseases, they require a physical check-up before exercising, since older people usually have hidden illnesses such as heart disease, hypertension and diabetes.
- In older people with chronic diseases, while it is not impossible for them to exercise, they need to exercise under the supervision and advice of their doctors in addition to undergoing physical performance evaluations.
Exercise Principles for Elderly People
- Exercise intensity. They should exercise with an intensity of about 60% of their respective maximum heartrate and not exceed 85% of their maximum heartrate.
- Exercise frequency. Initially, they should exercise by 2-3 times per week by performing exercises every other day to allow their bodies to rest. As their bodies have adjusted, they can increase their frequency to 4-5 times per week, but they should not exercise more than 5 times per week.
- Exercise duration. They should exercise for 20-30 minutes by dividing each session into a 5-10-minute warm-up period, which includes stretching, followed by at least 12 minutes of exercise and then about 5-10 minutes of cool-down. Each portion can be adjusted as appropriate.
- Exercise progression. Start small and then gradually increase the intensity or weight of exercise. At first, start exercising at about 55% of the maximum heartrate and then gradually increase this to about 60%, 65% and 70% of the maximum heartrate, respectively.
- Type of exercise or sports. Avoid impact sports or sports that require a high level of sensory coordination, or else physical injuries can result. If the person has hypertension, avoid weight lifting exercises, since these can harm the blood vessels through raising blood pressure levels even further.
Exercise Preparations
Regardless of how old you are and how long it has been since you last exercised, appropriate exercise can help improve your health. However, for exercise to be effective, you must gradually build yourself up over time. You should divide exercises into 3 different types, namely, agility, strength and endurance exercises, and you should order exercises from light to heavy exercises in addition to consulting your doctor beforehand if you never exercised before. Good exercise always includes a warm-up period. You have to warm-up your body first, possibly by walking around the house if the weather is neither too hot nor too cold, or by walking around inside the house, walking on a treadmill or riding a bicycle, etc. Normally, it takes about 5-10 minutes to warm-up your body. Warming yourself up can improve circulation to various organs and prepares your cardiovascular system for exercise while preventing exercise injuries. After you have warmed up, you can proceed to stretch your muscles.
Exercise in elderly people is divided into 2 types as follows:
- Targeted exercises such as joint exercises in patients with locked joints, back muscle exercises in patients with back pain, and knee exercises in patients with knee osteoarthritis.
- General exercises that promote good moods, a healthy body and the indirect benefit of improving balance in older people. Exercises of this type reduces incidents of fall, which cause broken bones, and other severe complications like pneumonia, infection, etc.
Exercises in older people should involve the major muscle groups, e.g., jogging in the absence of knee osteoarthritis, walking, aerobic dancing, tai chi, stick exercises, etc.
- Uncontrolled chest pain.
- High blood pressure during exercise.
- Cardiac arrhythmia.
- Dizziness.
- Unsuitable environment and weather.
- After a big meal.
