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While aerobic exercise is essential for heart health, water aerobics offers similar advantages without putting pressure on your joints. Discover more about healthy aging through vivid imagery.
©iStockphoto.com/kali9They say only two things in life are certain: death and taxes. But here’s a third – regular exercise can help combat the effects of aging.
Engaging in consistent physical activity can significantly lower your risk of chronic conditions like diabetes and arthritis, while boosting heart health and lung capacity. The benefits far surpass any reasons for avoiding it.
Seniors should ease into exercise routines. Begin with just five minutes daily, gradually working up to 30 minutes. Incorporating strength training twice a week is also crucial to prevent muscle and bone loss, enhancing flexibility and overall strength.
Water-based workouts reduce joint strain and provide relief for individuals with arthritis. Many aquatic exercises don’t require swimming skills, making them accessible to everyone. However, we’ll start with an activity that does require some swimming knowledge: swimming itself.
5: Swimming
©iStockphoto.com/gradyreeseSwimming is a timeless, heart-pumping exercise that offers numerous health benefits. Whether you’re a beginner or an expert, swimming stands out as one of the most comprehensive workouts. It engages your entire body, improving heart health, lung capacity, flexibility, muscle tone, and strength. Plus, it’s gentle on the joints and can burn between 500 to 650 calories per hour [source:
If you’re new to swimming or need a refresher, consider visiting a local gym, fitness center, or YMCA to learn or refine your strokes before jumping into the pool.
4: Water Aerobics
Aerobic exercises, often referred to as endurance activities, are well-known and include walking, dancing, and gym-based step classes. These exercises elevate heart rates, promote cardiovascular and respiratory health, aid in weight control, and enhance mood.
Less familiar is performing aerobic exercises in water. Many gyms, fitness centers, and YMCAs offer aqua aerobics classes, which may focus on specific activities like water dancing or walking, or combine various aerobic movements such as jumping jacks and dance routines. These classes typically last an hour, including warm-up and cool-down periods, and are conducted in chest-deep water.
A study from the Center for Physical Activity and Aging at Wichita State University revealed that women who engaged in regular water aerobics—such as walking and dancing in water—along with aquatic strength training, experienced a 40 percent increase in hamstring strength and a 27 percent boost in quadriceps strength. Additionally, they achieved a 10 percent overall upper-body strength improvement in just 12 weeks [source: WebMD].
3: Strength Training
If you believe strength training, also known as resistance training, isn’t for you, reconsider. Forty-five percent of women aged 65 and older struggle to lift 10 pounds, and this figure rises to 65 percent for those 75 and above [source: Nied and Franklin].
Engaging in strength training at least twice a week can lower the risk of struggling with everyday tasks, like lifting a milk jug. This form of exercise involves slow, deliberate movements that make your muscles work against resistance, ultimately increasing their strength.
Traditional strength training outside of water often involves free weights, resistance bands, or cable machines. However, performing these exercises in water offers additional advantages. While equipment like weights or bands can still be used, the water itself provides natural resistance. The buoyancy of water also lessens the strain on joints, knees, and hips, alleviating chronic pain and improving mobility.
2: Relaxation
Floating effortlessly in water. Is there anything more soothing?
Relaxation plays a vital role in maintaining overall health. Engaging in relaxation techniques in warm water can alleviate muscle tension and joint discomfort caused by aging, chronic conditions, or injuries. It may also lower blood pressure, decrease heart rate, reduce stress hormones, and enhance energy levels and immune function.
Seek out classes that focus on water-based relaxation methods—or practice at home—such as progressive muscle relaxation, yoga, or mindful meditation to achieve harmony in both body and mind.
Remember the old advice: always wait after eating before exercising, whether in or out of the water. Wait three to four hours after a large meal, two to three hours after a small meal, and about 45 minutes to an hour after a snack.
1: Balance Exercises
For many individuals over 65, the fear of falling is a legitimate concern. Statistics show that one in three adults aged 65 and older experiences a fall annually, with 20 to 30 percent of these incidents resulting in serious injuries like hip fractures, cuts, or head trauma, including traumatic brain injury [source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention].
Preserving balance as you age is crucial for minimizing the risk of falls. Consider enrolling in water-based classes like tai chi or yoga, which enhance balance and allow for a wider range of motion with less joint stress. Practicing these movements in water also eliminates the fear of injury from falls during the activity.
