Exercise With Injury Prevention In Mind At Older Age

Yesterday, we addressed some of the ways to improve exercise and also avoid injury when you engage in fitness at middle age.  Today, we’d like to fast forward a little bit and explore how to similarly avoid injuries as you reach older age.

Ideally, you’ll still be able to exercise on a regular basis, but the form that the exercise takes will naturally need to change.  There will come a time when you’re unable to reach the levels that used to come easily, but you must make your peace with this in order to avoid injury.  That doesn’t mean that you have to be inactive, but you do have to have a certain amount of awareness about your limitations.

Thankfully, a recent report out of Maine offers some valuable tips for senior citizens. Timed to coincide with Older Americans Month, understanding these precautions can serve to improve fitness levels and stave off the type of damage that can’t easily be bounced back from at an older age.

As we hinted above, you don’t have to avoid exercise entirely.  You do, however, have to approach things with safety in mind.  Your first step will be to speak with a doctor to learn about the types of things that are acceptable.  A doctor can get a sense of your physical abilities and guide you toward the sorts of activities that are suitable to your unique physique.  For instance, he or she might advise you to engage in a low impact exercise like yoga or swimming, something that will get your heart rate up and work your muscles but that won’t threaten your health.

Exercise won’t be the only thing you should talk to your doctor about.  You should also speak to him or her about the impact that various medications could have on your ability to engage in an exercise.  Certain drugs could carry dizziness as a side effect, and if that begins to manifest while you’re in the midst of a walk around the block, then you could fall and sustain injuries.  Figure out what medications you’ll need and build a fitness regimen around the effect that they could have on your body.

You also need to mitigate the various fall risks that exist around your residence.  As you age, things that may have seemed innocuous could pose serious tripping hazards.  It’s a good idea to run a check of your home in order to clear walking paths of bunched up carpet or items that lie in the way.

For more insights, be sure to visit the link up above.