Tips To Improve Mobility In Seniors
For many older adults, retirement should be about enjoying hobbies, holidays and spending beautiful moments with the family. Unfortunately, too many seniors find themselves with many mobility issues, making their social life difficult.
If you’re a senior, you might be experiencing something similar and want to improve your mobility.
It makes sense: improving your mobility as a senior is crucial to ensure that you enjoy your retirement, living your life to the fullest.
Why Mobility Matters
It’s important to understand the importance of mobility. Mobility issues refer to difficulties getting around physically and struggling with balance, strength, and stability. Some common signs of mobility problems include:
- Weakness in the legs, back, knees, or ankles
- Loss of visual acuity and vestibular issues
- Difficulty with balance or coordination
- Pain in the joints or muscles
Staying active and increasing mobility contributes to overall physical, emotional and mental well-being while reducing pain and moving around.
Improving and maintaining your mobility can help you enjoy your retirement. So, how do you go about doing that? You take a look at these valuable tips.
6 Tips to Improve Your Mobility
1- Stretch Regularly
Stretching is crucial for everyone, but even more so for seniors. Taking a few minutes a day to stretch your body can prove beneficial in the long term, reducing pain while increasing body functions and mobility.
The best time to stretch is every morning after you wake up (to help get your body moving) and before going to bed (so you feel limber as you’re sleeping). You’ll notice that you’ll feel better as the day goes on and enjoy better sleep.
2- Partake in Classes
You don’t have to go for heavy-hitting classes, such as spin or boxing. The likes of senior yoga, tai chi and other low-impact activities can prove useful for your mobility. You’ll improve your strength and balance, which will reduce potential falls.
There’s also the social aspect that can be beneficial, as you’ll make friends with classmates. Isolation is a big concern for seniors, so being part of a social circle can have many benefits, including mental and physical improvements.
3- Improve & Maintain Your Vision
Don’t be shocked to know that your vision has a great impact on your ability to move easier and improve your mobility.
That’s why you should get your eyes checked regularly, ensuring that your vision is in tip-top shape while remaining up-to-date with your glasses and contact lenses prescriptions.
The better your vision, the better your mobility and balance will be in the future.
4- Enjoy a Healthy Diet
Your diet has a great impact on your physical health. You need food that gives you the energy to maintain your physical activity while ensuring you feel better around the clock.
Eating healthy brain food, such as seafood, beans and nuts, alongside plenty of vegetables and proteins, will improve your brain activity and help you attempt any exercise with minimal problems.
You also have to consider fluids, as it’s important seniors consume plenty of water. Seniors that don’t drink enough water become dehydrated, and therefore, experience pains and cramps and feel more tired.
Speak to your doctor or nutritionist about a diet that specifically targets your needs, ensuring you get the vitamins, minerals and proteins to function properly.
5- Balanced Exercises that Support Your Body
More important than exercise is the fact that you have a balanced approach to it. Too often, seniors focus on one particular type of exercise instead of encompassing all it, resulting in unbalanced mobility.
Make sure that you include the following elements within your fitness regimen:
- Strength training, which builds muscle and increases metabolism, making weight management easier.
- Balance exercises can help build muscle strength in the legs, leading to increased stability and avoid falls.
- Endurance training can help ensure you increase your heart rate, giving you more energy to live your life and complete your day-to-day activities. The likes of swimming, walking, or biking can prove useful.
6- Being Part of a Senior Living Community
Sometimes, some seniors need additional support with their mobility. In situations like this, being part of a senior living community can prove beneficial.
Make sure you live in a retirement home, like the highly-rated Manor Village, which offers fall prevention and mobility programs while encouraging you to live independently.
Furthermore, you can establish relationships with fellow seniors, together enjoying the benefits of improving your mobility. You’ll get to enjoy the best of both worlds in a community like this.
As you age, it’s important to make your mobility a priority. Speak to healthcare professionals about getting yourself back into top shape so you feel ready to take on your retirement with energy and a positive attitude.