5 Exercises All Seniors Should Avoid

As you grow older, you will realize that age isn’t just a number. Unfortunately, as the years add on, you will notice that your body just isn’t capable of doing things it once was. For individuals who like to stay fit, this tends to be a problem. You want to continue to hit the track or the gym like you used to but your body just doesn’t let you do certain things anymore. This is why we have listed five exercises that anyone over 50 should be wary of attempting due to the danger they pose.

Squatting with weights

Squats with just your body weight is a great way to keep your legs in top shape as you grow older. It also helps you improve stability. However, your joints, especially the knees, aren’t as youthful as they once were. So, if you are thinking of using weights while squatting, you may want to reconsider. The additional weight will exert even more pressure on your knees which puts it at risk of an injury.

Photo: Deposit Photos

Knee problems become common as you age, you don’t want any issues with your knees intensified by squatting with weights. Instead, you can do bodyweight squats and slowly increase the number of reps you perform. If that is too hard, you can try a form of chair exercise that works with squats. In this, you squat on to a chair, pause for a second, get back up and repeat.




Running stairs

If you are an avid runner, you know the importance of adding stairs to your run. It helps change the momentum of the run and adds an extra level of difficulty to it. Like with squats, running up and down the stairs puts your knees at risk of an injury. As you run up the stairs, with every step, you exert tons of pressure on the knees. Not only that, but there is also the chance of you tumbling over a step and falling, injuring multiple parts of your body.

Instead of running up and down the stairs you can jog on a treadmill, steadily increasing the incline after every 2-3 seconds or just use the stair master in the gym.

Bikram yoga

Photo: Deposit Photos

Yoga is all the rave and it will help you stay flexible as you age. But you want to stick to low-intensity yoga which means Bikram yoga should be off your radar. Bikram is an intense form of yoga that leads to a lot of sweating and has numerous difficult positions for people with age to try to get into. All the sweating can lead to dehydration while difficult positions can lead to an injury.

You want to stick with light yoga which incorporates a lot of stretches and aids your body to remain flexible.

Bench press

The bench press is a staple exercise that anyone that goes to the gym does. You don’t have to be a pro to know the benefits bench press has on your upper body. But keep in mind that as you age, your muscles aren’t as strong as they used to be. If you aren’t a regular weightlifter, your muscles deteriorate and lose strength. Which is why bench press isn’t ideal for you as you grow older. The slightest issue with form can lead to pain from the wrist to shoulder joints.

Instead of bench press, try doing push-ups with your knee touching the ground. Building your way up to doing them without the knees off the ground.

Long-distance running

Cardio is a great way to get exercise. However, you don’t want to overdo it by running long distances. Running in itself puts a lot of pressure on your overall body. You want to run with intervals of walking and make sure you do it on a soft surface. Otherwise, you will exert pressure on your knees and risk an injury.

Don’t run for a long distance at a time, do it in short intervals and mix it with jogging and walking.

Growing old doesn’t mean you completely give up on exercise. Through exercise, you can help maintain your body. Just be wary of the exercises you choose and make sure they aren’t too dangerous.

Author
Joseph Jones has been writing senior care and aging-related articles for years. He got his start while writing for a personal blog before he was offered to work at California Mobility in 2018 as the Content Marketing Manager, creating highly informative guides and health awareness articles for aging adults.

He’s currently contributing to a variety of blogs in the senior health industry in hopes to spread information about taking care of seniors and what to expect in the aging process.


Thanks Joseph!

For more information about caring for your aging parents, please consider downloading my course, Caring for Your Aging Parents, from Teachable.com. It takes a couple of hours, and you can just hit play and listen while you go about other business.

On the Subject of Self-Care for Caregivers

Last week, Leanne Meier RN, BSN had as her guest on her voiceamerica.com podcast Once a Nurse, Always a Nurse, Tina Marrelli MSN, MA, RN, FAAN (see post below). Tina was asked to speak about her award-winning book for caregivers A Guide for Caregiving - What's Next? and on the topic of self-care for caregivers.

It was a terrific episode and I really recommend you take time to listen to the on-demand replay. They both presented some great points!

The Episode Description reads: Tina Marrelli, BSN, RN joins me Monday, December 23,

2019 on Once a Nurse to talk about Caregivers giving themselves the gift of self-care. She is a Best Selling Author of an interesting set of easy-to-use handbooks to help caregivers in the home deal with issues as they arise: Body systems understanding, what to do if something goes wrong, who to call, resources in general, tips and much more. She is a delightful advocate for Caregiving. She will focus on self-care and why it is SO critical before, during and after the Holidays; how to bring relatives who rarely visit into the assistance of their loved one; arranging time off for the usual caregiver; and recognizing the dangers of overwhelming the loved one with “surprises” and unusual commotion or parties. Join us! I know it will be worth your while!

Listen live at: https://lnkd.in/e9HKJqs

If you miss it, the archive will be posted at: https://lnkd.in/epSWrXD

Book Review: A Guide for Caregiving - What's Next?

I am pleased to call Tina Marrelli, MSN, MA, RN, FAAN, a friend. She is also a fabulous award-winning, best-selling author. Everything she writes is done to perfection and so it's no surprise that she has combined her vast knowledge as a nurse from the home health and hospice field with the art of caregiving for her loved ones. Tina has chosen to share some of the very best tips that you'll find anywhere in her award-winning book, A Guide for Caregiving - What's Next?  

Caregiving for your aging loved ones is probably one of the most difficult roles you'll encounter in your life. Any assistance you can get to reduce the burden and let you know you're not alone in your feelings that can include anger, resentment, depression, loneliness, as well as satisfaction and joy is worth its weight in gold! Even for seasoned nurses, caregiving for your aging loved ones is foreign. All assistance is welcome! This book is an essential resource.

In 2017, the American Journal of Nursing (AJN) honored the book with 3rd place in their Book of the Year- consumer health listing. Caring.com also honored the book in 2017 as a Best Caregiving Book.  In January 2019, Caregiver.com bestowed a Today's Caregiver Friendly Award on the book. 

A Guide for Caregiving - What's Next?  plays a dual role as a guide for caregivers as well as for health care clinicians to work through the process of caregiving aging loved ones at home. Ms. Marrelli provides a wealth of resources and information to make the task easier. This includes information about home safety, infection control issues and prevention, and how to use a caregiver notebook to simplify the process. Work with your home health or hospice nurse to help you provide the very best care for your loved ones.

There is an important chapter about self-care for the caregiver! This is a very important part of being a caregiver; taking care of you. If you don't, you're going to break down and be unable to provide the care. Don't let yourself become part of the problem.

The book also has a wealth of information about disease-specific care such as for Alzheimer's or other dementias, diabetes, cancer, COPD, stroke, and cardiac conditions. There is a specific chapter on caring for bedbound patients, on for those with arthritis and another devoted to amputations.

There is also a section on a glossary of health care terms and a section on how to become an advocate and coordinator for your loved one's care. And no book would be complete without a multitude of other resources. The book is spiral bound and easy to read and locate the information you need.

This is one of the best caregiving books on the market and a must-have for any caregiver's library. Order online from Marrelli.com.

For more information about caring for your aging parents, please consider downloading my course, Caring for Your Aging Parents, from Teachable.com. It takes a couple of hours, and you can just hit play and listen while you go about other business.