bubble_chart Content

Exercise can indeed improve the body's blood circulation, reduce body fat, enhance metabolism, and increase muscle mass and strength. As one ages, muscles and bones are more prone to loss, making it even more important to maintain exercise habits. Exercise for the elderly can also improve the immune system, gastrointestinal motility, enhance balance, activate the brain, and prevent dementia.

Exercise can be divided into several major categories, each with its own specificity and necessity:

• Aerobic exercise: Continuous exercise that makes the heart beat faster and causes slight breathlessness but still allows one to speak. It is a low-impact exercise that does not put too much pressure on joints and bones. It aims to train endurance, reduce fat, improve cardiopulmonary strength, prevent osteoporosis, and lower the three highs (hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and hyperglycemia). WHO recommends at least 10 minutes per session to be effective. Examples include brisk walking, jogging, cycling, spinning, aerobics, swimming, etc.
• Strength training: Can strengthen muscles, ligaments, and tendons' elasticity, reduce bone loss, and decrease the chance of fractures. Examples include squats and weightlifting. Those who do not exercise often are advised to start with low intensity, such as lifting water bottles, standing up from a sitting position, or using resistance bands for training.
• Balance exercises: Can enhance muscle balance and prevent falls. Examples include Tai Chi, yoga, and Ba Duan Jin.
• Stretching exercises: Can also serve as a warm-up before other exercises and a relaxation at the end. They can reduce muscle stiffness and increase joint range of motion. Elementary school gymnastics are not intense, can stretch every part of the body, are not difficult, do not require special sports venues, and can be done anytime, anywhere, making them particularly suitable for middle-aged and elderly people.

Elderly people should pay attention to the following when exercising:

• The bones of the elderly are more fragile, so they should avoid sports that are prone to injury and overly intense.
• Not only should certain limbs be exercised, but the whole body should be exercised to avoid the gradual loss of muscles that are not exercised.
• The intensity and duration of exercise should be maintained at a dose that the body can tolerate. Rest when tired and do not force it.
• If chest tightness, difficulty breathing, limb weakness, or pain and discomfort occur, stop exercising immediately.

According to one study, elderly people who could not walk, with an average age of 88, could also significantly increase muscle mass, enhance muscle strength, and improve muscle flexibility after 14 weeks of strength training. Some participants who originally had to use wheelchairs were even able to walk again ⁽¹⁾. One thing that is often overlooked is that muscles become stiffer after exercise, and stiff muscles put more pressure on the joints. If the pressure on the joints persists, it can easily cause joint wear. Therefore, not only should one stretch before exercise, but also moderately stretch, pat, or tuina the muscles after exercise to relax them, thereby relieving the pressure on the joints.

bubble_chart Footnote

1. Westcott, W., M. Richards, G. Rein, and D. Califano. (In press). Strength Training Elderly Nursing Home Patients. Newsletter of the American Senior Fitness Association.