We’ve all heard about the importance of regular exercise, but it becomes even more critical as we grow old. Unquestionably, eating healthy food plays its part in keeping you away from many various diseases. But even if you are consuming the healthiest diet suggested by a famous nutritionist, it can’t be the substitute for exercise.
As we age, not only our body but our mind also becomes vulnerable. You don’t have to be all acrobatic with your exercises, something as simple as walking can do the job for you. Let’s drill down the reasons why exercise becomes necessary after the late twenties and onwards:
1. Critical for pain management
At a young age, we can endure bodily pain. But once we cross a certain age, the same amount of pain becomes unbearable to us. And more often than not, we become dependable on drugs to deal with it. Guess what, exercise can save you from taking any pain killer.
Osteoarthritis pain becomes a common phenomenon after middle age. You are more likely to face this pain in the various parts of your body once you step into your late twenties. Aquatic exercise, like swimming, in the shoulder-height water, is considered as the best remedy to strengthen your knee and hip joints.
If you have a hard time at swimming, you can opt for the arthritis-friendly exercises from the following list:
- Stretching: it can improve your flexibility quite dramatically. If you are a beginner, you can start by holding each stretch for about 10 seconds then gradually increase it with time.
- Pilates: Pilates exercises are beneficial to soothe your joints. There are different poses in this exercise; you can choose one that goes best with your physical status.
2. Boosts your mood
In all likelihood, you will be spending a much hectic life in your late twenties compared to your teenage. You will have the responsibility to manage professional and personal life, which could be a very demanding task. As a result, you might have to deal with depression. Depression could be the tipping point for several issues.
Well, if you can somehow incorporate exercise into your daily routine, you can improve your mood and stay happier. Exercises have the potential to be a great stress-reliever. Experts of the opinion, sweat can increase the production of endorphins in your body, and they can switch your mood from sad to happy.
Old age people can be very short-tempered and irritating in nature; they can also improve their mood by making the most of exercise.
3. Slows down the aging process
You can look younger than your age. That’s what research published in the New York Times spells out. According to this study, people who exercise are more likely to maintain a healthy number of telomeres – an aging cell – compared to those who don’t exercise.
So if you look older than your real age, it could potentially be the case of having fewer telomeres in your body. The study also reveals that this benefit is greater in the people who are between 40 and 65.
The aging process slows down according to the number of exercises you do regularly. In other words, exercising regularly will make you look younger. Once you start working out tirelessly, age will be a number for you.
4. Prevents you from falling
Many old age people don’t exercise because they subscribe to a myth. That is, exercise increases the risk of falling. It is quite contrary to the truth. Exercise makes your body more flexible and reduces the risk of falling.
The human body is prone to have issues regarding balance in old age. Unwanted falls are the second largest cause of death all around the world. Even if a fall does not prove to be fatal, it leads to personal injuries like fractures, head trauma, and such lethal sufferings. It is important to get health coverage. For instance, US health group offers health insurance that can cover your needs. Naturally, the number of unintended falls is quite high among the people above 65.
If exercises are part of your daily routine, your body will learn to react appropriately to avoid a fall. Here are a few exercises which can improve the balance of your body as you grow old:
- Aerobic;
- Single-leg standing;
- Chair leg raises;
- Sit-to-stand;
- Toe touches.
5. Helps to sleep better
Have you felt sleepy at work even after sleeping 8 hours straight in the night? That’s because you did not have a quality sleep. When it comes to sleeping, science says that quality matters more than quantity. Workout results in the fluctuation of body temperature which helps you to have a sound sleep, and you will wake up with the spark of freshness.
People also tend to develop the habit of taking some drugs, which helps them sleep faster. This is truer for the aged class. Well, the answer lies in regular exercise if you want to sleep faster naturally.
6. Keeps dementia at bay
As we have discussed above, the workout can help us to deal with numerous mental diseases along with physical ones. Exercise benefits another essential aspect related to our mind, that is, memory. Exercise ensures that our brain gets the required blood flow, which is necessary to keep our memory sharp. Inadequate blood flow could ultimately cause dementia. This is supported by research.
Final thoughts
I can’t emphasize enough on the importance of an active lifestyle. You can somehow do away with exercises in the teenage because you are physically very active anyways. But after that, they become nearly compulsory for you. What constitutes your workout? Do tell us in the comment section.
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