So you’re not as strong as you used to be. So what? What’s wrong with the next best thing–being as strong as you can be now?
Senior fitness programs have been a fast-growing commodity in recent years, according to a Huffington Post report examining the senior fitness boom . Many seniors, looking to build up their strength and get back in shape after letting things slide for years or decades, join gyms, hire personal trainers, and seek fitness instruction to help them counteract years of physical inactivity. True, building up strength and getting fit can cost plenty of money–if you want to spend it.
But senior strength training doesn’t have to cost much at all. You don’t need a gym and you don’t need a trainer. If you want to hang on to your money, there are plenty of inexpensive senior workouts that can help you build up strength and improve your overall fitness.
Dumbbells are great fitness tools that you can use at home, and an easy-to-follow beginner program to increase strength can involve such lifting exercises as the overhead press, arm curls, shoulder squats, and crunches. It’s important to ease in and not use too much weight at the beginning.
On the other hand, weights that are too light for you won’t be of much benefit. Once your body becomes accustomed to the lifting motions associated with your strength program, you should try to determine how much weight you should be working with on each exercise.
Strength training for seniors should be based on series of repetitions. Typically, you should do 3 sets of about 12 repetitions for each exercise. You should find the last lift in each set difficult but not overtaxing. Rest for a minute or two between sets.
The weight you can handle will probably vary from exercise to exercise. For example, you’ll probably squat a much heavier weight than you’ll curl. As a result, you’ll probably want to get an adjustable set of dumbbells so you can add or reduce weight as needed for various exercises. And chances are you’ll be adding weight regularly as your strength and fitness improve.
Going for a walk while carrying dumbbells is a great way to combine a senior cardio workout with senior strength training. Of course, you can splurge by investing in a gym membership and a personal trainer, but one of the best things about getting fit is that you don’t have to do that. It’s amazing what a set of dumbbells and a little determination can do.
What’s the best way you’ve found to maintain your strength? Leave a comment below letting us know!
Along with a good fitness regimen, Medicare advantage and medicare supplement plans are a great asset to help cover the costs of your health needs.
Contact Medicaremall now and we will make it our priority to get you the health coverage you need.
Senior Fitness – Strength Workouts © 2012 MedicareMall.com