When age increases, the strength of the muscles and the joints may decrease with the years, so moving or exercising heavily may not suit older people. But "not moving at all" makes the body degenerate even faster. The suitable choice is "Low Impact Exercise", or exercise with low impact force, which helps older people move safely, restore the body gradually, reduce the risk from accidents, help strengthen the muscles and the bones, and promote the system of the heart and the blood vessels
What is Low Impact Exercise
Exercise of the "Low Impact" kind, or "exercise with low impact force", differs from exercise in general, because exercise in general that has high impact force helps stimulate the creation of new tissue that is stronger, but impact force that is too great may create damage for the muscles, the joints, and the tissue in other parts, such as running, jumping, or aerobic dancing. Low Impact exercise has both a form that does not use equipment and a form that uses equipment, such as an exercise bicycle, a rowing machine, and an elliptical machine. Besides this, the use of supporting aids such as a chair, a wall, or a handrail is also of benefit in maintaining balance and movement. Listening to the body and adjusting the exercise so that it suits the capability and the level of the pain is also an important thing
Examples of Low impact exercise that is good for older people are as follows
- Walking : walking slowly or walking fast on level ground is a good choice in Low impact exercise, with its ease of access
- Exercising in water : swimming or aerobics in water helps reduce impact force on the knee joint
- Cycling : cycling in place or cycling indoors is also a good choice for older people
- Exercise that emphasises balance : such as yoga or Pilates, which helps increase the flexibility and the strength of the muscles
- Exercising the muscles of the core of the trunk : various postures of exercise, such as stretching the arms and the legs, raising the legs, raising the hips
- Strengthening the muscles : dumbbells and other supporting equipment used in Low impact exercise help the muscles become firm and strong
Although exercise has its advantages, having good health does not consist only of exercising regularly; eating good food is also considered the foundation of strength and of good health for the body. Therefore we should keep giving attention to caring for our health as much as possible, for a good quality of life in the long term