Strength Training vs Cardio: Which Is Better?

Exercise with a proper diet plan is an essential component of a healthy lifestyle. Following a routine of physical activity will prevent health issues as we age. However, people aged more than 65 years should attend more mobility and strength exercises, as that helps to keep a balanced body.

This piece caters to the best exercises for older people and implies the benefits that come alongside. Read on to get a clear idea of which regime suits your body.

To enhance their physical fitness, older people should follow specific exercises that will benefit them and keep them healthy.

Here are some exercises given below that will help you to begin your daily regime.

Adults aged above 60 should do approximately 2.5 to 5 hours of moderate exercise every alternate day of the week.

Here is a list of some aerobic activities they can follow:

1. Walking

One of the best forms of exercise, walking, is cardio which can be modified as per the pace of the adult. Studies at the University of Colorado and the University of Tennessee revealed that walking for a few miles daily will reduce blood pressure in the elderly and improve cardiovascular health.

Benefits

• Using a walker, older people can choose to do cardio according to their suitable time and distance.
• Also, nature walking, that is, walking on varied terrains such as beaches, mountains, or a road, improves agility.

2. Cycling

Cycling is an exercise that requires an adult to use his/her larger muscles. They are the hamstrings and quadriceps.

Benefits

• This enhances blood flow and controls the heart rate and lungs as well.
• People willing to reduce their ground reaction forces can choose this exercise because it reduces muscle dysfunction or pain.

3. Dancing

It is an excellent form of cardio which involves moving your body along with the hips.

Benefits

• Dancing is a wonderful exercise that enhances heart rate, improves body balance, and strengthens several larger muscles in your body.
• This will automatically lift your spirits if you want to team up with a group.

Some body changes are inevitable as you grow old. These decrease muscle and bone mass which makes an elderly person inactive. That is why it is essential to follow regular exercise, which helps a person to be stronger in mind and body.

According to researchers, overweight elders who started doing strength training exercises had lower heart and metabolic diseases.

Here is a list of some excellent strength workouts for older people:

1. Bridge

To perform this exercise, one has to lie on their back with their knees bent and feet flat and steady on the mattress. Then, raise the hips and be steady for a few seconds at this highest motion. Repeat 10 times after lowering your hips.

Benefits

• This workout strengthens your gluteal muscles while you get up from a chair.
• Additionally, this enhances your bed mobility and walking and standing conditions.
• It strengthens the flexor muscles of your hip that weaken due to an inactive lifestyle.

2. Sit to Stand

Sit on a high seated chair so that you don't require your hands as support when you stand up. You can always keep a chair in front for safety. Continue to sit and stand repeatedly. Do this 10 times.

Benefits

• This workout will reduce your chances of getting imbalanced while getting up from the toilet seat.
• It strengthens your hip and leg muscles and allows you to be confident in the future while standing up or sitting down.

3. T-Rows

Begin by sitting upright in a chair, holding a resistance band in front at chest height. Stretch the band horizontally by stretching your arms to the right and left. This should touch the centre of your breastbone or sternum. Go back to the starting point and repeat the exercise 10-15 times.

Benefits

• This exercise will improve your upper back muscles and enhance the upright standing posture of the shoulder blades.
• In addition, this workout helps maintain the neutral spine posture during walking and standing and keeps body balance.

As health conditions decline due to ageing, he/she tends to fall frequently due to imbalance in the body. This often leads to fractures, bruises, and sometimes head injuries. These conditions affect not only your mind but also your body.

To keep our body balanced, multiple systems in our body work simultaneously. This includes our vision, touch systems, and ear, which sends our senses into our brain, which gets converted to motor output via our systems. When we age, all these systems might start working slower. But following a daily regime will always prevent the same.

Here are some workouts for seniors:

1. Single Leg Exercise With a Stool

Stand in front of your kitchen sink and hold on to the front. Place your one foot carefully on a lower stool. Try to find balance as you stand upright, letting your hands go off the sink. Slowly lift your foot up and down from the stool.

Benefits

• This will keep your body balanced and your posture upright. You will feel the difference while walking alone.
• This exercise will strengthen your leg muscles, so the chances of frequent falls will decline.

2. Lower Body Strength Workout

Lower body strength workout such as Roman deadlifts helps to strengthen your legs and hips. Start practising the sit-to-stand exercises, heel raises, and squats 10 times daily.

Benefits

• This will strengthen your hips, calves, and quads.
• Additionally, this exercise is beneficial as it improves the balance of older people since the lower body weakens faster, leading to frequent falls.

3. Tai Chi

Tai Chi for Health Institute suggests that this exercise is beneficial for elderly persons with arthritis. Since it doesn't involve any high-risk moves, it is safe for seniors to practice this daily.

Benefits

• Benefits of Tai Chi include improving stress and arthritis pain relief.
• Apart from improving body balance, this exercise enhances mood disorders which are very common symptoms in older adults.

Flexibility is a major necessity for seniors as it makes them independent and provides mobility. Often you will find elderly people feeling weak to stand up or sit straight. This is because of reduced flexibility. Exercises contributing to flexibility improvement include stretches that focus your hips, shoulders, and lower body parts.

Here is a list of a few such exercises -

1. Knee Stretching

Sit upright in a chair and keep one foot on a stool. Carefully lean forward as your hip hinges, and try to feel the stretch at the back of your knees. Hold this position for a few seconds until moving on to the other leg and following the same workout.

Benefits

• This exercise improves your ability to stretch your knees while walking and avoids gait.
• In addition, it improves your lower back pain by stretching the muscles attached to your pelvis.

2. Pec Stretch

Stand carefully in your doorway and hold your arm at your shoulder height. Then place your right arm on the wall next to your door. Try to stretch your chest by turning your torso away from the arm. Do it for a few seconds and repeat on the other side.

Benefits

• This exercise helps in blood circulation, reducing the chances of cardiovascular diseases.
• It also improves the flexibility of the chest muscles in your body.

3. Hip Flexor Stretch

In this exercise, you must lie on your bed with one leg hanging on one side of the bed. Hug your opposite thigh close to the chest. Try to stretch the front part of the hip and the thigh of the leg hanging. Hold on for a few seconds and repeat it on the other side.

Benefits

• This exercise will not only improve walking but enhance the energy levels that get consumed during walks.
• As older adults perform this exercise, it also decreases lower back pain and pain in the knees, groin, and hips.

There are several exercises older adults can start doing without the need to hit a gym. Begin by doing simple exercises that will not put your body under too much stress. Here are some 6–8 minute exercises for seniors -

• Wall push-ups
• Abdominal contractions
• Shoulder blade squeeze
• Pelvic tilts
• Toe taps
• Heel raises
• Knee lifts
• Shoulder/ Upper back stretch
• Rotation of ankles
• Neck stretch

Apart from doing these exercises, practising them according to a routine will provide better and faster results.

Researchers say that physical fitness ensures a healthy body at any age. Therefore, older people in a daily workout session enjoy much more perks of a healthy mind and body. Older people must remain active as much as possible, automatically decreasing the chances of stress. Here are some health benefits listed below:

• Exercise improves the balance of the body at an older age.
• Regular exercise for older adults reduces the chances of them getting dependent on others.
• More exercise means more energy and a more active body combating endorphins to reduce stress and promote healthy sleep.
• Regular exercises enhance the functionality of the brain.

So, now that you know how regular exercise is beneficial for older people, you should follow the above workouts daily. Suggest your elderly grandparents follow a daily routine of exercises that will nurture their mind, body, and soul.