Four Tips to Make it Easier for Your Senior to Start Exercising

If your elderly family member is telling you that it’s finally time for her to get moving again, you might be excited to head out to the track or the gym right away. But hold on. There’s more for you to think about.

Make Sure Her Doctor Is on Board

Senior Care Salisbury, NC: Four Tips to Make it Easier for Your Senior to Start Exercising

No matter how long you’ve been trying to convince your senior to start exercising, her doctor needs to make sure she’s able to do so now. Find out what kinds of exercise are right for her and determine the safety markers you need to observe. This is going to help you and your senior to put the right plan together.

Redefine Exercise

What does exercise mean to your senior? It’s possible that she’s been avoiding this idea for so long because her idea of exercise means pain and suffering. That doesn’t have to be the case. If she is open to the idea, exercise that involves a heavy dose of play or that has a purpose might be the right idea. Working in the garden is a definite workout, but it also has a purpose, especially if she’s growing healthy fruits and vegetables.

Make it Fun

If your senior isn’t interested or enjoying herself, this isn’t going to work. That’s true for most people, but it can be especially important for your senior. In order for her to invest the time and energy into this that she needs to invest, this needs to be enjoyable. Take the time to find activities that she’s likely to have fun with and that she’s likely to enjoy.

Set Some Targets

Targets and goals give your senior something to reach for. They also help her to notice when she’s gotten where she set out to go. You need to be able to help her to plan out goals that are achievable and that are still going to offer her a bit of a challenge. Keep those targets as realistic as you can, too. If what she’s aiming for is not something she’s going to ever reach, she’s going to feel dejected rather than empowered.

If your elderly family member is finally ready to exercise, you might want to help her to keep that a priority. Hiring senior care providers allows her to shift some of the tasks she handles to someone else so that she can have the time and the energy she needs to get that workout in. She might even find that having help encourages her independence rather than hinders it.

If you or an aging loved one are considering Senior Care in Salisbury, NC, contact the caring professionals at TenderHearted Home Care today. Call us at (704) 207-0265.