Why Is Fitness Important As You Get Older?

Fitness, we all know that this is important for keeping us healthy throughout our lives. But, it is common that as we get older we begin to lose energy and motivation and see keeping fit as more of a chore and sometimes something that we can be afraid of doing for fear of the risk of injury. Meaning as we get older we do not focus on our fitness as we have lost our motivation to keep fit.

Today, we are going to discuss with you some of the main reasons why fitness is still important as you get older. Why you should still be partaking in daily exercise even and especially when your energy levels do decrease.

So, why is it still important to keep fit when we get older?

As we get older, it is common for us to spend more time sitting around, especially after retirement age. With older people having more free time on their hands to relax after a busy working life. But spending your time relaxing can be doing more damage than it’s worth. Long periods of sitting down can cause stiff, achy joints and circulation issues and even lead to increased risk of blood clots. Keeping yourself moving will help to reduce this risk.

Completing simple daily exercise will also help to improve your energy levels, increase your strength, stamina, and flexibility. This will help you to continue to stay mobile and independent as you move into old age and allow you to continue much-loved activities such as playing with grandchildren, going for walks with family, etc.

With old age, also comes the unfortunate addition of more aches and pains. It is not commonly known, but daily exercise and keeping fit can help to ease these simple aches and pains. With you building up your muscle strength again, you will notice these pains disappear as your muscles will support your joints. Also, increased strength is also linked to an increase in your bone density, which can reduce the risk of fractures if you have a fall.

Finally, we need to discuss heart disease. We all know that not exercising and poor dietary choices can cause you to become obese, which can give you a higher risk for heart disease and other serious illnesses. If you keep yourself fit however through daily exercise, your risk for heart disease and other health issues such as diabetes and even some cancers decreases.

What can you do to keep fit?

Starting the journey to keep fit at an older age can be a daunting process. With the worries of hurting yourself when you begin exercising. But, you do not need to worry, exercising does not need to be dangerous to you. There are many simple gentle, low-impact exercise activities such as gentle exercise which you can take part in which will help to increase your overall fitness.

One of the more commonly used activities to keep older people fit is walking. Going on long, brisk walks every day will help to promote heart health and also give a fantastic boost to your mental well-being.

Another leisure activity that you can take part in to keep yourself fit is gardening. This is not commonly known, but gardening is a great form of exercise for anyone of any age. With it again helping to increase your heart rate and muscle strength. Also, fresh air is fantastic for the soul-science has proven that outdoor activity will provide a serious dose of endorphins-our happy hormones!

To summarise, anything that gets you moving and you enjoy doing is a perfect form of exercise for you. Then if you can exercise on a regular basis this will help you to become fitter and keep you active and healthier for longer!