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Men aged 70 years and above are generally weaker and less active. Nonetheless, they too have to exercise to stay fit and ward off the possibility of gaining excess weights. Thus, the exercises that are administered to them have to similarly be special and distinct from the others.
We prepare this article to address that issue conclusively. Here, we are going to highlight and examine a couple of closely related questions to the topic of discussion. At the tail end of it all, we do hope you will receive the inspiration you need to work your 70-year old well.
Best Exercise for a 70-year-old Man
Even though a 70-year old man may engage in many kinds of exercises, there are a few that truly suits him. That is because they are overall pretty effective and less harmful. On the basis of the preconditions we have stipulated above, below are some of the best exercises for those aged 70 years and above:
Swimming
Swimming is good as it is both therapeutic and relaxing in equal measure. Moreover, it does not require too much input of effort or resource base. Only be sure that the pool is shallow enough as elderly persons are easier to sink and harder to retrieve after a sink.
Yoga
Yoga is not really physically strenuous. That makes it a good one for an elderly person to attempt. For best results though, we emphasize that you enroll in a gym. Practicing out in the open may, in fact, predispose you to some risks of injuries.
Pilates
Pilates is a low-impact muscular strength and low-impact flexibility set of exercising. It also entails some endurance movements. The exercise works the core and also balances the muscles. It is mainly used to streamline the body movements while allowing for the smooth flow of blood in the whole body.
Bodyweight Training
As its name implies, this is a form of exercising that impacts the whole body. In particular, it works on the muscles of the body to tone and strengthen the same. Though suited also for elderly persons, it ought to be handled carefully to prevent bone fractures.
Resistance Band Workouts
These are forms of exercising that entail the use of the weight or resistance bands. This is a form of exercise that is applicable also while on the go. It works the muscles of the body. It is for all practical purposes intended mainly for the hands and the bowel regions.
Walking
Walking is cheap, convenient, and hassle-free to keep fit. Moreover, it requires almost no material investment on your part. This is something that is best done in the evenings or very early in the morning. It is also best done in the company of others around you.
Cycling
Some old men are also strong and agile enough to cycle their bikes. For them, we also recommend cycling as a way of staying fit. The bikes chosen for the job have to be firm, stable, and devoid of any complicated parts and components. Also, the trails where the bikes are used should also be clear.
Strength and Aerobic Classes
In case there are sufficient funds, the strength and aerobic classes are also viable alternatives. These are intense workouts that are almost exclusively carried out in the gyms. Be sure to gauge the strength of the elderly person first and foremost before enrolling him in those classes.
Can a 70-year-old Man Build Muscle?
YES, they can! Studies upon studies have deduced that the elderly persons can also build up their muscles like the smaller and younger persons. This they do principally by lifting weights or pressing the elliptical training pieces of equipment. There is a but, however. Such people have fragile bones.
For this reason, they should not engage in intense pieces of training and workouts that have the tendency to breaking their bones apart. That also calls for some moderation in the process of working out. Injuries and medical issues are completely uncalled for at such times. They may cost too much to remedy.
How Many Pushups Should a 70-year-old Man Do?
Many fitness experts place the number of pushups that a 70-year old man ought to do at 6-9. Any more than this one will usually tend to wear out the man altogether. At the same time, the man should also take rests in between to help the muscles to rejuvenate and avoid burnout.
How Many Steps Should a 70-year-old Walk a Day?
7,000-10,000 steps/day it is! These steps should mainly happen on a flat terrain rather than the steep staircases. The purpose of this is to prevent fatigue and the likelihood of posing some damages to the feet and the bones thereof. Also, it is necessary that the steps be calculated to avoid any undue injuries.
How Can a 70-year-old Lose Weight?
Unlike an ordinary youthful or agile person, a 70-year-old has to exercise some caution as he goes about this issue. That is due to the bones that are more fragile than that of a generally youthful person. There are many avenues that a 70-year old man can use to lose weight. Below are some of them:
Frequent Walks
Frequent walks are the cheapest and most convenient means of cutting off excess weight. While walking, the temperature of the body increases. This increase in temperature melts the fat and thus contributes to the shedding off of excess weights. The only precondition here is that the walks have to be truly frequent.
Regular Exercising
Other than frequent walks, you should also consider exercising on a regular basis. By exercising regularly, you get to increase your metabolism, and with it the pace of the breakdown of the fats and sugars. These two are the prime causes of the menace of overweight.
Portion Controls
How much food you eat as a 70-year old also makes a huge difference. As a general rule, you should refrain from eating too much. This should especially be the case if you are already obese or are naturally inclined to the risks of overweight. Follow some strict guidelines to that effect as a way forward.
Proper Eating
The exact foods you eat also count. Generally, you should only eat a balanced diet that is low in calories, rich in fiber, and devoid of any sugars. Common examples are fruits, vegetables, whole grains, water, and milk. Be sure also to incorporate a variety of them to furnish your body with sufficient nutrients.
Less Alcohol
You can never hope to cut excess weights without getting alcohol off of your menu. In the place of alcohol, put some succulent fruits and fresh fruits. These have the tendency also to hydrate your skin and maintain you in a proper state of good health.
How Often Should Seniors Do Strength Training?
Generally speaking, seniors are advised to go for strength training no less than two times a week. This, of course, depends mainly on the existence or lack of the existence of any underlying health conditions. If there are some health issues such as obesity or muscle wasting, this frequency may increase by even once daily.
For best results though, the seniors ought to draft a timetable that acts as a guide to the exercising. The timetable has to spell out the time, the dates, and the duration of each form of exercising. This, of course, goes a long way in streamlining the implementations of those exercises overall.
If in doubt, you should seek the advice and the guidance of a trained fitness expert. Let the professional guide you along the way in your quest for proper fitness. If possible, such strength training has to happen in a gym or in other areas that have every piece of equipment.
What Exercises Should Seniors Avoid?
Though exercising is great for the seniors, there are some that are simply no-go-zones for elderly people. We highlight and explain a couple of them here below for your own perusal and recommendation:
Deadlifts
Deadlifts are powerlifting exercises that work the torso and the hips. They entail lifting some weights from off the floor. They are not only dangerous but also tend to put too much strain on the otherwise weak bones of the seniors. Seniors would rather not even think of them hence.
Long Runs
Long runs as their names imply entail running longer distances at a time. This form of exercise is rather tiring and also able to inflict some damages on the bones of the body. Considering that seniors have weaker bones, they would rather not attempt these exercises at all.
Leg Presses
Leg Presses are weight-training exercises that entail people pushing weights or resistance items using their legs. The exercise is quite strenuous not to mention potentially damaging to the bones. As such, a senior person is more likely to sustain some injuries in the course of working out the same.
Crunches
This is one of the most popular exercises for the abdomen. The exercise greatly involves the abs given that it works the rectus abdominis muscles considerably. Elderly persons are weaker and their strengths also fade considerably. This makes them less suited for this kind of exercise.
Stair Climbs
Climbing stairs, while great, is not recommended for the seniors. Not only are they exhausting but also do they put a strain on the joints of the knees. For this reason, they are not recommended for elderly persons. Such people are highly prone to injuries and other forms of bone dislocations.
Squats
Squats are strength exercising which entail lowering the hips from a mostly standing position. This is followed by standing back up in quick successions. It is not only strenuous but also yet again inflicts excess pains on the bones of the persons concerned. That makes it highly unsuitable for elderly persons as they are weaker.
How Many Days a Week Should Seniors Exercise?
Ideally, the seniors ought to exercise at least each day. This is because of the need to ward off the buildup of the factors that are primarily responsible for the weight gain and unfitness, to begin with. Other than once a day, there is also a bare minimum number of hours that they have to exercise each day.
On the whole, a senior is supposed to exercise no less than two and a half hours per day. Such kind of arrangement sees to it that their bodies experience a smoother flow of blood and other agents of life that make it worthwhile.
One sure way of facilitating such practices should be to draft and adhere strictly to a timetable to that effect. The timetable should capture and clearly display the kinds of exercises to be taken when. That, of course, will go a long way in guiding the seniors in implementing the exercising goals hassle-free.
In wrapping up, it is imperative that the seniors too, do exercise. They, like any other age group, are susceptible to a host of health issues that can be safely mitigated when they carry out regular fitness. However, they ought to exercise some caution as they go about this issue.
They should refrain from exercises that are too strenuous for the sake of their own health and overall safety. The ones we have listed above are the main culprits. Use them also as the benchmarks for gauging the suitability of other closely-related forms of exercises.
As much as possible, they should manly exercise under the strict supervision of fitness experts. Their delicate nature does not really permit them to do things on their own. The worst that can happen at such times is to sustain irreversible injuries and fractures on the body.
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