Your body might not respond the way it used to, but that doesn't mean you should give up on physical activity and exercise. Practicing strengthening exercises on a regular basis can improve your ability to maintain independence as you get older. Strength training provides a number of additional benefits that can improve feelings of well-being and enhance your overall quality of life.
Practicing strengthening techniques may provide multiple benefits for your physical and mental well-being and your overall health. Strength training reduces age-related muscle loss and builds muscle tissue. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, strength training can alleviate or reduce symptoms related to common physical and mental conditions in the elderly, including arthritis, diabetes, osteoporosis, obesity and depression. Increasing your strength can help you perform your regular activities with greater ease, promoting feelings of independence and improving mobility.
You can use a variety of strengthening techniques to improve muscle strength and mass. Lifting weights, gardening, performing strengthening and resistance exercises on weight-training machines, practicing yoga, Tai Chi, Pilates and exercises using resistance tubes and exercise bands can all increase muscle strength. Focusing on all of your major muscle groups is important for improving your overall strength. According to FamilyDoctor.org, a website run by the American Academy of Family Physicians, some examples of specific strengthening exercises you can practice at home include wall pushups, chair squats, biceps curls and shoulder shrugs.
Many clinical studies have proven the benefits of strengthening techniques for the elderly. A comprehensive clinical review published in 2009 in the "Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews" found that progressive resistance strength training -- a type of strength training that uses free weights, exercise machines or elastic bands to strengthen muscles -- helps improve muscle strength and physical functioning in the elderly. A study published in the September 2009 issue of the journal "Clinical Biomechanics" found that lower-limb strength training may help reduce the incidence of falls in aging adults by improving gait patterns.
Consult your doctor before you begin practicing strengthening techniques, especially if you have a condition that may affect your ability to safely perform certain exercises. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the elderly should perform strengthening exercises that focus on all of the major muscle groups at least two days a week. If you experience increased pain or other troublesome symptoms when performing strengthening techniques, stop exercising and seek medical attention if necessary.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Physical Activity: Why Strength Training?
- FamilyDoctor.org: Exercise and Seniors
- Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews: Progressive Resistance Strength Training for Improving Physical Functioning in Older Adults
- Clinical Biomechanics: Strength Training Improves Fall-Related Gait Kinematics in the Elderly: A Randomized Controlled Trial
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Physical Activity: How Much Physical Activity Do Older Adults Need?
- Ryan McVay/Digital Vision/Getty Images