Healthy Aging: 6 Best Exercise Equipment for Seniors

Seniors are at a much greater risk for developing chronic conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, and back problems. These issues can lead to inactivity due to the fear of pain. However, this is not an excuse to stop exercising. Engaging in physical activity proves to promote healthy aging by improving mood and cognitive function. There is no need for seniors to go to the gym to stay fit. There is exercise equipment they can have at home to help them stay engaged and active.

Exercise equipment is essential in helping improve your overall health. It reduces the risk of falling, which is common in seniors. Being concerned about your elderly loved ones means providing them the tools to help them stay active and healthy. Exercise equipment for seniors is affordable and can be bought for your elderly loved one’s homes to help them stay healthy.

Why do Seniors Need Exercise?

It is not easy for seniors to remain active and fit with the concerns of falling. However, exercise equipment can help your loved ones in staying active and improve their quality of life. The following are the benefits of exercise for the elderly:

• Exercise Improves Mood – Exercise is a natural anxiety reliever, which helps improve your mood. It releases feel-good chemicals in the body, such as endorphins and serotonin, which help reduce stress and boost your mood. Exercise can help seniors sleep better at night. A lack of sleep causes a decrease in energy level, concentration, and memory. A good night’s sleep can give your loved one the energy to start the day off right.
• Exercise Improves Brain Function – It is a common misconception that just because you age, your brain cells start to decrease and die off. However, it is not true, and you do not need to lose hope. Exercise can boost brain function and improve memory in seniors. When you exercise, the blood flows more efficiently in your body and improves the oxygen supply to your brain. It makes it easy for your loved one to recall memories and learn new information.
• Exercise Improves Bone Density – Bone density refers to how strong the bone is. It reduces the chance of osteoporosis, which is a disease that causes bones to become brittle and weak. Exercising can increase bone density with the help of exercise equipment. Seniors who exercise regularly have better bone density when compared to those who don’t.

6 Best Exercise Equipment for Seniors

We at Serenity Senior Care emphasize the needs of our seniors and understand the importance of keeping them active and healthy. We encourage you to provide your loved ones with medical equipment like exercise equipment to help them engage in physical activity at home. Below are our top 7 exercise equipment picks for elderly individuals.

1. Elliptical

Elliptical training is ideal for seniors who want to stay fit and healthy. It is more efficient than climbing the stairs or using the stairs to get their heart pumping. It can be exhausting for seniors to get out of bed and walk across the room, so they need the right equipment that will make it easier on them without causing harm.

An elliptical machine is exercise equipment for seniors that uses a series of pedals to provide resistance and power to the arms and legs. They are well designed so the person exercising does not have to exert all their effort. 

You can adjust these machines in size and weight, so it is comfortable for everyone.

The benefits of Elliptical machine in seniors include:

• The elliptical machine can help strengthen their muscles as they work out. With minimal effort, they can burn a lot of calories and shed some pounds.
• The elliptical not only helps improve cardiovascular health but also helps with blood circulation. It helps increase resistance and circulation as well as oxygen intake. In other words, it helps improve overall health.
• The elliptical machine uses a series of pedals to provide resistance and power to the arms and legs. It can help improve overall core strength, which is essential for seniors to stay fit and healthy. It also engages your muscles at once, helping you burn many calories quickly without exerting a lot of effort.

2. Lat Pull Down Machine

One common complaint of seniors as they age is about backaches, unaligned backs, and rounded postures. It is because of weakened muscles and decreased back strength. It is essential to pay special attention to this area in seniors to keep them healthy and functional.

The Lat pull-down machine is a hydraulic device that uses a series of cables and pulleys to pull down below the neck while keeping the shoulders in place. It allows seniors to work out their back muscles while keeping the shoulder-held stable by using straps. It’s excellent equipment that helps older adults’ backs stay strong and pain-free.

3. Yoga Mat

For seniors who want to take a break from their daily routine and engage in some serious movement, it is always nice to find exercises that do not require a lot of equipment. A yoga mat is just the right choice for them.

A yoga mat is a piece of equipment commonly used in Yoga and has become popular among seniors. It has a rubber base to help secure it to the floor and give the person exercising some space. It helps keep them from falling over as they exercise on it.

Encourage your senior loved one to perform Yoga. It allows seniors to relax and limber up their muscles while building strength and flexibility at the same time. The best part about Yoga is that it is available almost everywhere, and all you need is a yoga mat and a spot to do it.

Some known benefits of Yoga to Seniors include:

• Yoga helps seniors to stay healthy and maintain a healthy lifestyle. The gentle stretching of the body combined with the inhaling and exhaling effect of deep breathing stimulates blood flow, helping to improve circulation in the body.
• Yoga also helps seniors maintain good posture because it keeps the mind calmer instead of worrying about falling or hurting themselves when they exercise. It helps them avoid injuries while exercising every day.
• Yoga helps seniors relax, eliminate stress, and overcome depression. It is especially helpful among the elderly, who usually feel lonely and isolated from their family.

4. Stability Ball

Stability Ball is another exercise equipment for seniors that is gaining popularity. It helps improve the core strength of your body which is essential to maintain balance. Balance is fundamental in every physical activity, and if your loved one lacks it, they are at risk of falling. A stability ball has a large inflatable ball to help strengthen core muscles by engaging the lower back and abdominals.

Seniors can use this equipment in sitting with their legs crossed to strengthen the abs and lower back or lie down with their legs to get a full workout.

Other known benefits of using a stability ball in seniors are:

•  Using this equipment can help improve balance which can slow down the effects of aging like loss of reflexes and coordination. It can give them more freedom to move around without worries about falling.
• Lying down while using this equipment helps increase blood circulation, essential for overall health.
• The stability ball improves respiratory endurance, which is very important in seniors who get tired easily.

5. Wrist Weights

Although the lack of muscles in the arms does not make them weak, it can make them susceptible to injury. Therefore, keeping strong hands is essential for older adults’ overall health.

Seniors can use wrist weights to strengthen their wrists and forearms by doing exercises that strengthen their arms. They can also use these weights to do bicep curls, which helps them improve their arms’ flexibility. They can attach these weights either to their wrists or hold them in their hands if they prefer to.

Wrist weights are excellent equipment for seniors.

• Wrist weights help seniors to improve their hand strength.
• They are small and light, which makes it easy to move around. They are small enough for seniors to roll up their sleeves or put them on top of their T-shirts when at home.
• Using wrist weights is easy for seniors who are not used to weights on their arms because they can be attached either to the waist or hands or sit on top of the hands until they get the hang of it.

6. Recumbent Exercise Bike

The Recumbent Exercise Bike is another popular exercise equipment for seniors that can help them get the same benefits from using the other machines and their regular daily activities.

A recumbent exercise bike is characterized by a chair design that makes them non-strenuous on the body. Older adults can get on and off exercise bikes and customize the speed. This bike is known for its safety, so the risk of injury is minimal, and it’s excellent for seniors who suffer from different joint problems. Some known benefits of using a recumbent exercise bike are generally low impact compared to other exercise equipment. And your loved one can use recumbent exercise bikes in doing exercises that target different body parts, such as arms, thighs, buttocks, and abdomen.

Seniors should do exercise for at least 30 minutes 5 times a week to maintain good health. When choosing the right equipment, it is important to assess their capabilities and choose suitable equipment to avoid injuries while getting maximum exercise benefits.

Conclusion

These are the six most popular exercise equipment for seniors. Each one has its benefits to help improve the overall health of older adults. It is important that they do not overdo it but gradually build up their endurance and strength while exercising to prevent injuries and further complications. It is ideal for you to exercise with them once in a while to monitor their health. But if you are busy with work but still want to extend your concern to them. Then you may consider hiring companion support for your loved one. Serenity Senior Care is a leading home health care agency for seniors and older adults that offer a wide range of services, including companion support. 

At Serenity Senior Care, we encourage seniors to practice good health habits by exercising regularly. Serenity Senior Care offers companionship support that is non-medical, non-nursing, and non-custodial at affordable rates. Our companions are trained to help seniors maintain their independence without compromising their safety. 

Also, for your convenience, you can email us at info@serenity-senior-care.com or call us at 973-338-0124 to schedule a free in-home consultation or for more information on our services.