Staying in shape can be difficult especially during the summer months if you enjoy outdoor workouts and activities. If you didn’t already know, seniors that are 65 and older technically should be getting to 2.5 hours of moderately based aerobic exercise every week. This could be anything from walking, swimming, or light jogging. If you do more than a light jog or any type of cardio you would need about 1 hour and 15 minutes to satisfy that standard of wellness.
Strength training can and should easily be on your weekly agenda. You should be doing at least two days of strength training out of a regular week. If you do any form of strength training consistently you can help to prevent bone loss and this even allows you to build new bones.
Doing these forms of exercise such as weight training can help to prevent and alleviate osteoporosis as well. This goes for tons of other health-related issues. There are other steps that you can take to prevent the progression of osteoporosis such as eating foods that are high in calcium and taking in an appropriate amount of vitamin D while staying on top of your other vitamin intakes.
Since we know a few things that you should be doing to take care of yourself fitness-wise let’s make sure that we address the importance of your overall health while performing fitness activities during the summer months and let’s lay a few great exercises that are summer-friendly right out on the table.
The Importance of Summer Safety When Being Active
There are a few common concerns that the senior population may have in mind when it comes to safety. Falls, dehydration, and taking care of underlying conditions could be just a few of those things but think about how much more observant you have to be when doing physical activity during the summertime.
Let’s just make it known that as we age we become more vulnerable to the sun and heat-related injuries. Oftentimes seniors will not feel or react to certain high temperatures like someone who may be younger would and this is where the danger is presented because more often than not you may be unaware of risks that you may be exposing your body to.
Losing some of the natural ability to regulate our internal body temperatures as we grow older just means that we have to be aware and take proper preventative measures and this is exactly why summer safety when being active is not only important but essential.
Of course, you can still go outside to take those morning bike rides or enjoy a swim without it being a problem. Keep reading below for a few tips for how you can continue to do the activities that you love without heat injuries being a factor.
Tips For Working Out In The Heat
When we are exposed to hot temperatures our internal body temperature increases but remember that as we grow older we are losing our body’s natural ability to regulate certain temperatures. So, regardless of our bodies having a natural built-in cooling system, there are additional measures that must be taken to protect ourselves from heatstroke, heat exhaustion, dehydration, and heat-induced headaches.
- Get your body acclimated to the climate that you live in
- Always wear sunscreen
- Drink plenty of the appropriate fluids to prevent dehydration
- Plan your workouts around the forecast
- Dress appropriately and wear light clothing
- Know your limits and break your workouts into more than one session if needed
- Always take your workout indoors if it’s too hot outside
Keep these simple tips in mind and you’re on the right track to staying fit and staying safe.
Summer Friendly Activities You Might Find Interesting
Yes the sun truly does come out when it’s summer and the beach does call your name but with summer comes high heat and this may put a damper on some of your summer activity plans but check out a few of these summer-friendly activities that are not only engaging but can increase your fitness level and keep your overall wellness intact.
- Yoga; not only is yoga an amazing activity to do at the big or end of a dead getting but you can easily do yoga at home, outside, or in a studio
- Water aerobics; this can be done in an outdoor or indoor body of water
- Playing with the grandkids; you’d be surprised how much of an exercise this can be
- Do a Walk-A-Thon; not only is this engaging but this can be done in person or virtually and anywhere often as well
- Dancing; you might find a new love in Line Dancing and Pilates
With summer comes high temperature but it can also come with high levels of fun. Keep summer safety in mind and just adjust your schedule around the forecast and you will still be able to do the things that you love without missing a second of that summer beat.
