The benefits of an active lifestyle for all age groups are widely publicized, but some people are unsure how to get started with exercise. However, it's never too late to improve your fitness, even if you've always led a relatively sedentary lifestyle. Below, you can find out why physical activity matters for seniors and how to stay active in an assisted living community.

Why Is Physical Activity Important for Seniors?

According to the CDC, physical activity provides a range of health and well-being benefits for seniors, and even gentle activity can help improve your overall health. Regular exercise could help:

• Maintain musculoskeletal health and reduce joint pain and swelling
• Reduce high blood pressure
• Reduce the risk of falls and support increased independence
• Lessen the risk of certain cancers and cardiovascular disease
• Improve muscle strength
• Manage the symptoms of various chronic health problems
• Improve emotional well-being and reduce the symptoms of mental health problems such as anxiety and depression

So, how can seniors reap the rewards of exercise in an assisted living community? Below, you can find three simple ideas for enjoying an active lifestyle as an older adult. Remember to consult your health care provider before embarking on a new exercise routine.

1. Explore On-Site Activities

Many assisted living communities recognize the importance of physical activity for promoting mental and physical well-being in later life. Therefore, they often provide a range of fitness-related activities designed to meet the needs of seniors to help them remain active and enjoy improved strength and cardiovascular health.

Taking part in group activities is also an excellent way to form friendships and remain socially active in an assisted living community. Therefore, it's worth finding out what activities are available and trying out a few options to find the most enjoyable and effective activity for you.

The Bethesda Gardens Thornton assisted living community supports its members to enjoy vibrant and active lifestyles with a range of enjoyable activities, and seniors can also take advantage of the on-site fitness suite. Community members with specific health needs can access specialized support, including personalized exercise programs formulated with their health status and goals in mind.

2. Embrace Walking

You don't need to sweat it out at the gym to enjoy the benefits of increased exercise in your senior years. Walking is a free and enjoyable activity that's gentle on the joints and provides a decent cardiovascular workout. It can also help improve muscle strength and offers several benefits specific to seniors.

According to the Lifestyle Interventions and Independence for Elders (LIFE) trial, daily walking reduces the likelihood of developing a disability by around 28% in adults between the ages of 70 and 89. Most of the study participants were relatively frail, supporting the idea that it's never too late to benefit from increased physical activity. Harvard Health says that starting with just 10 minutes of walking a day and gradually aiming for around 150 minutes per week could benefit people of all ages and help seniors maintain greater independence for longer.

At the Bethesda Gardens Thornton assisted living community, members have access to beautiful, landscaped gardens right on their doorstep to take their daily walk close to home. However, there are plenty of other places to enjoy a walk and stunning scenery in Thornton and the surrounding area. The Community Park is ideal for an active day out with the family because it boasts beautiful walking paths alongside swimming facilities, sports courts and a children's playground.

3. Exercise in Your Assisted Living Apartment

Although exercising alongside others is an excellent way to socialize, some days you may prefer to stay indoors in the comfort of your assisted living apartment. If the weather is bad and you can't get outside for a walk, there are still plenty of ways to get some exercise in your own sitting room.

Various websites offer free low-impact home workouts and high-quality fitness advice geared to the needs of seniors. HASfit is an incredible resource created by Coach Kozak. In his videos and articles, Joshua Kozak provides users with motivation and uses his years of experience as a personal trainer to adapt workouts for different conditions and skill levels. The site offers a range of free video workouts designed for seniors and people with limited mobility, including seated workouts and exercises designed to tackle common health problems like sciatica.

Workout Launchpad by LiveExercise is another online exercise class that could help seniors work out in their assisted living suites. The program is designed for people with obesity and limited mobility, but its range of low-impact and seated workouts makes it an ideal option for seniors looking to improve their fitness. Each workout uses equipment you probably already have lying around your home, including chairs, pillows and even soup cans. You can stream many Workout Launchpad videos for free on YouTube, but the company also provides unlimited downloads for an affordable monthly fee through its website.