4 Best Exercises for Older Adults Improve strength, balance, flexibility and endurance

For older adults and seniors who want to stay healthy and independent, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) recommend four types of exercises:

• Strength exercises build older adult muscles and increase your metabolism, which helps to keep your weight and blood sugar in check.
• Balance exercises build leg muscles, and this helps to prevent falls. According to the NIH, U.S. hospitals have 300,000 admissions for broken hips each year, many of them seniors, and falling is often the cause of those fractures. If you are an older adult, balance exercises will help you avoid problems ar you get older. And if you are a senior, balance exercises can help you stay independent by helping you avoid the disabilities that could result from falling.
• Stretching exercises can give you more freedom of movement, which will allow you to be more active during your senior years. Stretching exercises alone will not improve your endurance or strength.
• Endurance exercises are any activity—walking, jogging, swimming, biking, even raking leaves—that increases your heart rate and breathing for an extended period of time. Build up your endurance gradually, starting with as little as 5 minutes of endurance activities at a time.

To get started, here are some basic exercises especially for older adults:
Strength Exercises for Older Adults
Lower Body & Balance Exercises for Older Adults
Endurance & Cardio Exercises for Older Adults
Stretching Exercises for Older Adults

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Basic Exercise Series

• Strength Exercises: Build Muscle, Increase Metabolism
• Lower Body Exercises: Improve Strength and Balance
• Endurance and Cardio Exercises for a Healthy Heart

Benefits of Exercise for Older Adults

• Aging Gracefully: Benefits of Senior Exercise
• Tips for Safe Senior Exercise
• Physical Activity Improves Life Expectancy and Heart Health

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