Exercise for Overweight Seniors 60 Years and Above with Pictures

Overweight seniors are men and women who are above 60 years of age and have a BMI (Body mass index) of 25 kg/m² or more. With age the ability to exercise reduces.

This initiates the cycle of more weight gain and immobility resulting in an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Exercises for overweight seniors are planned in such a way as to break this vicious cycle of immobility and weight gain.

With age, a reduced capacity to exercise results in more weight gain and immobility

Currently, a leading cause of deaths and diseases around the world is excessive weight gain. Weight gain brings with it a group of associated disorders, ranging from hypertension to hypercholesterolemia.

A variety of factors can be labeled as the cause of weight gain or obesity. Such factors may include genetics or environmental behavior coupled with physical inactivity.

Despite age, gaining unnecessary pounds is never encouraged. Some people are overweight since childhood and if the reason for that is genetics, then it will surely stick with them till old age.

Whatever the reason for weight gain is, it still can be dealt with. A great way to handle weight gain is an exercise in combination with a healthy lifestyle.

Maintain normal weight with exercise and healthy lifestyle

In old age, your body is not usually as healthy and efficient as it once was. Your body’s movements get restricted because of weak bones or a weaker immune system that is not capable of combatting infections effectively.

For this reason, weight gain will not be very favorable for your health Physical fitness is a great way to ensure a longer and healthier life and this can be achieved by exercising.

Taking into consideration that heavy exercises and diets will not be feasible for senior citizens, here we have a list of exercises which they can perform comfortably.

Walking is the simplest exercise for overweight seniors

The easiest exercise which can be done by people of any group, especially seniors, is none other than walking. This has countless benefits and can be done at any time.

An advantage of walking is that it does not require any sort of equipment or support. All you have to do is go on a stroll. You can even bring your friends with you and chit-chat your way to fitness while walking.

Make sure you keep a water bottle with you so that you do not become a victim of dehydration as you go. Practically, 15 to 20 minutes of walking is recommended for seniors.

Walk daily for a minimum of 15 – 20 minutes

In case you do not have any issues with your joints or muscles, you can even walk for a longer time but at regular intervals.

Jogging:

Can be termed as a modification of walking, jogging is sort of running at a slower and steadier pace. It is an exercise that puts less stress on the body as compared to full-on running.

Initially go with a slow pace and work your way towards a faster pace as your strength builds up. It is recommended against starting with a faster pace. Stay relaxed while jogging and keep your posture straight.

Push-ups: Don’t Skip this one

Before you cross this one out of your list, you should know that pushups cannot solely be done on the ground. You can modify your pushups in various ways.

A certain way to modify pushups is by putting your hands against a wall and pushing. This way less strength is engaged but it is still beneficial for your body as it lowers the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Another way of performing modified pushups is putting your hands on the floor but with your knees bent.

Riding a bike:

It is an excellent form of exercise for overweight seniors. This helps with strengthening your leg and hip muscles.

While riding a bike make sure your bike’s seat is comfortable to sit on and it is sturdy. Keep your balance strong.

This is a very efficient sort of cardio. Biking for 30 minutes is beneficial for burning off extra calories.

Workout with Resistance bands

As the name suggests resistance bands provide resistance force which leads to a loss of calories when included in an exercise. There are several forms of workouts using a resistance band.

Take a resistance band and fix it under your right foot. Take both ends of it in each of your hands. With your elbows bent, pull it upwards and then downwards.

Perform it for 5 to 10 minutes under each foot.

Keep the band under your foot and grab each end of it in each hand. Keep your arms straight and do not bend your elbow. And pull the band behind you and then upwards.

Stand with your legs wide open. Wrap a resistance band around your legs. Squat down a little bit. With one leg, step in towards the other leg and then step out. Repeat this step 6-8 times.

Glute bridges exercise for overweight seniors:

This one has to be the most effective way to strengthen your glutes and also reduce knee and back pain. This helps with weight loss and strengthening your core muscles.

For being easy to perform, it is a special one on this list. You have to lie down on your back, either on a workout mat or carpet.

Keep your knees bent and lift your hips. Slowly bring your hips down. Repeat this step 5-7 times.

Leg lifts and bicycle

To lose fat on your legs and also build up your leg muscles which help with enhancing stability, this routine is very beneficial.

Lay down on your back. Without bending your knees, lift your legs as high as possible for you. Then bring them down slowly. Make sure your legs do not touch the floor when you bring them down.

For bicycle exercise, you do not need to be actually on a bicycle, even though riding a bike is phenomenal for weight loss.

For this exercise, you need to get down on the floor and with your knees bent, raise your legs so that your calves and the floor are parallel to each other.

Then bring your right knee towards your chest while extending your left leg entirely. It will look as if you are pedaling a bicycle. Repeat this exactly for your left knee as well while extending your right leg.

Weight Lifts exercise for overweight seniors:

Even though it sounds difficult, this exercise can be easy to perform with some modifications. Such modifications include using a lighter set of weights instead of heavier ones.

In old age, our muscles are not strong enough to support heavy dumbbells. Therefore, it is only practical to use lighter weights.

It is a simplified exercise. All you are required to do is pick up some weights that suit your strength.

Stand tall and lift the weights with your elbows bent and bring them close to your shoulders. Repeat it about 10 times every day.