28 Jun Make Your Retirement a Healthy, Active Retirement – We Tell You How…
These days, many people aren’t content to plan for simple retirement – but rather plan for an active retirement. After decades of working hard and diligent saving and planning, seniors want to enjoy their retirement by keeping busy with hobbies, recreational activities, fitness regimens, playing with grandchildren, and more. That’s why it’s important to plan on safe-guarding your health and wellness and focus on injury prevention now in the years that lead up to your retirement. We give you some pointers so your retirement years can be the best years of your life!
Stay Active
Ever heard the phrase “we don’t stop our favorite activity because we get old, we get old because we stop our favorite activity”? In a way, it’s true. It’s too easy to let the daily grind wear you down and end up logging more hours in front of the television than being up and active. By the time you hit retirement age, you may have a tough road in front of you to get back to fighting shape! Even if you’re out of shape now, it isn’t impossible. Aim for something do-able, even if it’s a modest daily walk. Get up and get moving, for at least 30 minutes several times a week. For extra motivation, find a partner so you can hold each other accountable.
Stay Strong
From middle-age and beyond, bone density begins to break down. Adding some weight-bearing exercise to your fitness routine will help keep your bones strong and less prone to breakage. You don’t have to try and bench press a car to see results – you can start small with some light weights. Some people even substitute soup cans! If you’re intimidated by free weights, try a personal training session at your local gym or YMCA and check out the weight machines instead.
Stay Flexible
Age is one tough character! Sure enough, flexibility is yet another thing to go as we add candles to the birthday cake every year. Yet maintaining flexibility is important when it comes to helping reduce the risk of injury and preserving overall fitness. If you’re already pretty limber, good news – you can try some gentle daily stretching as well as taking classes like Yoga or even Pilates for strength. If you’re tight like a piano string, you may need targeted exercises to help loosen tight muscles and tendons. In this case, a physical therapist is a terrific support system.
Stay Balanced
As you age, your balance may become harder for you to maintain, increasing the risk of falls and serious injury. Keep your house clear of clutter, create comfortable, easy-to-navigate walkways, and work on improving strength and balance. A physical therapist is ideal for helping identify weak muscles, balance problems, and ways you can improve your balance and help prevent injury.
If you’re looking forward to your retirement, let Body One Physical Therapy help get you there! We are locally-owned, with four convenient locations serving central Indiana: North Indianapolis, South Indianapolis, Fishers, and Zionsville. Our team of caring providers works with clients of all ages and activity levels and will create a custom plan based on your needs and goals. Body One will help make your retirement years your best years – call us today and schedule an appointment!
