{"id":10129,"date":"2020-04-04T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-04-04T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lifeline.philips.com\/resources\/blog\/2013\/12\/low-impact-exercise-for-seniors-can-keep-you-healthy.html"},"modified":"2022-10-13T12:40:51","modified_gmt":"2022-10-13T17:40:51","slug":"low-impact-exercise-for-seniors-can-keep-you-healthy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/blog\/low-impact-exercise-for-seniors-can-keep-you-healthy\/","title":{"rendered":"Stay Independent and Healthy with these Low-Impact Exercises"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Being active is a key to remaining healthy and independent. For many of us, though, the high-impact activities we used to engage in are no longer advisable. Low-impact exercise is an excellent alternative.<\/p>\n<p>Many people think that because low-impact activities are less intense than high-impact ones, they aren\u2019t worth doing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe truth is that low-impact exercise provides all sorts of health benefits, including improved cardiorespiratory fitness and psychological wellbeing,\u201d explains <a href=\"https:\/\/www.acefitness.org\/about-ace\/our-team\/scientific-advisory\/sabrena-jo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sabrena Jo<\/a>, American Council on Exercise\u2019s director of science and research.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLow-impact exercise is important because it\u2019s less stressful to the joints, so it allows for participation in cardiorespiratory activities with a reduced risk of musculoskeletal harm,\u201d she continues. \u201cThe more fit you are, the more able you are to respond to illness and injury,\u201d Jo adds, \u201cbecause the body is better able to devote resources to healing instead of being taxed by a potential chronic disease state. Finding an enjoyable low-impact exercise is good for both physical and mental health and can be an important part of a well-rounded physical activity program.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>According to The U.S. Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/health.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/2019-10\/PAG_ExecutiveSummary.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans<\/a>, adults should:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Participate in a minimum of 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity, preferably spread out across the week.<\/li>\n<li>Do muscle-strengthening activities for all major muscle groups at least twice a week.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Before getting started, check with your nurses or physician to determine an appropriate level of effort. If you have a chronic condition, talk to them about how it affects your ability to safely engage in low-impact exercise.<\/p>\n<h2>Low-Impact Exercises to Build Stamina<\/h2>\n<p>Most aerobic exercises build endurance \u2014 they raise the heart rate and burn more calories than any other type of activity. The ultimate low-impact fitness options are in the water. Consider swimming or water aerobics if you have access to a swimming pool. Land-based movement and dance classes also provide aerobic intensity that\u2019s easier on the joints. Some gyms and senior centers even offer special chair-based classes for people with limited mobility.<\/p>\n<h2>Strengthening Exercises for Older Adults<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cStaying strong is important for older adults because it helps to maintain muscle mass, functional abilities, joint health, and bone mineral density,\u201d Jo says. She recommends free weights, machines, elastic resistance and bodyweight exercises that are \u201cfunctional and mimic activities that are performed in daily life, like squat, lunge, push, pull and rotate.\u201d If you don\u2019t have bands or weights, look to common household items like cans of soup, which typically weigh a little less than a pound. If you\u2019re working out at a gym or fitness facility, ask a staff member to train you on the equipment to make sure you\u2019re using it correctly.<\/p>\n<h2>Flexibility for Seniors<\/h2>\n<p>Remaining limber or improving flexibility is important for older adults, Jo adds, \u201cbecause it helps to maintain joint mobility, which is important for functional abilities, joint health and soft tissue compliance.\u201d Recommended activities include static stretching, yoga and tai chi. Investigate in-person classes and online video instruction to meet your specific needs.<\/p>\n<p>No matter your age or health status, staying as active as possible ensures you feel your best. By building endurance, strength and flexibility, you enjoy a greater quality of life.<\/p>\n<p><i>Don\u2019t disregard professional medical advice, or delay seeking it, because of what you read here. This information is not intended as a substitute for professional consultation, diagnosis or treatment; it is provided \u201cas is\u201d without any representations or warranties, express or implied. Always consult a healthcare provider if you have specific questions about any medical matter, and seek professional attention immediately if you think you or someone in your care may be suffering from a healthcare condition.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Being active is a key to remaining healthy and independent. For many of us, though, the high-impact activities we used to engage in are no longer advisable. Low-impact exercise is an excellent alternative. Many people think that because low-impact activities are less intense than high-impact ones, they aren\u2019t worth doing. \u201cThe truth is that low-impact<a class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/blog\/low-impact-exercise-for-seniors-can-keep-you-healthy\/\"> Read more >><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":20194,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10129","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fitness"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v22.9 (Yoast SEO v26.7) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Stay Independent &amp; Healthy with Low-Impact Exercises | Lifeline<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Exercises for seniors designed to improve endurance, strength, and flexibility, specifically designed to be low-impact in order to prevent joint injuries.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/blog\/low-impact-exercise-for-seniors-can-keep-you-healthy\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Stay Independent and Healthy with these Low-Impact Exercises\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Exercises for seniors designed to improve endurance, strength, and flexibility, specifically designed to be low-impact in order to prevent joint injuries.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/blog\/low-impact-exercise-for-seniors-can-keep-you-healthy\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Lifeline\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/LifelineMedicalAlertService\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-04-04T00:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-10-13T17:40:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/1585747377006.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"680\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"400\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Andrew Bastin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Andrew Bastin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/blog\/low-impact-exercise-for-seniors-can-keep-you-healthy\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/blog\/low-impact-exercise-for-seniors-can-keep-you-healthy\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Andrew Bastin\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/#\/schema\/person\/50ab178d15853031ee06af6ad13f46e5\"},\"headline\":\"Stay Independent and Healthy with these Low-Impact Exercises\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-04-04T00:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-10-13T17:40:51+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/blog\/low-impact-exercise-for-seniors-can-keep-you-healthy\/\"},\"wordCount\":626,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/blog\/low-impact-exercise-for-seniors-can-keep-you-healthy\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/1585747377006.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Fitness\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/blog\/low-impact-exercise-for-seniors-can-keep-you-healthy\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/blog\/low-impact-exercise-for-seniors-can-keep-you-healthy\/\",\"name\":\"Stay Independent & Healthy with Low-Impact Exercises | Lifeline\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/blog\/low-impact-exercise-for-seniors-can-keep-you-healthy\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/blog\/low-impact-exercise-for-seniors-can-keep-you-healthy\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/1585747377006.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-04-04T00:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-10-13T17:40:51+00:00\",\"description\":\"Exercises for seniors designed to improve endurance, strength, and flexibility, specifically designed to be low-impact in order to prevent joint injuries.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/blog\/low-impact-exercise-for-seniors-can-keep-you-healthy\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/blog\/low-impact-exercise-for-seniors-can-keep-you-healthy\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/blog\/low-impact-exercise-for-seniors-can-keep-you-healthy\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/1585747377006.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/1585747377006.jpg\",\"width\":680,\"height\":400,\"caption\":\"Low-Impact Exercise For Seniors Can Keep You Healthy\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/blog\/low-impact-exercise-for-seniors-can-keep-you-healthy\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Stay Independent and Healthy with these Low-Impact Exercises\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/\",\"name\":\"Lifeline\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Lifeline\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Lifeline_Only_logo_2014_Blue.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Lifeline_Only_logo_2014_Blue.png\",\"width\":1295,\"height\":444,\"caption\":\"Lifeline\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/LifelineMedicalAlertService\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/lifelinesystems\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/#\/schema\/person\/50ab178d15853031ee06af6ad13f46e5\",\"name\":\"Andrew Bastin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/65dff837df063ee7c546f0036c42fc8bbba00fa9ef42d32433fb5232580416f7?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/65dff837df063ee7c546f0036c42fc8bbba00fa9ef42d32433fb5232580416f7?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Andrew Bastin\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Stay Independent & Healthy with Low-Impact Exercises | Lifeline","description":"Exercises for seniors designed to improve endurance, strength, and flexibility, specifically designed to be low-impact in order to prevent joint injuries.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/blog\/low-impact-exercise-for-seniors-can-keep-you-healthy\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Stay Independent and Healthy with these Low-Impact Exercises","og_description":"Exercises for seniors designed to improve endurance, strength, and flexibility, specifically designed to be low-impact in order to prevent joint injuries.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/blog\/low-impact-exercise-for-seniors-can-keep-you-healthy\/","og_site_name":"Lifeline","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/LifelineMedicalAlertService","article_published_time":"2020-04-04T00:00:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2022-10-13T17:40:51+00:00","og_image":[{"width":680,"height":400,"url":"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/1585747377006.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Andrew Bastin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Andrew Bastin","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/blog\/low-impact-exercise-for-seniors-can-keep-you-healthy\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/blog\/low-impact-exercise-for-seniors-can-keep-you-healthy\/"},"author":{"name":"Andrew Bastin","@id":"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/#\/schema\/person\/50ab178d15853031ee06af6ad13f46e5"},"headline":"Stay Independent and Healthy with these Low-Impact Exercises","datePublished":"2020-04-04T00:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2022-10-13T17:40:51+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/blog\/low-impact-exercise-for-seniors-can-keep-you-healthy\/"},"wordCount":626,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/blog\/low-impact-exercise-for-seniors-can-keep-you-healthy\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/1585747377006.jpg","articleSection":["Fitness"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/blog\/low-impact-exercise-for-seniors-can-keep-you-healthy\/","url":"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/blog\/low-impact-exercise-for-seniors-can-keep-you-healthy\/","name":"Stay Independent & Healthy with Low-Impact Exercises | Lifeline","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/blog\/low-impact-exercise-for-seniors-can-keep-you-healthy\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/blog\/low-impact-exercise-for-seniors-can-keep-you-healthy\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/1585747377006.jpg","datePublished":"2020-04-04T00:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2022-10-13T17:40:51+00:00","description":"Exercises for seniors designed to improve endurance, strength, and flexibility, specifically designed to be low-impact in order to prevent joint injuries.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/blog\/low-impact-exercise-for-seniors-can-keep-you-healthy\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/blog\/low-impact-exercise-for-seniors-can-keep-you-healthy\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/blog\/low-impact-exercise-for-seniors-can-keep-you-healthy\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/1585747377006.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/1585747377006.jpg","width":680,"height":400,"caption":"Low-Impact Exercise For Seniors Can Keep You Healthy"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/blog\/low-impact-exercise-for-seniors-can-keep-you-healthy\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Stay Independent and Healthy with these Low-Impact Exercises"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/","name":"Lifeline","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/#organization","name":"Lifeline","url":"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Lifeline_Only_logo_2014_Blue.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Lifeline_Only_logo_2014_Blue.png","width":1295,"height":444,"caption":"Lifeline"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/LifelineMedicalAlertService","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/lifelinesystems\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/#\/schema\/person\/50ab178d15853031ee06af6ad13f46e5","name":"Andrew Bastin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/65dff837df063ee7c546f0036c42fc8bbba00fa9ef42d32433fb5232580416f7?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/65dff837df063ee7c546f0036c42fc8bbba00fa9ef42d32433fb5232580416f7?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Andrew Bastin"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10129","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10129"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10129\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21785,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10129\/revisions\/21785"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20194"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10129"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10129"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10129"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}