Water Aerobics: Exercises for the Elderly

Water aerobics exercises for the elderly do not impact the joints as much as workouts such as running do. Health disorders such as diabetes, menopause, cardiovascular problems, osteoporosis, back problems and arthritis can benefit from water exercises. If you have a pool in your home listed below are some of the exercises that you might like to try out. Also there are therapeutic pools in Altamonte Springs and Winter Springs. The YMCA and other gyms often have pool based exercise programs too.

Upper-Body Exercise

Working your upper body needs you to move deeper into the swimming pool. When you are in neck-deep water, lift both your arms in front of you while still keeping them in the water. Make sure your arms are straight, after that make little arm circles and slowly augment each circle’s dimension. Make five counterclockwise circles and five clockwise circles. Return to neutral and when prepared, repeat this exercise five times. Do not lift your hands out of the water during this exercise.

Pool Walking

You can get helpful aerobic workout in the course of pool walking, which you can carry out in the shallow end of the pool. Grip the rim of the pool and put on water shoes for stability and toehold. Adding hand weights, weighted boots or hand floats to this routine will help you lose more calories and generate supplementary resistance for your muscles. Doing so will also increase the speed of your walk.

Cross-Country Skiing

Performing a water aerobics work out that duplicates cross-country skiing will offer you with a full-body calisthenics. Position yourself in shoulder-waist level water and move your arms and legs backward and forwards as if you are cross-country skiing. Twist your arms at the elbow such that your lower arm is parallel to the pool’s bottom. Move your right arm frontward at the same time you move your left leg frontward, and then vice versa. You will feel like you are walking. Make sure your feet feel the pool’s floor. Carry out this aerobic exercise with 60-second breaks and slowly but surely amplify each interval as you get used to the movement.

Lower-Body Exercise

Leg swings are a novel constituent of any lower-body water aerobics exercise routine. Position yourself in chest-deep water with your left side alongside the pool’s wall. Keep your left band on the side of the pool to maintain balance. While keeping your legs straight, gradually raise your right leg forward and keep it elevated for five seconds. Sway your leg towards the back and make five complete backward and forward swings. Rest for a few seconds and then replicate this exercise with your left leg.

Relaxation

Nothing is better than floating in water but so is relaxing. Employing active relaxation techniques in a swimming pool of warm water can relax tight muscles and relieve joint pain. It can also decrease your blood pressure, trim down your heart rate and lower the amount of stress hormone your body generates while increasing your energy and improving your immune system.

If you are taking care of an elderly person and have a pool in your house, you would do well to hire the services of a nurse.

The nurses at Partners in Healthcare are available to talk with you about your in-home senior care needs including how to stay healthy at home with RN managed affordable care. We have taken clients to public pools for exercise as part of their post surgery recovery or for on-going health maintenance. We are a private duty home care agency that provides elder home care serves in the Orlando area. Call us at 407-788-9393.