Why Is It Important To Stay Active As A Senior?

Senior Tips for Staying Active

Bonaventure Senior Living believes it is essential for all seniors to stay active, not only to keep your body healthy but also to keep your mind healthy as well.  Often, it is easy to get into a routine of a sedentary lifestyle, especially if you have recently retired, but this can put your health at risk. Fortunately, there are many ways for seniors to be active, healthy, and happy.

Senior Tips for Staying Active

One of Bonaventure Senior Living's best tips for seniors who want to stay active is that it is important to find something to do that you will enjoy. If you look upon exercise or physical activities as a hobby, rather than a chore, you will enjoy the activities more and be more apt to incorporate them into a regular routine.

Bird watching, taking a nature hike, dancing, biking, or mall walking can all provide you with not only entertainment, but with mild exercise as well.  You can also take up photography and check out different locales for inspiration or check into free or low-cost exercise classes for seniors.  If money is tight, you can check out exercise videos at your local library, split the cost of a video with a friend or just take a walk around. Listening to music or watching television while exercising can also make the process more fun. 

Activities for Those With Limited Mobility

If you have limited mobility, Bonaventure Senior Living believes you can still be active.  Water recreation is often the best option for seniors who have problems with mobility.  Swimming and water aerobics both provide great options for those who have sore or stiff joints or other mobility problems because the water can lessen the stress on your body. 

If you cannot walk, you may also want to check out PBS for exercise programs like “Sit and Be Fit”.  There are video options as well featuring exercise videos that can be done by those who aren't mobile.

Stretching

Stretching is important to staying active and supple.  Whenever you have been sitting for a while, Bonaventure Senior Living recommends you get up for a few moments to stretch.  You can stretch while on the computer or while watching television.  You can even stretch while talking on the phone.  Do neck rolls, point and flex your toes, or take a Pilate or yoga class.

Finding A Friend

Bonaventure Senior Living

believes that one of the best ways to make sure you stay active as a senior is to find a friend to share in your exercise routine.  Friends will encourage each other so you won’t miss a session and chatting with friends will help the time pass while you are exercising.  Even if you are just mall walking and window-shopping, having a friend along will help the time pass quicker and the exercise will be more fun.

Final Tips

While all of the above tips are helpful for seniors looking to stay active, Bonaventure Senior Living has a few final tips for those who want to maintain the health of their mind and bodies:

•    Eating healthy and staying positive is also essential to staying active. 
•    Find things to do that make you happy so you will continue to do them.  When you are happy, it is impossible to be stressed out and you will feel better.
•    It takes 30 days to form a habit. Once you start an exercise routine, keep it up for at least a month and you'll find that it becomes a natural part of your routine.

Finally, remember that exercise does not have to mean going to a gym, playing strenuous sports, or jogging.  Exercise can be part of your daily activities like taking the stairs instead of the elevator.  When you shop, you may want to park farther away, since walking is very good exercise, and go down all the aisles inside the store.  Even if you just get out of the house and drive to the library, you are moving and doing something rather than sitting at home. 

Tips For Keeping Your Mind And Body Active As A Senior

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Bonaventure Senior Living believes that it is important for seniors to stay active and to continue to use both their minds and their bodies in order to remain healthy. Challenging your brain can help you to keep your mind sharp and to minimize the risk of Alzheimer's or dementia, while keeping your body moving can help you avoid common senior ailments including diabetes and heart problems. Bonaventure Senior Living also knows that it can be hard for seniors to find activities to keep active. Fortunately, these tips can help.

Fun Activities for the Mind

Your brain begins to age along with your body and both the loss of brain cells as well as chemical changes in your brain can affect your cognitive ability. However, studies suggest that the more you use your brain, the less you'll lose as far as function and sharpness. Bonaventure Senior Living suggests that seniors who want to keep their mind active consider the following fun activities for seniors:

·         Puzzles: Soduku and crossword puzzles can both be done on your own or in groups

·         Board games: Whether you play with friends or with grandchildren, board games can be an enjoyable way to help keep your brain going. This is especially true for more challenging board games like Trivial Pursuit that draw on your memories

·         Book club: Joining a book club not only means that you'll need to read and think about books but is also a great social occasion where you can have interesting conversations with like-minded individuals

·         Art openings or cultural events: If you are still mobile, Bonaventure Senior Living recommends taking advantage of cultural activities and events in the community. Many museums or even theatres offer senior discounts and attending these cultural activities can be a fun and enjoyable way to spend your time as a senior.

·         Craft projects: While it may seem as though crafts have little to do with keeping the mind sharp, many craft projects require intense concentration. Consider knitting a complicated pattern, learning to sew or perfecting your sewing skills, taking up pottery or learning needlepoint.

Fun Activities for the Body

While keeping your mind active is essential, Bonaventure Senior Living wants to remind you that you also need to keep your body moving as well.  Getting out and exercising can help you to keep weight off and retain mobility. Some examples of fun activities you can do as part of an exercise routine include:

·         Swimming: This is a great exercise activity for a senior that is both fun and safe to do since it places no stress on the joints.

·         Fitness classes like Yoga or Pilates: By taking a fitness class, you will not only be able to stay in shape but you'll also meet other people who share the goal of staying healthy.

·         Biking or hiking: As a senior, it is your chance to finally stop and smell the roses. Go on a nature hike or a bike ride and enjoy nature and beautiful scenery.

Bonaventure Senior Living knows that all seniors will have different passions and activities that excite them. The key is to find something that you enjoy doing and to make a commitment to do it regularly so you can stay happy, healthy and socially connected as a senior.

 

 

Event Calendar For Bonaventure Senior Living

Bonaventure Senior Living

Bonney Lake, WA - Cedar Ridge

Red Hat Lunch: 8/15/2011, 11:00 am

Our Red Hatted Ladies will be heading to Watson's Nursery for their monthly meeting and some wonderful cuisine.

Yelm, WA - Rosemont

AARP Senior Driving Class: 8/20/2011, 8:30 am - 4:30 pm

AARP Senior Driving Class $12 for members $14 for non members beverages available during day complimentary light lunch served

September

Gresham, OR - Huntington Terrace

Senior Safari: 9/20/2011, 9:00am-3:00pm

Seniors are invited to explore the zoo with free admission and train rides for themselves. Live music and entertainment, petting zoo and animal talks throughout the zoo.

August

Gresham, OR - Huntington Terrace

Monthly Birthday Party: 8/25/2011, 11:30-1:00

It's a celebration for the residents with Birthdays in August. There will be live entainment by Mathew Casey.

Bonaventure Senior Living

 

 

Bonaventure Senior Living Sparks Nevada Video

Bonaventure Senior Living

Bonaventure_Senior_Living_Sparks.wmv Watch on Posterous

Bonaventure Senior Care Talks About Aging

Aging by Bonaventure Senior Living.  The United States is facing an unprecedented epidemic of aging.  Sure, it is inevitable that we are all going to grow older someday, but with the Baby Boomer generation entering their Golden Years coupled with longer life expectancy, the U.S. has an elderly population that is larger than at any time in history.  Bonaventure Senior Living takes an active approach to the senior years.  Retirement doesn’t mean sitting on your behind in front of the television or playing cards for hours on end. Today’s seniors are healthier and more active than ever because they’ve engage in some form of physical exercise for most of their lives. It is a proven fact that exercise keeps the mind, body and spirit young, so if you are not doing it, why ever not?
 
While it is true that most senior citizens cannot perform tasks at the same level as they could 20 years ago, there is no reason why an age modified workout regimen cannot be undertaken by those healthy enough to do so.  The key, like everything else, lies in moderation.  Once you are over the age of 50, physical limitations and chronic diseases – and the toll these things take on the body – can make needs and abilities different than those of a person even just ten years younger.  Before beginning any new exercise program it is important to get a checkup – but if you are a senior citizen embarking on a new regimen, it is doubly important.  Your doctor may be able to help you assess your specific physical limitations as well as clear you to participate in specific exercises such as yoga.  Bonaventure Senior Living takes the health of its residents seriously, and therefore makes sure all exercise programs are suitable for the age of the residents.

Finally, once your doctor clears you for exercise you’re ready to decide how you want to approach physical fitness in your later years.   Pick a program or class that appeals to you – being engaged and interested will keep you going back for more.  Some people like the structure that comes with going to a gym. Others like simply going for a brisk stroll around the neighborhood, the park, or even a shopping mall.  Many establishments have cropped up that teach yoga, and you wouldn’t have to look too hard to find a beginners class and even a class aimed at older yogis.  The point of all of this is – your age doesn’t limit your options all that much. Sure, you’re not bench pressing 300 pounds like when you were a high school football player and you’re probably not running 15 miles a morning – but from swimming, to walking, to jogging – from yoga to aerobics to pilates – you are only limited by your own self.  Bonaventure Senior Living seeks to offer freedom of choice in physical fitness to the senior citizens in their programs.