Be Flexible: Yoga for Seniors

Yoga can help those who practice with a wide variety of problems – from anxiety and pain to digestion and diabetes. It can help make you calm, flexible, and healthy. According to Livestrong, “Participants in a medical study in India saw their blood pressure decrease during three months of yoga.”

But it can be extremely intimidating! Especially if you’re at retirement age and have never practiced it before. The good news is that anyone can do yoga, and it’s never too late to try. You may just need to adapt your workout in order to not push the limits of what your body can do.

 

Start Small

Everyone’s level of physical activity is different. If you’re active, you may consider yoga to be quite easy. If you aren’t used to working out, it might feel extremely difficult at first. No matter what you think you are capable of, start off small. This may mean doing yoga for a shorter amount of time at the beginning or skipping moves that are too difficult for you.

Here are some simple poses from AARP that can help you get started on your own. Sherwood Oaks also has yoga classes that are exclusive to residents and perfect for everyone, whether they consider themselves an athlete or a newbie! Classes are offered weekly and are taught by our Fitness Director, a certified yoga instructor. Not only can you consider this a healthy habit, but it’s also a social gathering! We get a great turnout from residents each week.

If you want to get a taste for yoga before you come to a class, you can check out some YouTube videos to try out on your own. Like this one, which shows you some yoga stretches specifically tailored to seniors.

 

Adapt

You won’t be able to keep up with everyone – and that’s ok! Remember as you start out that no matter how good you are at something, someone out there is better.

You need to learn the moves that work best for you. This could mean that you choose to do the adapted moves that your instructor gives you. If a pose is difficult for you and your instructor does not give you an adapted pose, go ahead and ask! Your body will thank you for not pushing it too hard.

If you’re practicing yoga on your own, do a simple search for yoga poses that may help your specific ailments. For instance, here are some simple yoga poses that have been shown to provide menopause relief.

 

Work Your Mind, Too

A lot of yoga focuses more on your breath than the movement of your body. Don’t ignore the part of yoga that explains how to breathe – it is just as important as every stretch! When done correctly, your breath can help you keep up your stamina and promote calm and concentration.

 

Keep Trying!

It might be difficult, but don’t give up. Like many kinds of workouts, you will get better the longer you stick with your yoga routine. Each week, you will be a little bit more flexible and a little bit more comfortable with your surroundings.

 

Have you been a longtime yogi? What are your best tips for beginners?

Stay Healthy and Active in Retirement

It can be a struggle to maintain a healthy lifestyle in your retirement, but we like to think we make it easy at Sherwood Oaks Retirement Community.

We have a fantastic fitness center available to residents at no additional cost to your package. The fitness center is run by Wellness and Health Promotion Manager, Mr. Bill Burtner. Bill is a graduate of Indiana University of Pennsylvania holding a master’s degree in sports science who is also a Certified health Fitness Specialist through the American College of Sports Medicine.

Bill serves as a personal trainer to each of our residents. After their move-in, Bill contacts new residents and invites them to visit the fitness center, where he can evaluate their health and goals and design a personal workout plan just for them. Our other more structured work out options include weekly exercise classes, Tai Chi, yoga, aquacize, and therapeutic massage.

In spring, summer, and fall, Bill also conducts a walking program and walks with our residents around our 84-acre campus.

For those who like to do their workouts on their own, our fitness center includes top-notch Keiser strength machines which operate on pneumatic air pressure. We also have treadmills, steppers, bicycles, and rowing machines, all accessible 24/7 to fit the schedules of our residents. Our campus also includes wooded trails and paths around our lake, and connected covered walkways between patio homes that provide three miles of cement walkways, perfect for connecting with friends while getting a healthy workout in.

There is no reason that you cannot have a relaxing retirement that also involves regular, healthy workouts. For more information on the fitness options available to you at Sherwood Oaks Retirement Community, watch this short video or call us at (800) 642-2217.