Exercise is essential to prevent lifestyle-related diseases in order to achieve healthy longevity.
Moderate exercise leads to maintenance of basic physical strength, stress relief, immunity improvement, etc., and supports a healthy life both physically and mentally in old age.
In this article, we will explain why elderly people should exercise and how to prevent lifestyle-related diseases and frailty. For the elderly and their families, please use it to relieve the lack of exercise.
table of contents
Why Older People Should Exercise
Exercise for older people has many benefits.
・Maintenance of basic physical strength
The age-related loss of muscle strength is called sarcopenia.
As muscle weakness progresses, the risk of stumbling and breaking bones increases, and when actions such as walking and standing become troublesome, even the ability to perform activities gradually declines.
To prevent this from happening, it is important to actively move your body on a regular basis and strive to maintain muscle strength and bone density.
・Stress relief
The condition in which mental and physical vitality declines with aging is called “frailty,” and if this condition continues, it is said that the risk of becoming a state requiring nursing care increases.
Since frailty refers to the weakening of the mind as well as the body, the importance of stabilizing the mental state can be seen.
Exercise not only promotes blood flow and prevents illness, but is also effective in relieving stress and stabilizing the mind. It also has the advantage of building confidence in your physical strength and body shape, which helps improve your quality of life.
・Prevention of cognitive decline
The brain and muscles are in a mutually stimulating relationship, and exercise has been shown to help prevent cognitive decline.
In addition, since blood flow is reduced in the brains of elderly people and Alzheimer's patients, it is said that physical movement is effective in improving blood flow.
Exercise suitable for dementia prevention is aerobic exercise such as walking and walking. Let's try to incorporate exercise habits that can be done without being able to do it.
・Improvement of immunity
The immune system peaks around the age of 10 to 20 and declines with age.
Walking and jogging are recommended exercises to maintain immunity. It can be expected to prevent colds and infectious diseases by increasing cardiopulmonary function.
・Prevention of lifestyle-related diseases
As the body functions decline with age, lifestyle-related diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and metabolic syndrome are more likely to occur.
Moderate exercise is known to help prevent and improve these diseases, and is expected to improve blood pressure, blood sugar levels, and lipid metabolism.
Exercise to prevent lifestyle-related diseases
In order to prevent lifestyle-related diseases, it is said that it is good to habitually perform moderate-intensity exercise that makes you breathe a little.
Ideally, you should exercise for at least 30 minutes at a time, and at least twice a week. Incorporate exercise that is suitable for your physical condition according to your age and physical ability.
・Stretching and gymnastics
Stretching and gymnastics can be expected to improve muscle flexibility and joint movement. Keeping your muscles and joints flexible can help prevent fractures from falls.
・Walking
Walking and taking a walk can prevent the loss of muscle strength, strengthen the bones, and can be expected to have a relaxing effect. Start by taking a walk around your neighborhood and gradually increase the distance as you get used to it.
・Train the trunk
Core training improves posture, walking ability, and activities of daily living by preventing muscle weakness in the core.
・Maintain lower extremity function
Since the decline in lower extremity function is particularly noticeable in the elderly, it is necessary to actively engage in exercise to maintain muscle strength. If you find it difficult to walk or do strenuous exercise, try doing exercises that you can do while sitting in a chair.
Exercise to prevent frailty
Frailty refers to a condition in which 3 out of 5 items (weight loss, fatigue easily, decreased walking speed, decreased grip strength, decreased amount of physical activity) are met.
Lack of exercise is said to be one of the causes of frailty, but it can be prevented to some extent by doing strength training, aerobic exercise, and stretching.
Exercise that is not easy to moderately hard is suitable, and should be carried out according to age and physical ability.
In addition, when blood flow is improved by exercise, appetite is increased and mood is stabilized.
・Aerobic exercise (walking, stretching, swimming, walking in water)
Improve lung function and improve strength and endurance.
·Stretching
Increases muscle flexibility and improves joint movement.
·strength training
Prevents loss of muscle mass and strength.
・Balance training
It improves balance ability and prevents slow walking and falls.
Exercise summary for the elderly
In this article, we introduced exercise for the elderly.
・Exercise maintains basal metabolism, relieves stress, and improves immunity
・Exercise prevents cognitive decline and lifestyle-related diseases
・For lifestyle-related diseases, moderate-intensity exercise that makes you feel a little out of breath is effective.
・Exercise that you feel is not easy to moderately hard is effective for preventing frailty.
Let's actively incorporate moderate exercise and aim for a healthy long life.
Supervision: Dr. Yasushi Tsuda