Exercising with your parents
We all know our mums and dads will live longer than any previous generation. And we all know that ill health and poor fitness can make later life a misery. But it’s never too late to start on a fitness programme and many parents would love the chance to get gentle exercise with their grown children and even their grandchildren. Here are some ideas:
Pick an activity you all enjoy. Go to the park and let the kids run wild while you stroll gently with your parents – don’t expect too much, but slowly increase the length of time and the number of days you are active together. So a Sunday stroll is a good beginning, then add it a trip to the local playground on Wednesday and a walk to the shops on Friday as you progress.
There are two major kinds of exercise:
Aerobic activities
- walking
- swimming
- housework or gardening
- active play with children
Regular aerobic activity can help your parents to lose or maintain weight, lower risk of heart disease and stroke, keep joints moving and reduce arthritis pain, lower stress and improve moods.
Strengthening activities
- lifting weights
- push-ups or sit-ups
- household or garden tasks that make you lift or dig
Doing strengthening activities regularly helps: keep muscles and bones strong, increase strength and independence, reduce the risk of bone fractures and other injuries.
Both of these will gently increase flexibility and so help your parent become more mobile – at this point you may find they want to take it further by joining a class or activity on their own!
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