Increasing Senior Stamina

Increasing Senior Stamina

Exercise for seniors is increasingly important. It can lead to a longer life span, prevent a number of medical conditions, and help seniors feel better. However, in order for a sedentary individual to start and stick with an exercise program, an increase in stamina is essential. There are several things you can do to increase your stamina.

Start your exercise program by getting a physical. There are a number of things that can change the way you exercise, so it's a good idea to know if a change in health is being caused by your exercise program or by other health concerns. Good exercise programs are comprised of three factors: frequency, intensity, and duration. If you get too much of any of these, your entire exercise program is in jeopardy. Check with your doctor to decide how much of any of these components is too much for you. Don't move too quickly once you have started. If your goal is to work up to walking for twenty minutes each day, and you've decided to start with five, don't move from five to twenty in the course of one day. Your muscles need time to acclimate to the new level of activity.

Work with your current health issues. If you've had a hip replacement, marathons probably aren't going to be the best exercise goal for you. Talk to your doctor to decide what works well with your health issues. Choose activities that you like. Forcing yourself to engage in an activity repeatedly isn't going to do anyone, especially you, any good. Your workout routine should include at least one activity that you can engage in anywhere. If you have to travel for business, or you go on vacation, it will be easier to keep that activity up, thereby increasing your stamina. Find an exercise buddy or join an organization that promotes your exercise activity. You're more likely to stick with it if you have people to help motivate you. Keeping some type of record of your performance might help you keep track of where you are and where you should be. Plan long term goals carefully, for example, if your fitness goal is to go on a three day nature hike, allow your body to acclimate to the conditions you will be experiencing. Prevent injury at all costs. If you feel a bit sore from your last workout, it might be best to take it easy during your next workout. Be sure to include a warm up and cool down period in your daily routine. This will not only improve your flexibility, it might also help prevent injury. Be sure to rest frequently. If you need to engage in two fifteen minute sessions instead of one thirty minute session, do it. Fatigue may make you quit your exercise program, and then you could lose that stamina you've been building.

Unless your doctor recommends them, don't bother with dietary supplements. Your diet should supply your nutrients, not the health food store. Weight training can help with all aspects of your exercise program. Target the muscle groups you use most. Choose your diet carefully. Eating too many empty calories can only lead to added weight, which won't help at all with your workout. Be sure to prevent dehydration. During an exercise session, heat is built up in the muscle groups of focus which causes the body temperature to increase. The body tries to cool itself by sweating. The sweat evaporates from the skin, and it is that process that assists in supporting a lower core body temperature. Sometimes, though, this process isn’t an adequate way of cooling, due to factors like moisture and humidity. As a result, the bodies continue to sweat, causing further fluid loss. The only way to replace this fluid loss is to drink more fluid. Prevention of this entire process by consuming enough liquid both during your workout and during the normal course of your day will go miles in improving your stamina. Learn to manage your stress. If you spend all of your energy during the day dealing with stress, you won't have any left for your workout. One final way to work on stamina is through your favorite music. Music can be very helpful in keeping you motivated during a workout. The more motivation you have, the more likely you are to stick with your program, which will increase stamina.