How Exactly Does Yoga Help Seniors Be Fit & Healthy?

Yoga helps individuals improve flexibility, balance, and stamina, which can enhance an individual’s overall fitness. Finding an enjoyable, safe and effective way of doing yoga can boost mood and lower stress, proven to improve mental health. It can be practiced anywhere from the living room to parks and studios, and people of all physical abilities and ages can do yoga.

Yoga is low impact and is designed in a way that is accessible to all. It uses physical postures, meditation, and breathing techniques to relax and enhance people’s balance, strength and flexibility. The best part about yoga is that the poses may be altered to meet the varied ability levels of individuals. Seniors can use props like foam rollers and benefit highly from seated yoga poses. Yoga helps individuals meditate and breathe while doing the poses, and controlled breathing can help relax and relieve stress, all contributing to a holistically fit & healthy individual.

How Does Yoga Boost Senior Fitness?

Yoga with mindfulness practices can help maintain physical, mental, and emotional well-being. This, in turn, benefits people in ageing healthily. Yoga has numerous benefits, and a few are listed below.

Remedy for pain

Yoga is low impact and an excellent exercise for seniors to improve their health. It can reduce stiffness and pain, especially in individuals suffering from osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Enhanced mobility and less fall risk

It can help enhance the balance and strength of the body, reducing the chance of falling. It improves foot health and the extent of motion, which contribute to alleviating any risks of falling.

Better Management and Reduction of Chronic Conditions

According to research, yoga can reduce symptoms of metabolic syndrome and diabetes. It also improves cardiovascular health, lowers blood pressure, enhances respiratory health, reduces stress, and helps lose weight.

Reduces depression and anxiety

Yoga is a great exercise that helps people focus. It can make you energetic, improve your mood, and relieve anxiety and depression. It allows you to stay active by focusing on your environment.

Yoga for Beginners

It is pretty easy to start doing yoga for increased fitness; however, you must begin slowly and keep safety as your priority. Yoga is generally a safe exercise. However, seniors with health conditions should check with their health practitioner if there are any poses they must avoid.

Doing yoga incorrectly may result in strain and injury. It is best to follow a fitness coach to learn the poses correctly, and instructors are well equipped to help you relax and breathe efficiently during yoga practice. Fitness centres and fitness gyms give yoga classes, and nowadays resources are available online too.

Yoga in groups is found to be more enjoyable; however, when you are well versed with the techniques, you can do yoga independently at your convenience. You can do yoga exclusively by yourself, or you could attend the fitness class a few times a week.

Chair yoga is a yoga form that is highly recommended to seniors. Seniors with mobility issues can do this yoga for fitness in a seated position. It’s found to be the most practised form of senior yoga.

Yoga – Supplement to Medicine

Yoga has great health benefits. When fitness workouts are supplemented with conventional medicine, they can work wonders for people. You may be apprehensive initially; however, as you progress, you will become more receptive, and your overall health improves drastically.

Seniors with medical conditions should strictly consult their medical practitioner before starting yoga. There are a few health conditions for which seniors must consult their physical practitioner before they incorporate yoga as an everyday exercise activity in their lives. For instance, people with unregulated blood pressure, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, or spinal degeneration diseases. Besides, if you are taking medication of any sort, you may experience light-headedness, so it is not a bad idea to consult your doctor first.

A certified fitness trainer can help you immensely if you are a beginner or someone with pre-existing conditions. They have the proficiency and knowledge to handle different situations. When you know the yoga poses that suit you and have learned the technique, you can manage on your own.

If your looking for a one-stop solution to enhance your senior health, look no further! The Emoha app helps seniors enhance their health and safety, all in the comfort of their own homes. With the app, you get access to a host of live-interactive shows ranging from daily yoga classes to healthy cooking shows. Additionally, you can avail of facilities like 24/7 emergency support (medical & non-medical), daily convenience help desk, daily care calls, medicine reminders, health counselling, one-tap access to all medical documents, special discounts on medicines and much more. Download the app on Google Play Store and IOS App Store.

Conclusion

Yoga is a great alternative to begin your journey towards good health and fitness. Enrol for classes online or offline to stay active. Keep in mind that you can learn at your own pace and take breaks. Consult your health practitioner for any words of caution. If you get the green signal, all you need is comfortable clothing and a mat, and you are good to go!

FAQ

How do I stop ageing?

We cannot stop ageing; however, we can slow down the harmful effects of ageing. Getting sufficient sleep, drinking water, avoiding smoking and alcohol, and incorporating some kind of exercise in your everyday routine can help you in healthy ageing.

What is the best exercise for the elderly?

Yoga is an excellent form of exercise for seniors. You can modify yoga poses that suit you.

Is ageing natural?

Ageing is natural, and there is nothing wrong with ageing, mainly because it is inevitable. However, you must focus on ageing gracefully by maintaining good physical, mental and emotional health.

How can I look younger?

You can look younger by feeling younger. To feel young, you must be fit physically, mentally, and emotionally. Incorporating yoga can help you do this.

Why am I getting old so fast?

We age faster when we don’t take care of our health. Healthy everyday habits like yoga can prolong your youth.

At what age do health problems start?

There is no specific age when health problems start. However, it is quite common for the elderly to face issues around 60 years of age. The risk of cardiovascular diseases also increases as we age.

How do you know if your body is healthy?

Regular check-ups and blood tests after 60 years of age or much sooner can tell you if you have health problems.

What is the greatest challenge you expect to face in old age?

The biggest challenge confronting us when we become old is a physical disability. Fortunately, modern studies indicate that realistic planning makes healthy ageing possible.