Are you a senior who tends to have lots of little aches and pains, low energy, and just lack that get up and go? Many would attribute this to age, chalking it up as par for the course with there being nothing you can do about it, when in fact age isn’t often the culprit.

More and more seniors are becoming aware of the benefits of staying active and participating in a regular fitness routine in their golden years. Not only does it offer great physical benefits, but it also offers mental benefits.

If you’re convinced that you need to get up and move in order to feel more energized and combat that stiffness in your joints and muscles, then here’s a look at how you can go about it.

Start Out Slow

Rather than just jumping in and going full-tilt with an exercise routine, it’s a good idea to ease yourself into it, and start out slow and small. You can then build on the amount of time you exercise for, increase the intensity, add more challenges, etc. Going too fast and too hard is a great way to end up injured, which can be hard to recover from.

It is also crucial to know how to lose weight with arthritic knees. You don’t have to run a marathon just to get fit. Riding a stationary bike or simply walking are some ways to burn calories without putting too much pressure on the body.

Make Sure Your Workout Focuses on a Few Key Areas 

It doesn’t matter if you create a designated workout, or just plan to take part in active activities on a daily basis, you want to be sure you are getting a good mix that covers all the key areas. What this means is that you include cardio, strength and power training, flexibility exercises, and also balance exercises. By covering these main areas, you will not only improve your strength and endurance, but also your energy level and your flexibility, which means you are at less risk for injury, and you should also feel less stiff in general.

Join a Seniors Class

Perhaps you’re new to exercise all together and you really don’t know where to start. Then there is the motivation angle; it can be hard to get motivated and engage in these various activities on your own. That’s when it can be a great idea to join a seniors’ class.

You’ll have an instructor who guides you and can offer tips and advice, and you’ll also be able to meet others who share similar interests as you. It’s also a fact that working out with others helps a person feel more accountable, and motivates them to push forward.

Give Yourself a Safety Net

Now, whether you are in the middle of doing stretches or exercises in the home, or just going about chores and everyday tasks, accidents can happen. That isn’t even dictated by your age necessarily, as accidents can happen to anyone.

For that reason, it’s a good idea to think about installing some sort of medical alert system in your home. Hopefully you never have to use it, but if you do, then you will be forever grateful that you took the steps to have one installed.

Here in the US, there are a number of companies that offer these types of systems, and will come out and install them in your home. The costs and features all differ, and of course it’s always good to read up on customer reviews before you make any sort of decision.

A great source of information is the Medical Alert Buyers Guide, where you can access reviews of the best medical alert companies out there. The guide takes an in-depth look at some of the best-known providers, and stacks them up next to each other.

Now is the Best Time

So, before you tell yourself that you’re at an age where exercise is “useless”, it’s important to recognize that now is the very best time to start putting your health first and get active. Procrastination is a problem that stops you from achieving your fitness goals. No matter how busy you are, you can always find time for fitness.