Senior Citizen Health and the Benefits of Physical Fitness

The benefits of being healthy are infinite, but while we are young, we feel that we can always start living a healthy life "tomorrow." While it may be true that most young people who are of average health can put off the business of being fit for a short while, senior citizens do not have that option.

Being physically fit offers many benefits that can make life much easier for senior citizens. Most of us have a mental picture of what it is like to be elderly, and that picture usually includes poor health and a sedentary lifestyle - how interesting is that? Life as a senior citizen does not have to be that dreary. Elderly people can have a vibrant and exciting lifestyle, and being fit plays a major part in obtaining that goal.

Life Expectancy: It Ain't what it Used to Be

Given technological advances, and more readily available health education, people are living longer than they ever have before. The life expectancy for the average person in the United States is 78 years. Life will be much more enjoyable if you enter the retirement years with the healthiest body possible. Being fit overall will allow you to enjoy your golden years without the hardship of being unnecessarily ill - who wants to be sick when they're old? Your senior years are meant to be enjoyed, so get obsessed with being fit now, so that you can reap the benefits later.

Hercules, Now There Was a Man with a Plan

By being stronger, you will be better able to manage daily duties and physical activities as you become elderly. Maintaining one's fitness level is essential to building strong bones, joints and muscles. Learn about ways to enjoy calcium rich foods (low-fat of course), and incorporate weight bearing physical activities into your daily fitness routine. Don't be a wimp, get friendly with the irons - or, be just a little wimpy and experience the fitness benefits of Pilates or yoga. Pilates and yoga can offer excellent low-impact, strength building benefits for senior citizens.

On a social note: By being fit, you will be able to truly enjoy the planned senior citizen activities at those ubiquitous retirement communities. Imagine it, you can be the social magnet at your local senior centers if you maintain your physical fitness -here's your second shot at being popular if you didn't quite meet the challenge in high school.

Rebuff the Elder Blues

Experts have stated that major depressive disorder is a common ailment for senior citizens. As such, depression in the Elderly has become a serious mental health concern. Along with being an emotionally and physically painful way to experience life, depression can lead to elder suicide; this is a bleak picture indeed. Experts state that exercise and physical fitness can help to bring about relief from symptoms related to depression; so why not listen to the experts?

When you are elderly, it may seem as though the world is more focused on the entertainment and enjoyment of young people - senior citizens are looked upon as being a burden and a drag. The only time commercial media pays any attention to those over 65 is when they air those cheerless death benefit commercials aimed at selling burial insurance. Why on Earth wouldn't any senior citizen be depressed after all of that? Well, turn off the television, load up your Ipod with your favorite tunes, and head out into the sunshine to get your fitness on so that you can beef up your mental outlook.

The writing is on the wall (or, on this web-page): Get out there, start exercising, and get on a quest to be the healthiest senior citizen you can be.

Feminist Women's Health

World Bank Data Finder

National Institutes of Health