Best exercises for women over 60

Unfortunately, gaining weight and the inability to lose weight increases after age 60. Aging leads to loss of muscle mass, which, in turn, slows down your body’s metabolic rate, adding unwanted pounds. Aerobic activity ramps up your heart rate, burns fat and promotes cardiovascular health. Start with 30 minutes daily of any cardio exercise. Brisk walking and dancing fit the bill, but get an all-clear from your physician first.

Generally, as women age, changes in tendons and ligaments occur, decreasing flexibility and restricting joint movements. Decreased joint range of motion can hamper your ability to perform simple tasks, including walking, writing, housekeeping and even breathing. Basic stretching exercises such as head and shoulder rolls, wrist and ankle circles and movements that mimic chopping wood, help a great deal in keeping you flexible. You can also try this - Stand with your feet parallel and slightly apart. Lift your arches and bounce gently up and down without bending your knees. This improves strength and flexibility in your feet and calves.

Push ups are great for strengthening the core, stabilising the shoulders and building chest strength. However, for many older adults the full body weight on wrists can become stressful. A modified version can give you the same benefits without the strain on the wrist joint. Lean into a wall with your hands wider than shoulder distance so that your body make a straight line from shoulders to ankles- engage your core to support your pelvis and lower back. Press shoulders down away from ears and broaden your collar bone. Holding a perfect straight line with your core engaged inhale as you bend your elbows and lead your chest towards the wall and then exhale to return.

These are many activities that increase your heart rate and breathing for a long time-span. You may need to avoid “high-impact” exercises such as jogging and jumping rope because they put a large amount of strain on your muscles and joints. Good exercises to engage in are low-impact exercises including walking and dancing. Endurance exercises should be done for 2040 minutes at least 3 times per week. Make sure that you pay attention to warning signs such as light-headedness, chest pain, or shortness of breath.