You’re Never Too Old To Exercise!

Physical fitness is important in every stage of life, but becomes even more important as we age. In honor of National Physical Fitness and Sports Month, we wanted to take a moment to highlight the benefits of fitness programs for seniors and showcase the exercise classes our residents enjoy here at our active senior living community in Salt Lake City, UT.

The Importance of Exercise for Seniors

As we age, many seniors may begin to believe that they are "too old" for exercise. They may feel that certain exercises are too difficult to perform, or that the exercise may result in injury or pain. But studies have shown that seniors often don't lose their ability to exercise because of their age--they lose it because they stop being active.

In addition to helping seniors maintain their strength and mobility, regular exercise is known to have a multitude of other benefits. According to NIH, consistent exercise has been known to prevent or delay the onset of many diseases and disabilities including arthritis, high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes. Regular exercise for seniors has also been shown to reduce feelings or depression and even help improve cognitive functions.

Fitness for Seniors at Chateau Brickyard

Did you know what Chateau Brickyard has its own fitness center? This exercise haven includes machines and weights that our community's active seniors can use at any time. Some residents come and work out on their own, while others will use the center with the help of their physical therapy provider. But when it comes to exercise in our community, our fitness center is only the beginning! Chateau Brickyard also offers exercise classes and activities throughout the week. The following are just a few of the exercise activities and classes we provide our residents each and every month.

Tai Chi

Tai chi is an ancient martial art that was originally used for self-defense. But over the years, tai chi has developed into a graceful exercise regimen with gentle flowing movements. Here at Chateau Brickyard, we have a special tai chi teacher that comes to our community once a week. This ancient martial art involves stretching balance and allows our residents to exercise their minds as well.

Wii Fitness

Our weekly Wii Fitness activity is an example of how fun exercise can be. Our Wii console allows our residents to compete in virtual sports such as baseball, bowling, golf boxing, and tennis. These fun and interactive games allow residents to stretch their arms, practice their balance, and keep their range of motion fluid. We have even hosted residents from another Salt Lake City senior living community for some friendly competition in the form of a Wii Bowling tournament.

Chair Zumba

Zumba is a dance fitness program that weaves aerobic movements into dance-like patterns that are paired with lively music. Our Chair Zumba class offers a low-impact way for residents to get their whole body moving. One of our residents Margaret likes to exercise each and every morning, and Chair Zumba is one of her favorites! When asked what she loved so much about that particular class, Margaret replied, "Chair Zumba is so fun! I like the upbeat music that is played; it is so fun to move to it."

Stretch & Strength

Stretch & Strength is our variety workout class. Each and every Stretch & Strength class features a multitude of different exercises from aerobics to light weight-lifting. Our residents think this class is a great warm-up because it requires them to use so many different parts of the body.

Theraband

One of the most recent additions to our exercise regimen here at Chateau Brickyard is our Theraband class. This class incorporates latex resistance bands in low-impact strength-training exercises. Our resident Chris is a fan of this new and exciting exercise, offering, "I like to push myself! The Theraband exercise classes helps me with those tired muscles and help me to gain more strength."

We hope these senior exercise ideas will leave you feeling inspired to become more active or maintain your active lifestyle. Visit our website to download our most recent activity calendar and see what exercise classes we have planned at our Salt Lake City, UT, community this month.