Let’s explore the significance of each one and how they work together to keep you healthier in your golden years. You can also learn about common challenges and effective strategies to help seniors in the Fort Worth, TX, area and beyond stay mobile and flexible.
When it comes to seniors, mobility makes all the difference between moving freely and independently or needing assistance with common tasks. Mobility covers any number of activities, from basics like walking and bending to complex movements such as lifting things from the floor or getting in and out of chairs. Maintaining a high level of mobility is important for seniors’ health, helping them perform their everyday routines while increasing independence for a higher quality of life.
Unfortunately, mobility challenges are common — and natural — for seniors, which may lead to the need for assisted living, especially if you're at risk for falling. These challenges include any number of conditions, from stiff joints and weak muscles to issues with balance. Some mobility challenges stem from age-related factors or underlying problems with health, while others arise from sedentary lifestyles. What they all have in common, however, is reducing quality of life and freedom of movement.
Flexibility is your capacity to move through the full range of motion while maintaining your balance. Related to the joints and muscles, flexibility plays a vital role in your well-being by reducing injury risks, improving posture and, most of all, supporting your mobility. Good flexibility makes you more able to perform physical activity and offers opportunities for a more fulfilling quality of life in your golden years.
Flexibility tends to decrease with age, however, with many seniors experiencing joint stiffness and muscle tension as the years go by. As their flexibility declines, many lose mobility, and those with unhealthy lifestyles or medical problems who don’t exercise regularly may go through this process at a faster pace. Understanding why flexibility matters can help you focus on strategies to improve your own and mitigate risks with physical activities that take you through a full range of motion to help you stay limber.
There really is no mobility versus flexibility. These two aspects of your health interconnect and influence each other. For example, good flexibility enhances your ability to move comfortably, which in turn reduces injury risks associated with having stiff joints. Likewise, good mobility helps you perform flexibility exercises to promote better joint health.
Mobility and flexibility in your golden years are influenced by several factors, including age-related joint, muscle and connective tissue changes. That means keeping these parts of your body healthy can improve your health in both areas, and part of that is drinking plenty of water throughout the day. Hydration plays a major role in how easily you move, since it helps lubricate your joints and keep you limber.
Regular exercise is one of the best ways you can improve your mobility, no matter your age. This doesn’t mean you have to run marathons or burn up the gym. You can tailor a regular routine based on what you know you can realistically do.
Likewise, when you like what you’re doing, you tend to keep at it, so pick exercise programs you can look forward to on a regular basis. Depending on your current mobility levels, you might choose strength training, such as lifting dumbbells or kettle balls, balance exercises such as Pilates and yoga or cardio options such as walking on a treadmill.
Enhancing your flexibility is as simple as adding stretching exercises to your everyday routines. Yoga and tai chi walk you through gentle movements that stretch all your muscle groups deeply, promoting relaxation and stress reduction in the process to improve your overall well-being. By integrating these flexibility exercises into your life, you take a proactive approach to maintaining limberness, thus reducing stiffness and improving mobility.
If you need help to get moving, mobility and flexibility aids like canes and walkers provide you with extra stability and the confidence to take walks, and possibly even making them a little longer and faster each time. Physical therapy programs that address your issues with mobility may also help you develop a regular exercise program that’s both safe and effective for your age and skill level. Remember that every journey starts somewhere, and enhancing your mobility improves your quality of life, no matter your age.
Though there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to maintaining mobility and flexibility as the years go by, there are ways you can improve both at any age. Even simple activities like planting flowers or ballroom dancing get you on your feet and moving while improving your quality of life. At Bethesda Gardens Fort Worth, we help our residents stay active with exercise programs and on-site rehabilitation to help you make the most of your golden years.
