Age is just a number, and you can work out at any age. One is never too old to exercise and there’s no such thing called as a good age to start working out. Seniors are often advised by doctors to do some sort of exercise in order to stay active.
Yasmin Karachiwala, celebrity fitness trainer and Pilates expert, who has trained many Bollywood stars like Katrina Kaif, Alia Bhatt, and Deepika Padukone, has shared some exercises for the elderly on her Instagram recently. She says these upper and lower body workouts are inspired by her mother Kulsum Qureishi.
Lower Body Workout For The Elderly
Yasmin showed 6 lower body exercises for seniors, which she divided the into two categories – the first 3 exercises are for those who have never exercised before and want to start, and the next 3 exercises are for them to do once they gain some strength.
These include:
- Seated Bent Knee Lift (10 reps each)
- Seated Knee Extension (10 reps each)
- Supported Standing Heel Lifts (10-15 reps)
- Seated Heel Lifts (10-15 reps)
- Standing Straight Leg Back (8-10 reps)
- Supported Standing Side Lift (8-10 reps each)
Watch Yasmin Karachiwala’s video and help your parents try these exercises:
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Upper Body Workout For The Elderly
Yasmin demonstrated the upper body workout for the elderly with the help of her mother. “My mom inspires me everyday and I hope today she can inspire you too,” she wrote. Exercises for the upper body include:
- External Rotation (10-15 reps)
- Tricep Extension (10-15 each)
- Shoulder Circles & Reverse (15 reps each)
- Reverse Grip Bicep Curls (10-15 reps)
- ROM – Range of Motion (8-10 reps)
Yasmin shows how to do it in this video:
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The fitness trainer advises consulting your physician before doing these exercises, if you have any pain in the body. Yasmin asked fans to share these exercises with their loved ones and encourage them to be active.
According to the available data and studies it has been found that older adults are more vulnerable to coronavirus infection due to their decreased immunity and co-morbidities like diabetes, hypertension, chronic kidney disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Along with this higher Covid mortality rate is also seen among the elderly.
Considering this risk, health experts and government authorities have been advising the elderly population to avoid going to hospital for routine checkup or follow up and instead make tele-consultation with the healthcare provider, as far as possible.
