Yoga is an excellent way for seniors to boost their mental and physical health. This meditative practice enhances overall wellbeing, and its benefits range from increased flexibility to increased mental awareness. Here are a few ways practicing yoga can help seniors.
1. Strengthen Bones
Bone density decreases with age. This is especially true for senior women because they are at a higher risk for postmenopausal osteoporosis. To ensure bones stay strong and healthy, exercise is essential. Weight-bearing exercises can slow the deterioration of bones. In yoga, people use their own body weight to work against gravity. This makes it an effective exercise option for seniors who want the benefits of weight bearing exercises without the stress of weight lifting.
Doing yoga is one of the many ways seniors can enjoy a high quality of life. Maintaining a high quality of life can be challenging for some seniors, but professional caregivers can help them obtain this goal. Families can trust in Tucson, AZ, home care experts to help their elderly loved ones focus on lifestyle choices that increase the chances of living a longer and healthier life.
2. Manage Blood Pressure
Yoga focuses on calm, controlled breathing. When combined with the physical benefits of yoga, these breathing patterns can lower blood pressure. This is because slow, repeated breaths can slow down the nervous system, which can minimize hypertension.
3. Boost Joint Health
Yoga poses focus on flexibility and balance, and they also keep joints strong. Seniors who experience joint inflammation, soreness, or other conditions may find that yoga reduces their pain levels and enhances their quality of life.
4. Minimize Anxiety
The aging process can be stressful. Seniors who want an outlet for their anxieties should turn to yoga, which can help them stay calm long after their yoga class is finished. Yoga enables the body to respond to stress in a calm and productive way. It can ease respiration, lower the heart rate, and offer several other health benefits.
5. Increase Balance
It’s important for seniors to maintain good balance. One bad fall can lead to broken hips, limbs, and other injuries. Yoga minimizes the chances of falls because it strengthens important core and leg muscles. It also helps people understand the link between the mind and the body, which increases spatial awareness. This is called proprioception, and it’s essential to good balance.
Seniors who need assistance with yoga or other daily tasks should consider professional in-home care. If your aging loved one needs occasional help with bathing, grooming, cooking, or other basic household tasks, or if you need time to attend to important personal matters, reach out to Home Care Assistance, a leading provider of live-in and respite care. Tucson seniors can maintain their independence while living at home with the help of our reliable respite caregivers.
6. Train the Brain
While yoga has many physical benefits, many people turn to this practice for its mental component. Yoga classes involve meditation and breathing exercises, which clear the mind and boost overall brain function. This is especially helpful for seniors living with conditions like dementia. Yoga combines controlled breathing with repeated movements, which forces the mind to synchronize with the body.
7. Increase Happiness
There are several ways yoga boosts mood. Practicing yoga poses is an emotional release, controlled breathing leads to a sense of calm, and meditation clears the mind of anxious thought patterns. Another way yoga contributes to happiness is through the brain chemical GABA. During yoga class, the level of GABA increases, which reduces feelings of fear and anxiety.
Aging in place can present a few unique challenges for older adults. Some only require part-time assistance with exercise or meal preparation, while others are living with serious illnesses and benefit more significantly from receiving live-in home care. Tucson, AZ, Home Care Assistance are leaders in the elderly in-home care industry for good reason. We tailor our care plans based on each senior’s individual needs, our caregivers continue to receive updated training in senior care as new developments arise, and we also offer comprehensive care for seniors with Alzheimer’s, dementia, and Parkinson’s. If your loved one wants to enjoy a higher quality of life while aging in the comfort of home, call us at (520) 276-6555 today.