Here’s a fact we need to consider: people are living longer. What is their secret? It is not just a better diet, but also more movement. They hold senior Olympic tournaments and thousands compete. People are defying time and taking care of their bodies to look and feel younger. That is the secret.

As we age, certain changes take place in our bodies but we can hold those off by keeping our body in tiptop shape. The best thing for senior adults is to keep the body moving. Older adults often experience circulatory issues and breathing issues.

Any exercise that a senior adult participates in should get their heart rate up and involve their entire body. It is okay if you can’t jump all over the floor. Start at your own pace and work up to a higher level of intensity.

When you walk, swing your arms to involve the upper body. If jogging or running is hard on the knees, take up organized sports. The high impact of tennis or basketball will build stronger bones and joints. Over time, jogging may not be as jarring as it once was.

Believe it or not, seniors have to strength train as well. The level of repetitions is more important than using a higher weight. Start with light poundage like three or five pounds and perform a total body workout twice a week.

Using free weights encourages a greater range of motion than machines. The exercises don’t have to be anything elaborate. Try bicep and triceps curls, leg curls, leg lifts, and shoulder exercise. Push-ups work the chest area and crunches strengthen the core muscle groups.

It is amazing how many seniors find that their blood pressure resumes a normal level, that aches and pains begin to disappear. They sleep better and find they have more energy throughout the day to attend to those things they’ve been putting off because they were just too tired.

This is also an important stage in life to pay attention to diet. That doesn’t necessarily mean a weight loss diet, but a healthy diet, made up of plenty of raw foods, including fruits, vegetables and juices. It’s a good time to cut back on caffeine and increase water intake

as well.

There are plenty of fitness centers that have programs especially set up for seniors to enjoy. Activity tends to increase energy and you’ll probably find yourself considering new activities you may have never tried before. Plenty of seniors play tennis, swim, ride bicycles and work out at the gym.

If those activities seem far out of your range, keep in mind that as you begin an easy program, you’re fitness level with increase and you will soon be able to enjoy activities you thought weren’t within your capability.

The important thing is to keep moving. If you haven’t done any physical activities in a long time, start out by taking a walk around the block. When you exercise, remember to take nice deep breaths to fill your body with oxygen. If you feel yourself becoming breathless, stop for the day and begin again tomorrow. You’ll begin to notice your exercise period lasts longer each time you work out.