Healthy Tip Tuesday: Activities for seniors when it’s cold outside
Ontario is bracing itself for a cold and snowy few months.
Don’t let the cold winter stop you from being active. Here are some senior-friendly indoor activities that you and your loved ones can do during the cold winter months.
Golf
Golf is great for seniors as it is low impact and may help with your range of motion and flexibility. You can get a good workout with all the walking and swinging. There are many indoor golfing facilities in Ontario.
Check a few of them out here:
http://www.theezone.ca/activities/virtual-golf/
Bowling
Bowling allows you to do physical activity while also having fun. It’s a great sport for socializing and for challenging yourself to achieve a better score every time. Just be careful of slippery floors and injuring your wrists and ankles.
Yoga
The gentle breathing and soothing poses of yoga are great for seniors. Yoga can help stretch and strengthen your muscles while also improving your posture. It has also been shown to alleviate stress and improve your sense of well-being.
Tai Chi
There are many benefits of Tai Chi. Doing just 20 minutes a day is said to help with your breathing and reduce your blood pressure and arthritis pain. Tai Chi can help your mind and body by releasing endorphins and improving balance and stability.
Gaming Devices
If travelling outside to do your activities doesn’t sound appealing to you, you can also stay at home and use gaming devices. Nintendo Wii and Xbox Kinect offer motion-sensing gaming devices that can detect your motion. So you can play tennis, baseball, golf and bowling without leaving the comforts of your home.
Don’t let the winter months stop you from being active. There are many options to do the physical activities that you love or have always wanted to try; while being indoors away from the cold. The important thing is to be safe and never push your body beyond what is comfortable. Always check with your health care provider before starting any new physical activity. Let us know your favourite indoor activities during the winter on Twitter @Srs_for_Srs
Sources:
http://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/the-health-benefits-of-tai-chi