There are 7 senior fitness group benefits you may not be aware of. And 10 senior fitness groups you haven’t considered – I present them for you here!
How would you like to meet uplifting, positive new friends in an environment that leads to a healthier, happier you?
If so, then today’s article is a must read for you.
Today, I’ll show you exactly where to find these wonderful new friends and how finding them might just be the best thing you’ve ever done.
It can lead to these 7 amazing benefits:
A happier you
A healthier you
A less lonely you
A more flexible you
A more confident you
A more mentally alert you
A longer living you
“Yea! Let’s go Bob, tell us more!”
If you remember, in a previous article on Senior Seated Yoga, I talked about the importance of staying loose, flexible, and limber to fully enjoy your travel opportunities. I discussed these travel opportunities, in some detail, in my 4 Part series on Solo Senior Travel Opportunities.
Turns out, it’s just as important to stay loose, stay limber, stay flexible in our day-to-day life. The greater our range of motion, balance and strength, the more things we can do, and do without pain.
Then, a thought occurred to me this morning on my way to the grocery store…
What if, we could combine two things into the same activity and quickly double our joy and benefits?
You know the expression, “Kill two birds with one stone.”
I hate the literal thought of that phrase, but have to admit that it’s a very efficient way to get the point across clearly. Everyone gets the concept, fast.
We do one thing. And two benefits arise. Expend minimum effort, for maximum gain.
And here in this post, I show you how to obtain 7 of those pesky benefit birds listed above, with one simple stone.
Don’t hate! Don’t hate! Please. I love animals. I have pets. Birds too. I would never hurt any of them and detest anyone who would. Please, if you have a better phrase that conveys the same message as clearly, I’d love to hear it. I’ll use it.
Back to you..
Here’s how you can get all seven of the benefits listed above with one simple action:
Join a fitness group!
The easiest way to make new friends, is to do something with a group of people that share the same interest as you. You want to get healthier, more flexible, perhaps gain strength or lose weight – so why not do it at the same time as others and make new friends! Everyone wins!
And there are so many fitness opportunities and groups to choose from. Surely one can be right, or right enough, for you!
Here are the top 10 friend making fitness group opportunities you might enjoy, but maybe never thought of:
- 1. Senior walking group: Joining a senior walking group can help improve cardiovascular health, maintain a healthy weight, and reduce your risk of chronic diseases. Walking with a group can provides the social support and motivation needed to stick to a routine. Get out there now. They’re waiting for you. the more the merrier. Be sure to look for Garden Walks as well, so you can see nature at it’s best.
- 2. Yoga for seniors: Practicing yoga can improve flexibility, balance, strength and reduce your risk of falls. This was covered in my recent article on Senior Seated Yoga for Travelers. Yoga can help reduce stress and anxiety, aid sleep, and promote overall well-being. Here’s a link to a popular SilverSneakers video. They are, a nationwide program which offers seniors access to fitness facilities, classes, and social events. Members can participate in everything from yoga to weightlifting. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kF4dsXD8mII
- 3. Senior dance classes: Participating in dance classes can improve cardiovascular health, balance, coordination, and flexibility. It’s also a fun way to socialize and meet new people. Line dancing, polka, waltz, and more – dancing for health opportunities abound.
- 4.Tai Chi for seniors: Tai chi is a low-impact form of exercise that can improve balance, posture, flexibility, and strength. It can reduce your risk of falls, as well as reduce your stress and improve your mental well-being. Practiced for thousands of years in the East, now more popular than ever for its benefits in the Western world. Many community centers and gyms offer Tai Chi classes for seniors. There are also a variety of online resources available. One example of an online resource is the Tai Chi for Health Institute, which offers a range of instructional videos and resources for seniors. here’s the link to their website – https://taichiforhealthinstitute.org/
- 5. Senior cycling group: Cycling can improve cardiovascular health while offering sunshine, fresh air, and friendship. There are long distance cycle clubs to explore exotic locations, there a slow-ride cycling clubs that meet for leisurely rides around your neighborhood. And there are indoor cycling groups that meet fair weather and foul, indoors on stationary bikes. However you like to roll, there’s probably a cycling club near you.
- 6. Aqua aerobics & Swim Clubs: Aqua aerobics and swimming are a low-impact form of exercise that is gentle on joints and ideal for seniors with mobility issues. It can help improve cardiovascular health, build strength and flexibility, and help reduce stress levels. Here’s an aqua aerobics video for seniors you might enjoy- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSS4_G97tSA
- 7. Strength training: Strength training is essential for maintaining muscle mass and bone density as we age. It can help improve overall physical function, balance, and flexibility, thereby reducing your risk of falls and injuries. Many gyms offer strength training classes specifically for seniors, and there are also a variety of online resources available. One example of an online resource is the National Institute on Aging’s Go4Life program, which provides a range of strength training resources for seniors. You can strength train at home as well, but joining a group adds motivation, accountability and that all important social element we’re going for. Not just for men, strength training is needed by women as well to maintain optimal health and mobility.
- 8. Outdoor recreation groups: Outdoor recreation groups, such as hiking, biking, canoeing, or kayaking offer the benefit of physical activity in a natural outdoor setting. See new places, talk with friends and share adventures as you give your body a workout. Great for physical and mental health. I discovered the joy of kayaking groups several years ago when my knee went out. It was a sitting down sport, no legs required! Still active. Still social. Get out there. You can make excuses not to ’till the cows come home. Or you can find a way.
- I love the phrase, “You can make excuses or progress, but not both.”
- 9. Ping-Pong -great for balance, overall body engagement, and coordination, especially eye-hand. It might look like a casual, simple game to the uninitiated spectator. But if you’ve ever played seriously, you know it’s a workout! When my dad and I used to play in the basement, we both had worked up a raging sweat by game’s end. It’s fun, invigorating, and a great workout for your whole body and mind. Plus, it feels great to win!
- Watch these crazy table tennis action clips from the best players in the world: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkeUQ76uVx4
- 10. Pilates classes: According to AARP and Gia Calhoun, vice president, content director and instructor at Pilates Anytime, “Pilates’ principles focus on concentration, centering, control, precision, flow and breathing. Contrology, or the art of control, helps to align multiple aspects at the same time. “You are controlling your body, your mind and your spirit, and kind of bringing everything together. It uses resistance to create streamlined movement patterns and it’s really good for anybody — there’s no impact on your joints,” she says. “It’s very safe and effective.” Pilates, while not an outright substitute for other forms of exercise, can help you develop those smaller muscles which help you do everything else, better.
- Here’s a link to Pilates Anytime:
- https://www.pilatesanytime.com/
- Plus, there are specialized Arthritis Exercise Groups. And specialized Parkinson’s Exercise Groups too.
While most all of these activities can certainly be done by yourself, you’ll be missing a bird if you fly solo. You’ll miss that all important social component which adds joy, variety, community, connection, friends, motivation, and commitment.
How good are you at motivating yourself? If you’re like most, not so good. But you’ll get your butt to the gym or whatever, if you know your friend is expecting you! “We’ll do more for others than we’ll ever do for ourselves.”
There’s an old African proverb that advises,
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
I’m not sure about you, but age 100 is still pretty far off for me. So I’ll be needing some togetherness for sure.
How about you? Are you ready to get started?
If not, a word of caution please….
Regret for what we might have done is almost cliche,
as we draw closer to that final hour of our life on this plane.
I was reminded of this recently when my wife, the singer, for whom English is a second language, asked me to help her understand the lyrics of a song.
The song was, “Never Been To Me” by Charlene. An oldie but a goodie.
If you’re not familiar, I recommend you have a listen. Timeless music and tear-jerking lyrics.
The gist of which was, the wild-living singer is addressing the housewife, the mother, who is discontented with her life now. Thinking perhaps, that she has wasted her talents, her life, and all she might have been by settling down. She fantasizes now about living the “good life” and dreams of running away from this prozaic life she has made, to something better. Something more exciting.
But the jet-setting singer advises, this “good life” you imagine, is a fantasy and comes at a high cost. One you might not be happy with. She knows, for this singer, has paid dearly for living the “good-life”. She finds herself alone now. Never married. No children. Out of places and faces to run to. And she regrets now, trying to find happiness from without, instead of looking within, where it can truly be found.
What’s past is past, for all of us. We can only direct our lives moving forward.
The late, great, inspirational business speaker, Jim Rohn, put it this way:
“We must all suffer one of two pains; the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. Discipline weighs ounces, regret weighs tons.”
Being active, getting up and out, and connecting socially may be difficult and require some discipline on our part. Stepping out of our comfort zone. But the consequences of not doing it, weigh tons.
There is a world of uplifting, positive new friends out there, meeting in an environment right now that leads to a healthier, happier you. They’d like to welcome you.
Let’s join them, eh? So we can be:
Happier
Healthier
Less lonely.
More flexible.
More confident
More mentally alert
and
Live longer to enjoy all that too!
Why not start your search now on Google, or Meetup.com, or your local senior center, YMCA, Gyms, or any any of the websites linked to above, to find a group which interests you.
Complete this phrase as we part ways for the day,
“If it’s going to be, it’s up to __!
“Bene Vivere!”
Bob “Elderbob” Schwarztrauber
P.S. I hoped you guessed the answer, to the fill in the blank above is, “ME”.
