Get Your Senior Moving More in the New Year

Being more active is a resolution that many make as the new year rolls around. Activity is important not only for physical health but for mental health. It is crucial for seniors, especially as they strive to maintain independence. As 2024 begins, making a resolution to help the seniors in your life be more active is a great one. Here are some ideas to get your seniors moving more in the new year.

Get Outside

There’s a reason you’re in Florida for the winter months, and one of them is the mild climate. January and February are perfect times to get outside and exercise with less humidity and heat. Combine your exercise with the beauty of nature, and head to the beach for a challenging walk in the sand. Alternatively, head to nearby Lake Griffin State Park, walk the trails and see if you can spot any wildlife, including bobcats and even bears, which have been spotted frequently on the property. Maybe you want to try birding, which is wildly popular at Lake Griffin. It gets you outside, moving and trying a new hobby. The park also offers opportunities to canoe and kayak. If you are new to the activity, they offer guided paddle tours. If you’re not up for driving to your activity destination, walking around your neighborhood can help increase activity. You can take a new route each day or try to increase your mileage or steps little by little each day, with new goals each month. Grab a kite and fly it at the nearby parks. As you try to control your colorful contraption in the wind, it takes arm strength and balance, which can be great for increasing a senior’s activity level.

Take A Seat

Even if your loved one has limited mobility, they still can incorporate more movement into their lives. Seniors with limited mobility can try chair yoga, which can help with balance and steadiness. It can increase muscle mass and improve strength. Several places throughout The Villages are offering classes for the new year. Stretching exercises are great for seniors and can also be done from a chair, the couch or even in bed before they get up in the morning. Both yoga and stretching can help improve flexibility, reduce stiffness, improve circulation and enhance mental positivity.

Boogie in the New Year

A fun way to incorporate more activity into your senior's life is through dance. Dancing often brings out the joy in our seniors. Turn on some tunes they like and dance together. It can be old-time music they love or something new. Have the grandkids play some tunes and have a dance party in the living room. For more organized dancing, The Enrichment Academy offers classes in dances you may never have tried before or in things that might bring back some memories from your youth. You can try the Samba or even some barre work or ballet. Grab some friends and sign up for some old-fashioned ballroom dancing classes to give the contestants on Dancing With the Stars a run for their money.

Look to the Ordinary

Adding more activity into the lives of seniors doesn’t have to be complicated. Even ordinary activities can offer more movement. For example, gardening is great exercise. Seniors can plan even more flowers or fruits this year. Pruning, weeding and caring for plants takes a lot of work. Parking further away at the stores and seeing if you can increase your steps by 100 each day is a great challenge to begin. Taking the stairs or walking places is also an easy way to add more activity into the lives of seniors. 

Visiting Angels Can Help

At Visiting Angels, our professionally trained caregivers can help your senior loved one on their quest to be more active this year. From helping to ensure they are safe and secure and don’t fall to offering companionship on walks, our caregivers can help with what your seniors need. In addition, our caregivers at Visiting Angels The Villages can also help care for and watch over your senior loved one to ensure they are eating their meals and taking their medication. Our caregivers can also help with everyday needs, such as help with toileting, bathing and getting ready each morning and specialty needs, such as dementia care.

Our caregivers serve seniors in The Villages, Lady Lake, Fruitland Park and other communities in Lake and Sumter counties. We can help your senior loved ones maintain meaningful lives. For information on helpers in Lake and Sumter Counties, contact us online or call us at (352) 643-0702.