Is Your Parent Struggling to get Out of the Chair?
It’s a fact of life, that as we age we lose muscle mass. A good part of that comes from lack of use, and from lack of adequate diet to help us maintain our strength. So how do we return what was lost? [1]
2 Simple Things You Can Do Right Now to Help
1) Get them moving!
There are plenty of exercise options for seniors that can help them regain their strength. At this stage of life a lot of strength is lost due to inactivity.
Whether they do walking, water aerobics, tai chi, or resistance training, all of these will help build strength. If they are having trouble getting out of their chair, it is because of severe deconditioning. [2]
What you can do with them right now:
You can help them enroll in an exercise program. You can help them walk to regain some strength. Or you can do chair squats with them.
Chair squat procedure:
Help them into a standing position in front of a sturdy chair.
While they are holding on to you, have them slowly (as slow as they can) lower into the chair.
Help them stand again, and repeat this process 5-10 time.
Rest and repeat if they are feeling up to it.
If you can help them do this a couple times a week, it can strengthen their legs again so that they can get out of a chair more easily on their own.
2) Make Sure They Are Eating Well
A large part, probably upward of 70%, of our strength and health comes from our diet. A good general rule of thumb is if we eat well, we feel well.
As we get to our later stages of life, our body doesn’t metabolize as it used to. This means our metabolism slows down, and we are unable to process as much of the food we intake and turn it into something useful within our body. [3]
That is why it is vitally important that people of advanced age eat more protein, and get proper portions of vegetables to get the nutrients their body needs to hold on to the strength they have. [4]
Often times people at this stage of life lose a lot of muscle mass and weight because they aren’t eating as much as their body needs.
Conclusion
It is important for those after the age of 60 to get proper nutrition, and it is vitally important that they keep moving and exercising. Keeping a regular exercise regiment can vastly improve quality of life. It can reduce aches and pains, increase energy levels, increase mobility, and reduce injury.
