By Alex Green
Seniors often find it difficult to keep up their fitness regime and often recoil into inactivity, this makes their body host to several diseases and depression seep into their minds as negative thoughts come pouring like an avalanche. Yoga is the best way for seniors to maintain their overall well-being as it soothes both mind and soul. So, if you are a senior who is desperately looking for an activity that will not be rigorous but at the same time rewarding, grab your best yoga DVD for beginners and completely give into self-love.
Bone and Joint Health Benefits
When someone asks, “what are the main benefits of yoga for seniors?”, one of the most apparent answers would be that it improves the flexibility of the joints. Seniors often suffer from joint stress, arthritis, body pain, knee pain and other forms of limitations which not only cause them agony, but also hinder their daily activities. Medication is always not sufficient. Several yoga poses are especially for seniors of younger people with bone disabilities. These particular poses help them achieve balance and stability which would mitigate the risk of falling down, a very common thing among elderly people.
People often feel a regaining of strength after a few weeks of yoga and this is one among the many other benefits of the practice. If you have stiff joints, yoga is best if you want to avoid further pain. If not for yourself, try for your grand kids. This way of exercise will keep you on your toes with your grandchildren because let’s face it, those munchkins are restless.
Improve Your Mental State
Yoga benefits your mental health like therapy. With age, life seems to get barren of hope, and sometimes self-resignation causes seniors to feel dejected and weak more than physical ailments. It is normal to feel that “I have nothing to look forward to,” but that is not true. Self-love is the ultimate love and the mental benefits of yoga are far-reaching. It gives birth to new hope and joyfulness in you. It helps manage stress and anxiety, and gives you something to look forward to.
Helps Patients with Cardiovascular Disease
We can’t list enough its health benefits, but the benefit that patients with cardiovascular disease have reported is beyond imagination. If you have high blood pressure, yoga can help you control that. The Dean Ornish Program includes yoga in its program for the purpose of reversing heart disease. It helps with breathing issues like asthma and sleep apnea among others. The health benefits of the practice in men are not very different from the health benefits of yoga in women and it is futile to think that one either of the gender can have yoga benefits. The benefits extend to all people and body types.
Weight Loss Program
It is often noted in elderly people that their body weight becomes a major health issue. Along with frequent distance, joints begin to go weak and bones brittle, in this case, if a person is overweight and somehow stumbles down, the recovery would be impossible. A gym is not always the right option for seniors, and thus, yoga is the perfect option here. Benefits of the traditional Eastern practice for weight loss in senior citizens have made it extremely popular among them and it is practiced at every group and homes for their well-being.
Helps in Combating Type 2 Diabetes
Often lifestyle, stress, tension and other complications bar the pancreas from producing enough insulin. This condition is type 2 diabetes. Regular yoga practice can help you manage stress and have a healthier lifestyle along with improved cholesterol levels. Activities in elderly people are minimum and this interferes with metabolism which can cause the above complications along with imbalance in the glucose level. Yoga helps them stimulate the organs for metabolism. There are several yoga poses exclusively dedicated to the exercise of the stomach muscles which in turn can help in better metabolism along with the secretion of enough digestive juices.
However, yoga benefits may fall short if not paired with a healthy lifestyle otherwise. Quit smoking or any adverse habits, grab a mat and start practicing today. Write to us about your experiences and feel free to pose questions. We love to hear from you and share with us how we had the health benefit of yoga.
Author’s Bio
Alex Green is a copywriter with three years of experience. He is fond of healthy living and knows everything about home improvement. In his spare time, Alex likes walking with his golden retriever, meeting with friends and attending the gym.
