You know and your older family member knows that exercise is essential to good health. However, for many people, exercising sounds like it could be a huge time commitment and require a lot of effort. After all, getting the most out of exercise requires doing a hardcore, sweat-inducing workout, right? Maybe not. According to a new study, even small amounts of exercise can help to increase your aging relative’s lifespan.

Exercise and Lifespan Study

The study was conducted by Norwegian researchers who were interested in learning how exercise, even just a little, could impact how long people live. On the reverse side, they also wanted to know more about how a sedentary lifestyle affects life and health. To find out, the researchers looked at existing data from other research. The eight studies used involved in excess of 36,000 people who were 40 years old and older. The participants had been followed for an average of six years.

During the course of the follow-up period, about six percent of the participants passed away. The researchers found that the rate of death sharply declined with the more active participants were. The results showed that the greatest difference in death rates was between those who were least active and those who were most active. In addition, they found that people who spent 9.5 or more hours per day sitting had a much greater risk of dying at a younger age.

Tips for Adding Physical Activity to a Senior’s Life

Exercise doesn’t have to be intimidating. There are all kinds of simple ways to add more activity to a senior’s day, such as those listed below:

• Join or start a walking club. Seniors can invite other people in their neighborhood to join them for a daily walk. Having a club ensures that there will always be someone to talk to while walking and can make exercising much more fun.
• Clean the house. Pushing a vacuum and reaching and bending to dust are all good exercise.
• Exercise on commercial breaks. While watching television, seniors can get up during commercials to march in place or do some stretches.
• Park farther away from stores. Instead of looking for the closest parking spot, park the car near the back of the lot so the senior must walk a little farther.

Senior care can help older adults to add a little more activity to their days. Senior care providers can drive them to do errands and park the care away from buildings. To ensure they remain safe, the senior care provider can escort them through the parking lot to prevent them from falling. Senior care providers can also involve the older adult in cleaning the house with them, giving them tasks they can accomplish that will also get them moving.

The staff at Home Care Matters is available to talk with you and your family about all of your needs. Home Care Matters is a home care agency providing quality and affordable Home Health Care in Gainesville, GA,  areas. Call (678) 828-2195 for more information.

Sources
Webmd.com
Choosemyplate.gov

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Valerie Darling

Founder, Owner at Home Care Matters

Valerie was born in Miami, FL and after a few family moves, grew up locally in the Marietta, GA area.Valerie is the oldest of 4 (3 younger brothers).She is married and has one child.Valerie is the Founder, Owner and CEO of Home Care Matters.Valerie’s mom, Dee, is the inspiration and primary driver as the how and why the business was born.Valerie says, “My mom is never far from our thoughts.Mom was an integral part of developing and starting HCM before she passed away.Our goal is to stay true to her memory and continue to honor her with the love, values, and ethics she taught us.”

Valerie has the unique experience with home care as she has experienced it from both ends of the spectrum, as a caregiver and as needing care herself as a cancer survivor. Valerie says, “Taking care of someone you love is a physically, mentally and demanding labor of love.Taking care of my mom was the hardest thing I have ever done. It has given me an insight and perspective not many people understand unless you are doing it or have done it.I loved taking care of my mom.I love helping others take care of their love ones too.And now that I’ve been sick, it’s given me a whole new level of empathy and understanding for those who are sick and need help.”

Valerie’s schedule varies daily, but she loves visiting with our clients, families, caregivers, our network partners and being in the office.Says Valerie, “Every day is different, but I wake up excited about what we do, inspired by our team, clients and caregivers.I strive to be a resource to the community.I love my team and I love what we do every day. I like to think my mom would be proud.”

You can reach Valerie by email (Valerie@homecarematters.com) or in our office (770.965.4004).

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