What exercises should you be doing?

• There is no one exercise that is perfect for all of your needs and you would certainly benefit more by adding a mix of activities during the course of a week. 
• It is always helpful to add in dieting especially if you are trying to add in weight loss to your exercising goals as a proper diet also helps with stamina and energy that will help with your workouts.

What does a balanced exercise plan look like?

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends all adults to do at least 3 different types of workouts over a week period.

• 2 or more strength training sessions per week period with at least 2 days in between to allow muscles to recover.
• 150 minutes of aerobic exercise per week.
• Balance exercises for elderly adults to help with fall risks.

An aerobic exercise is also called cardio which are great exercises for burning calories and getting rid of unwanted fat. Examples of these activities are walking, biking, running, and swimming.

Aerobic exercises allow for more oxygen to reach your muscles and boosts your heart rate and breathing which can help lower risk for disease and raise life span down the road.

Strength training is the classic lifting weights with any number of methods that exist for doing that. Dumbbells, weight machines, resistance bands, are all examples of items that can be used for strength training.

Strength training takes place any time your muscles are being used to lift a stronger then usual weight that your body is used to lifting. This causes you over time to develop these muscles and be able to do day to day tasks with more ease. One thing to note about strength training is to focus on form before you focus on weight.

Balance exercises are needed because as we age our balance gets progressively worse if nothing is done about it. Bad balance can cause falls which can cause injuries which could be especially bad for any elderly.

For older adults at risk of having bad balance the guidelines recommend 30 minutes of balance training at least 3 times a week. Plus 30 minutes of walking activities to keep the leg muscles active at least twice a week or more.