Being physically active is important for people of any age, but it’s especially important as one gets older. There is a tendency for people to become more sedentary as they age, which can lead to chronic disease and cognitive impairment. Maintaining aerobic fitness is a key method of aging well & enjoying your golden years.

Fortunately, many people who live in an independent retirement community find that the activities and outings planned by the staff can help them stay active and healthy. Here are a few activities that will help you stay fit:

Walking is a great low-impact endurance exercise. It’s also easy to start as you only need some comfortable shoes and some good stretches to protect your muscles after you finish. Airdrie also has many places to go walking, such as the beautiful trails that run right beside Cedarwood Station.

Swimming is another low-impact exercise that is great for aerobic benefits. There is no joint or bone stress and there is also a lower risk of injury compared with other exercises. You could also do some water aerobics for the same benefits. This is one of the best activities for seniors and Airdrie has an amazing facility in Genesis Place.

Yoga, or similar exercises like Pilates, is a great way to stretch, strengthen muscles, become more flexible, and also improve your balance. These are all great things for seniors to focus on and with yoga, you can focus on your heart rate to ensure that it doesn’t get into a danger zone.

Tai Chi is a meditative exercise that, much like yoga, improves one’s strength and flexibility without injuring joints or adding stress. This also helps relieve stress and improves concentration. It’s a great activity for seniors.

At Cedarwood Station, we help our residents do as much as they can to stay active and healthy. We have numerous activities planned for seniors of any health and fitness level.