Although there are benefits to stretching for everybody, seniors in particular should spend time stretching every day. Stretching assists with relaxation, flexibility, strength and fitness. Traditionally, stretching is thought to be for warming up and soothing muscles before and after Exercise. With the modern day popularity of practices like Yoga and Pilates, it is now seen as much more, and stretching for some is their whole Exercise regime.

Benefits of Stretching for Seniors

Everyone slows down with age, and many senior citizens give up Exercise all together for fear of injury. This causes the body to weaken further and can progress to loss of strength and onset of disease, so even walking becomes extremely difficult.

These problems can be avoided in most cases by maintaining a regular Exercise routine that will keep the muscles strong and mobile. Many mature aged people dislike jolting aerobic exercises, so stretching for seniors routines can be very beneficial.

The added bonus to choosing stretching for exercise is the relaxing and soothing feeling it brings. Developing stronger muscles and joints will make you feel invincible and able to participate in a wider variety of activities. Whether you decide to spend a few minutes a day or have an hour long routine, stretching will really get your body moving!

Immobility only promotes weak joints and stiff muscles. Untrained muscles shrink gradually over time to the point where basic tasks become impossible. Small aches and pains become more noticeable and prominent in the body of someone with small, weak muscles and joints. To avoid this becoming the story of your daily suffering you should follow a gentle stretching for seniors routine beginning today.

Seniors can often have issues with poor circulation, impacting their hearts and mobility in negative ways. Stretching is fantastic for circulation and has also been found to reduce symptoms of joint and muscle degenerating diseases.

All these benefits of stretching for seniors also contribute to alleviating depression and promote the production of serotonin, which provides an overall feeling of wellbeing. Seniors can stretch alone at home or join the gym and take some stretch, yoga or pilates classes. To begin, you only need five or ten stretches to focus on each day and in no time you will feel better and want to do more.

How to Stretch

It may seem too simple or time-wasting, but persevere for a few weeks and your opinion will change. Even if you currently only have a small range of movement, stretching can improve your quality of living. Usually a stretch is held for a few seconds and as you improve you can build up to twenty seconds or more. You should always do an exercise on one side first, then return to your stationary position and repeat for the other side.

Another way to increase the effectiveness of stretching for seniors is to start your session with a five or ten minute walk. This or a nice bath can warm the muscles up beforehand to make the stretching easier and help prevent injury.

When you are ready to begin, aim to hold each stretch for up to thirty seconds, and don’t worry if it is only a few when you are a beginner. Try to include a hamstring stretch, back stretch, torso stretch and neck stretch.

Basic Stretches for Seniors

Simply sit with another chair in front and put one leg up onto it. Keeping your back straight, gently lean forward until you feel a pull up the back of your leg. Remember not to over do it and don’t try to go too far with any stretches until you know your body and how it reacts. An easy back stretch is to clasp your hands in front of you and slowly lean forward. Point the top of your head towards the ground and allow the weight of your arms only to pull you. If you feel the stretch in your back before your hands are down or your head points to the floor, stop and don’t try to go further. Now put your arms above your head and again interlace your fingers. Slightly lean to one side, feeling the torso stretch. Hold and then repeat for the other side. Neck stretches should always be done with care, so again, very gently roll your head from one side to the other without going forward. If you feel like holding the neck stretch in one spot for a few seconds or more, you can, but only go as far as you can without force.

Of course there are more stretches that can be done, and stretching for seniors is becoming more popular every day. If you have any concerns you should always consult your doctor before you begin, but the majority will find them to be very encouraging.

-By: Nicholas Hurd

Nick Hurd writes about aging and baby boomer generation and how to not only cope with the changes, but live a very healthy and active life. More information is available at www.youreover50.com… Fitness for seniors copyright 2007 Nicholas Hurd all rights reserved

As recently as 40 years ago, a diagnosis of glaucoma meant certain blindness. Today, with the miracles of modern science, it is a treatable disease that assures the senior citizen who inherits it a full life of good eyesight.

But what is glaucoma?

It is a progressive disease in which the ocular pressure increases, sometimes to the extent that the optic nerve (that connects the eye to the brain) is damaged and sight is impaired or totally lost. But some people develop glaucoma with low eye pressure, and those cases are more difficult to diagnose because there aren’t any symptoms until the visual field is already damaged.

There are two common types of glaucoma… open angle and closed angle. Closed angle glaucoma occurs when the drainage area for the aqueous humor (fluid in the front part of the eye) is blocked. Because the eye is a closed structure, the excess fluid cannot flow out of the eye if the angle is blocked. Fluid pressure within the eye will increase, pushing against the optic nerve and potentially causing damage.

Open angle glaucoma occurs when the drainage angles in the eye become less efficient; pressure builds gradually and sometimes without symptoms. In this kind of glaucoma, damage to the optic nerve can occur so slowly that the patient is unaware her sight is becoming impaired. This issue is the reason senior citizens are cautioned to have annual eye exams with a qualified ophthalmologist who will check the eye pressure and perform additional tests if intraocular pressure exceeds normal limits (20-22mmHg).

Acute closed angle glaucoma occurs when intraocular pressure builds up suddenly. Seniors are cautioned to contact their ophthalmologist immediately if any of the following symptoms occur:

• blurred vision
• severe eye pain;
• headache;
• rainbow-colored halos around lights;
• nausea and vomiting

Some people are at higher risk for glaucoma and need to be evaluated by an ophthalmologist every 1-2 years. Those at risk for glaucoma include senior citizens with the following characteristics or issues:

• elevated eye pressure;
• family history of glaucoma;
• African ancestry;
• nearsightedness;
• past eye injuries;
• diabetes

The good news is that treatment is relatively simple for the majority of glaucoma victims. Daily eye drops keeps the condition under good control for many patients, and the optic nerve remains undamaged.

Some require laser surgery to create additional drainage for the aqueous humor. Again treatment results are generally good for such glaucoma patients, and continued daily eye drops keep the condition under control.

The American Academy of Ophthalmology provides additional information for the many variations of the basic condition known as glaucoma.

-By: Sharon Elrod

Article provided by Sharon Shaw Elrod. Senior Citizen Journal, Your Partner in Productive Aging, provides current and relevant information on topics of interest to seniors. Please visit my web site at http://www.seniorcitizenjournal.com.

Exercising is much more advantageous for our health than most individuals are conscious of. Most people are aware of the obvious physical benefits, like accelerating the ability of your lungs to render oxygen to the blood. Exercise likewise extends the capacity of our muscles to sufficiently use the oxygen in the blood, and we increase the potency of the heart, enabling it to pump larger pints of blood. These advantages make us fitter. But many people are not aware of the hidden benefits to exercising; working out improves the circulation of blood to our brains, making us mentally crisper and more coherent. Sometimes elderly people are more afraid of exercising because we fear that we may hurt ourselves, but senior fitness is essential, and there’s nothing to be afraid of as long as we adhere to a few simple rules of thumb.

Workouts for the elderly don’t have to differ much from those of youths. Clearly, you must be more painstaking to avert injury, and you might need to take lengthier periods of rest to recuperate between workouts, but working out is basically the same for elders as for younger people. And today it is simpler to keep active; in the past, there were not nearly as many gyms and chances for fitness. Don’t be put off by some of the intimidating appliances that you see in commercials nowadays. Forget about them. It is much safer and just as advantageous to abide by a well-balanced senior fitness routine. For the most beneficial program, include not only aerobic Exercises, but also stretching out and strength training.

Aerobic Activity

Aerobic Exercise is vital in decelerating the aging process. Aerobic Exercise improves oxygen intake by your body, so aerobic exercise helps the body generate energy more skillfully.

Stretching

Stretching is essential because it impacts the flexibility of your joints. It likewise improves posture (which is especially accommodating for those of us who struggle with back pain) and reduces soreness and tension of your muscles. Stretching improves circulation, which in turn accelerates the recovery time of your muscles. It can likewise reduce stress and improve coordination and balance.

Strength Training

Strength training is great for constructing thick bones and raising bone denseness. If you employ strength training on a standard basis, you will detect a striking improvement in everyday activities, like taking in the groceries and cleaning around your home. Do not think you have to use a giant weight lifting machine; it is enough to do easy strength training exercises in the comfort of your own house as part of the senior fitness regiment.

-By: Nicholas Hurd

Nick Hurd writes about aging and baby boomer generation and how to not only cope with the changes, but live a very healthy and active life. More information is available at http://www.youreover50.com … Fitness for seniors

copyright 2009 Nicholas Hurd all rights reserved