Whether you’ve made your own resolution to get healthier or you’ve gotten some encouragement from your doctor to do so, a wide range of senior workout programs are available to you. In addition to the physical benefits offered by simple exercise routines or ones of greater difficulty, elderly exercise programs also support mental and emotional health, especially those that incorporate group classes. Here, learn more about senior workout programs near you, as well as how attending classes can help cultivate a more positive mindset in general!
How Elderly Exercise Programs Support Positive Mindsets
Exercise is one of the activities that help seniors create a healthy lifestyle. However, in addition to aiding in fall prevention, helping in the prevention of chronic illnesses, and generally contributing to quality of life, the National Council on Aging highlights the mood-boosting benefit of exercise for seniors. Research from the Department of Kinesiology at Iowa State University’s College of Health and Human Sciences further highlights these additional advantages of group workouts:
- Other people who are excited about exercise can help increase your own enthusiasm about your senior workout program. Being able to laugh with each other as you wobble in tree pose or cheer each other on after that challenging aerobic sequence helps develop a positive mindset around exercise and make it more fun!
- Attending an exercise class with a friend or a family member or making connections with others in the class supports motivation, which often means to continued attendance. In addition to consistency, sharing the experience with others may also increase resiliency even if one class feels particularly challenged or the body is a bit sore.
- Group workout settings increase a sense of connection. Especially for an elderly parent who never seems happy, perhaps due to feelings of isolation or loneliness, elderly exercise programs are a helpful opportunity for building new relationships and being part of a community.
In short, attending group classes offered by many senior workout programs is about more than physical fitness. Other positive impacts that seniors may experience include a greater sense of connection and motivation. Plus, group exercise classes help expand support networks and social opportunities, as well as less stress and more joy! To ensure that you are making the right choices for your individual health considerations, consult with your doctor about starting an exercise program and the senior workout programs that you are planning to try.
Senior Workout Programs Near You
If you are looking to maximize the overall health benefits of an elderly exercise program, group classes near you may be the perfect choice. From curated programs to designing your own program schedule from a menu of different courses and even locations, there are many options, as you’ll discover during your search for the right senior workout program near you. To help you in your exploration, here are some of the different opportunities that may be available in your community:
- Residential Programs: From retirement communities to assisted living residences, you may not even have to leave the property boundaries to find the senior workout programs near you. For example, Arbors of Hop Brook offers a diverse wellness program that targets multiple factors that contribute to senior well-being. With opportunities for group classes like Morning Stretch as well as workout-from-home exercise video showings, the community calendars available in assisted or independent living communities often share the available options for the week or month.
- Senior Center: A community’s senior center offers numerous benefits, often including elderly exercise programs. For example, the Manchester Senior Center offers a wide range of group classes that target balance, strength, flexibility and cardio health in addition to other active experiences, like Tai Chi, yoga, dancing, WII bowling and more! If you live in Manchester, CT or near it east of the river, here is the comprehensive list of programs that you might incorporate into your senior workout program as well as your social calendar.
- Health Clubs: From YMCAs to other health clubs and gyms in the area, programming designed especially for seniors may be available. For example, located in the same town as Arbors of Hop Brook, ML Fitness offers Silver Sneakers Fitness classes. Per the overview of these courses, facilitators aim to meet each participant at their individual fitness and skill levels within the group setting. Another goal of group classes like Senior Strength and Senior Total Conditioning is to provide a space for members to connect with each other and the instructor via the fitness community. For those who prefer more private coaching, personal training is another option that may be available in various fitness locations.
- Specialty Studios and Other Locations: For those who enjoy variety in their lives and senior workout programs, you might design your exercise schedule around different locations that cater to your preferred exercise options. For example, you might pair the strength training that you do with your friends at a local gym or in your residential community with yoga classes at a nearby yoga studio, like Lotus Yoga in Manchester.
- On-demand and Live Online Programs: SilverSneakers is a helpful resource for elderly exercise programs. This fitness and wellness program offers a location search tool that enables you to find fitness and community locations near you or anywhere you may visit that offer senior workout classes. Other class options available at SilverSneakers include LIVE online classes or strictly on-demand videos.
At Arbors of Hop Brook, comprehensive care is the cornerstone of our community. Whether our community members take advantage of on-site senior workout programs or need support in finding other options in the area, our team is here to assist. To learn more about our senior living community, contact us to schedule a tour to experience it for yourself!