The Gunnison Valley HealthSpot

The Gunnison Valley HealthSpot is a monthly resource for information on a variety of topics ranging from the best way to get a good night's sleep to women's health.

Fitness for older adults

with Megan Mensing and Julie Ebert

For older adults, regular exercise is vitally important and can help control your body weight, cholesterol levels, and blood pressure. In addition to fighting osteoporosis, regular exercise can strengthen your muscles, bones, and ligaments as well as lower your risk of falling or other injury. Even if you haven’t been active for a while, you can start slowly with easy exercises at home to build your endurance, strength, balance, and flexibility.

To build your strength, try chair push-ups. It’s easy, sit in a chair with side rails, place your hands on the rails and press your bottom off the chair using your arms. This will work your biceps, shoulders, and triceps. You can also try a modified push up against the wall. Stand with your toes 12 to 18 inches from the wall, lean forward slightly and place your hands on the wall, and slowly bend your elbows to lower your body towards the wall until your nose nearly touches it. Then slowly straighten your elbows and return back to standing position. Start slowly and build up repetitions over time. You can even turn it into a competition with yourself to see if you can get in more repetitions each day.

For balance, try a few basic exercises right at home. Try standing behind a sturdy chair and rest one hand on the back of it. Lift up your right leg and bend your knee slightly. Hold for 10 seconds and repeat with your left leg.

For older adults, easy exercises like these at home can go a long way to improving your fitness and maintaining your health.

Check in regularly or check the Crested Butte News, Gunnison Country Times, or Gunnison Shopper for the latest monthly HealthSpot topic. You can also hear the HealthSpot on KBUT.

Previous Healthspot Topics:
January 2017 - Behavioral Health with Behavioral Health Specialist Lori Fuller
February 2017 - Heart Health with Cardiopulmonary Director Jason Platzer
March 2017 - Opioid Abuse Prevention with Dr. John Tarr and Kari Commerford
April 2017 - Blood Testing with the GVH Laboratory Team
May 2017 - Women's Health with Family Birth Center Director Holly Rickert
June 2017 - Summer Skin Care with Dermatologist Dr. Anthony Timko
July 2017 - Proper Bike Fit with Rehab and Athletic Medicine Team Member Michael Kugler
August 2017 - Concussion Management with Rehab and Athletic Medicine Team Member Kristin Grimes
September 2017 - Healthy Sleep for a Healthy Life with Cardiopulmonary Director Jason Platzer
Otober 2017 - Breast Cancer Awareness and Prevention with Dr. Stephanie Timothy
November 2017 - Developing Your Child's Language Skills with Speech Therapist Jen Moore

Gunnison Valley Health
711 North Taylor Street | Gunnison, CO 81230 | 970-641-1456