Representatives of the Republican Center for Health Promotion and Mass Communication shared tips on maintaining health in old age.
According to them, an active lifestyle, regular medical check-ups, and monitoring key health indicators are essential factors for maintaining activity and improving overall well-being. This allows elderly people to enjoy life.
Old age is a unique stage that can be spent with pleasure and satisfaction if one pays attention to their health. Doctors emphasize that the foundation of good health is a healthy lifestyle, regular medical examinations, and tracking key body indicators.
Recommended health indicators:
Body Mass Index: 18.5-24.9 (weight kg/height m²)
Blood pressure: no higher than 140/90 mm Hg
Blood cholesterol level: no more than 5.2 mmol/L
Blood glucose: fasting in the morning less than 5.6 mmol/L
Vegetables and fruits: at least 500 g per day
Salt: less than 5 g per day
Physical activity: at least five times a week for 30 minutes.
It is recommended to consult a doctor before starting any exercise.
One of the most accessible and beneficial forms of physical activity is walking. A 30-minute walk every day helps improve circulation, strengthen the cardiovascular system, lower blood pressure, and reduce the risk of stroke. Walking normalizes cholesterol and blood sugar levels, improves breathing, helps maintain a healthy weight, and positively affects sleep quality and overall mood. Elderly people should aim for 3,000 to 5,000 steps per day. Using special poles during Nordic walking helps improve posture and reduce back and neck pain, engaging up to 90% of the body's muscles. This type of activity is less injury-prone compared to running and is suitable for people of all ages and fitness levels. Dancing also serves as a good way to maintain physical fitness, developing flexibility, coordination, and balance, while also reducing stress and anxiety levels.
Swimming effectively strengthens muscles and increases overall endurance. Due to its low impact on the joints, this type of activity is accessible even to people with arthritis or arthrosis. Swimming helps reduce pain from osteochondrosis and is actively used in rehabilitation after strokes, heart attacks, and surgeries. Yoga focuses on strengthening muscles, developing joint flexibility, and improving breathing, which helps maintain proper posture.
Pilates is considered one of the safest forms of exercise for elderly people, as the exercises are performed in a gentle mode, often in a lying or semi-lying position, which reduces stress on the joints. Experts recommend exercising gently, avoiding excessive effort to prevent injuries. Workouts can also be done at home — 2-3 times a week for 30-60 minutes.
Doctors emphasize that any physical activity helps reduce stress and anxiety, improves immunity, and positively affects the overall state of the body.
Adelya Klycheva
