Yoga has physical and mental health advantages for people of all ages. If you’re unwell, recovering from surgery, or living with a chronic condition, yoga can be a vital part of your treatment. It can assist you in healing more quickly. June 21, often known as the summer solstice, is the longest day of the year. As a result, this day has been proclaimed as International Yoga Day.
Benefits of yoga
As we become older, our bone density decreases, which can lead to osteopenia (weak bones) or osteoporosis (weak bones that readily fracture). Because there are so many weight-bearing activities in yoga, it helps to maintain and even build bone density. Many older persons are more susceptible to broken and fractured bones as a result of losing their balance and falling. Yoga balancing exercises are not ordinary motions they help you strengthen tiny stabilizer muscles that are typically overlooked. You’re also practising falling better since you’re testing your balance in a more controlled and safe manner. Back discomfort can be debilitating and extremely unpleasant for seniors. Yoga aids this by ensuring that the spine is moved, bent, and stretched in all directions, including laterally, forward folds, twisting, and back bends. Seniors deal with their bodies where they are, depending on their present back health. If you’ve had previous back ailments, Yoga can help you increase core strength, which can help you stay healthy and avoid damage. Muscles, connective tissue, and fascia become less flexible as people age. This causes general discomfort as well as decreased movement. A regular Yoga practice stretches and moves the body, resulting in increased flexibility, mobility, and comfort. It’s very surprising how a daily 10-minute Yoga exercise may boost seniors’ flexibility. A restorative yoga practice, such as Yin and slow flow Yoga, has been proven in certain studies to help reduce hot flashes associated with hormonal changes such as menopause. Stress is an inevitable aspect of life as we age, and seniors must learn to manage it better and more effectively. Yoga is a fantastic way to cope with life’s challenges. The brain’s GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) levels rise as seniors practise yoga. This molecule has been connected to both anxiety reduction and mood elevation. Dopamine and serotonin are also released, which are feel-good hormones. As a result, yoga can assist seniors in managing their stress and anxiety. Regular yoga practice may help seniors to reduce stress and inflammation throughout the body, resulting in healthier hearts. Yoga can help with several of the conditions that contribute to heart disease, including excessive blood pressure and obesity. Yoga can help elders feel less lonely by providing a safe place for communal healing and support. A regular night yoga programme can help seniors get in the correct frame of mind and prepare their bodies to fall and stay asleep. Thus yoga is considered to be the best mental well-being exercise.
Tips for an active mind
- Regular exercise, even if it’s just a simple walk, can help you improve your memory and cognitive abilities. Many elders are physically unable to participate in extended exercise sessions; nevertheless, simply walking about once a day might help seniors maintain a clear mind by increasing oxygen flow to the brain.
- Seniors’ bodies and minds benefit from a proper diet. A well-balanced, healthful diet can help to keep your mind sharp. Seniors should eat fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy, and whole grains rather than saturated fat-rich foods. Foods for good memory include fatty salmon, walnuts, turmeric, blueberries, and broccoli.
- Seniors who take up a craft pastime can keep their minds sharp far into their golden years.
- In seniors, social interaction may help to maintain brain function and perhaps delay the onset of dementia. Elders suffering from dementia or other memory problems will always require professional assistance at home. Athulya home care services in Chennai delivers world-class home care services to seniors, as well as medical counselling. Athulya home care services have well-trained nurses and expert doctors who assist our elderly in a quick recovery. Let us all work together to help our seniors enjoy their golden years with Athulya home care.
