Should the elderly walk or cycle?
Cycling and walking are familiar exercises for the elderly. So should the elderly cycle or walk? How to make walking and cycling effective?
The elderly are those aged 60 and over. Appropriate exercise for the elderly is extremely important, not only contributing to improving health but also prolonging life.
Benefits of cycling for the elderly
Cycling is one of the ways to help increase physical strength, balance and improve health in the elderly.
- Easy on muscles and joints: Cycling puts less pressure on muscles and joints than walking, suitable for people with joint problems or needing to recover from injury.
- Strengthens immunity and is good for the cardiovascular system: Cycling helps increase immunity, stabilizes cholesterol and blood fat levels, and reduces the risk of other cardiovascular diseases such as stroke and high blood pressure. Cycling is also very good for patients with other metabolic diseases such as diabetes.
In addition, cycling also helps the elderly have a clearer mind and maintain a reasonable weight.
Notes for effective cycling
If the elderly are concerned about the safety of cycling outdoors, they can choose to cycle indoors for more safety. However, cycling outdoors will help the elderly reduce stress and feel more comfortable.
In addition, the elderly should not cycle at night or in bad terrain (rough, slippery, etc.) to limit the risk of injury. The elderly need to choose a suitable bike that is comfortable to ride.
In addition, you should warm up thoroughly before cycling and cycle at a moderate frequency. Moreover, you should pay attention to cycling with the correct posture, at a reasonable speed, and not cycling too fast, which can cause safety risks.
The elderly should walk outdoors.
Walking is considered one of the simplest and easiest outdoor exercises for the elderly. Every day, the elderly only need to walk about 30 minutes to bring many health benefits. In addition to reducing the risk of stroke and cardiovascular diseases, walking also brings many benefits such as:
- Improve cardiovascular health: Elderly people are at risk of facing many types of cardiovascular diseases. Walking helps promote better blood flow throughout the body. In addition, walking helps promote metabolism in the body, protecting the cardiovascular system.
- Increase bone density, protect joints. As you get older, calcium in your body decreases, which can lead to injuries if you exercise vigorously or in the wrong posture. Regular, gentle walking can strengthen your bones.
- Improve sleep. Elderly people often have trouble sleeping at the beginning and end of sleep. Walking can help the elderly reduce the risk of insomnia.
Notes to make walking more effective
Below are some notes that the elderly should remember to make walking more effective.
Avoid incorrect posture: When walking, the elderly often make mistakes such as leaning forward too much or leaning back too much, taking too long strides... in the long run this will cause damage to the spine and knee joints.
Overexertion: Many people think that the more they walk, the better, but they do not pay attention and listen to their bodies. How long they walk depends on each person's physical condition. If they exercise too much, it can increase pressure on the knees, which can eventually damage the knee joint.
Subjective psychology: Walking is quite easy to do, so many people often subjectively do not pay attention to factors that can make walking ineffective such as: choosing inappropriate shoes and clothes; eating too much or too hungry, walking right after eating, walking on slippery ground that can easily cause slipping and falling, not warming up before walking...
Should the elderly cycle or walk?
Cycling and walking both bring great health benefits. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that adults and older people should exercise at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise or at least 75 minutes of vigorous exercise each week, or a combination of both. This can include cycling, walking and exercise. Elderly people should listen to their bodies and choose the appropriate exercise time depending on their physical condition.
Should seniors walk or ride a bicycle? Both walking and cycling are beneficial for seniors' health, and the decision should be based on each person's personal health status, preferences, and fitness goals. The most important thing is to exercise safely and regularly for seniors.