Chiropractic

The Importance of Fitness for the Elderly

Is it safe for seniors to exercise? According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, almost all elderly individuals can benefit from additional physical activity. Aerobic exercise, stretching and strength training can help with heart health, flexibility, mobility, bone health, immune function, and stamina.

Regular exercise provides a myriad of health benefits, including improvements in blood pressure, diabetes, lipid profile, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, and neuro-cognitive function.

Regular exercise improves the following:

  • Immune Function. A healthy, strong body fights off infection and sickness more easily and more quickly. Rather than sapping energy reserves entirely, recovery from an illness will take less of a toll on the body if the person exercises regularly.
  • Cardio-Respiratory and Cardiovascular Function. Frequent physical activity lowers the risk of heart disease and high blood pressure. If the elderly person has hypertension, exercise will help lower their blood pressure.
  • Bone Density and Risk of Osteoporosis. Exercise protects against loss in bone mass. Better bone density will reduce the risk of osteoporosis, lower the risk of falling and prevent broken bones. Post-menopausal women can lose as much as 2 percent bone mass each year, and men also lose bone mass as they age. Research done at Tufts University shows that strength training can dramatically reduce this loss, help restore bones, and contribute to better balance and less fractures.
  • Gastrointestinal Function. Regular exercise helps boost your metabolism and promotes the efficient elimination of waste and encourages digestive health.
  • Chronic Conditions and Cancer. Physical activity lowers risk of serious conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, diabetes, obesity, heart disease, osteoporosis and colon cancer, to name a few. It also helps in the management of high cholesterol and arthritis pain.

A consistent exercise schedule is also associated with decreased mortality and age-related morbidity in older adults. In addition, a study by the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society examined exercise in the elderly and found that training led to improvements in functional reach and balance and reduced the participants’ fear of falling.

Of course, there are some people whose physical abilities are limited by medical conditions or general frailty. These seniors have to go about exercise more carefully than others, but they do not have to dismiss it entirely. With proper instruction and guidance, the elderly can learn activities and exercises that improve mobility and strength. Exercise is even more important for frail individuals since they are the most prone to falling and broken bones.

Try activities in a class setting with proper supervision by a trained professional. Consider swimming or other water exercises that are low-impact and less jarring to the body. The local YMCA or YWCA are good places to start when looking for exercise programs that address special needs.

Sourced through Scoop.it from: www.agingcare.com

With the changes the human body goes through with age, its common for individuals to question whether they should keep staying active. Actually, exercise can have a lot of benefits for the elderly. The body will undergo natural wear and tear alterations with time, however, physical activity over time can help maintain overall strength, flexibility and mobility as well as help avoid the development of certain injuries and conditions.

For more information, please feel free to ask Dr. Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900 .Β 

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Professional Scope of Practice *

The information herein on this blog site is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional or licensed physician and is not medical advice. We encourage you to make healthcare decisions based on your research and partnership with a qualified healthcare professional.

Blog Information & Scope Discussions

Welcome to El Paso's Premier Wellness and Injury Care Clinic & wellness blog, where Dr. Alex Jimenez, DC, FNP-C, a board-certified Family Practice Nurse Practitioner (FNP-C) and Chiropractor (DC), presents insights on how our team is dedicated to holistic healing and personalized care. Our practice aligns with evidence-based treatment protocols inspired by integrative medicine principles, similar to those found on dralexjimenez.com, focusing on restoring health naturally for patients of all ages.

Our areas of chiropractic practice include Β Wellness & Nutrition, Chronic Pain, Personal Injury, Auto Accident Care, Work Injuries, Back Injury, Low Back Pain, Neck Pain, Migraine Headaches, Sports Injuries, Severe Sciatica, Scoliosis, Complex Herniated Discs, Fibromyalgia, Chronic Pain, Complex Injuries, Stress Management, Functional Medicine Treatments, and in-scope care protocols.

Our information scope is limited to Chiropractic, musculoskeletal, physical medicine, wellness, contributing etiological viscerosomatic disturbances within clinical presentations, associated somatovisceral reflex clinical dynamics, subluxation complexes, sensitive health issues, and/or functional medicine articles, topics, and discussions.

We provide and present clinical collaboration with specialists from various disciplines. Each specialist is governed by their professional scope of practice and their jurisdiction of licensure. We use functional health & wellness protocols to treat and support care for the injuries or disorders of the musculoskeletal system.

Our videos, posts, topics, subjects, and insights cover clinical matters, issues, and topics that relate to and directly or indirectly support our clinical scope of practice.*

Our office has reasonably attempted to provide supportive citations and has identified the relevant research studies or studies supporting our posts. We provide copies of supporting research studies that are available to regulatory boards and the public upon request.

We understand that we cover matters that require an additional explanation of how they may assist in a particular care plan or treatment protocol; therefore, to discuss the subject matter above further, please feel free to ask Dr. Alex Jimenez, DC, APRN, FNP-C, or contact us at 915-850-0900.

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Blessings

Dr. Alex Jimenez DC, MSACP, APRN, FNP-C*, CCST, IFMCP*, CIFM*, ATN*

email: coach@elpasofunctionalmedicine.com

Licensed as a Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) in Texas & New Mexico*
Texas DC License # TX5807
New Mexico DC License # NM-DC2182

Licensed as a Registered Nurse (RN*) in Texas & MultistateΒ 
Texas RN License # 1191402Β 
Compact Status: Multi-State License: Authorized to Practice in 40 States*
Graduate with Honors: ICHS: MSN-FNP (Family Nurse Practitioner Program)
Degree Granted. Masters in Family Practice MSN Diploma (Cum Laude)

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Dr. Alex Jimenez DC, APRN, FNP-C, CIFM*, IFMCP*, ATN*, CCST
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