By Teresa Carr
Administrative Assistant
Excerpt from Love to Know – 20 Fun Activities for Seniors to Live Your Best Life by Megan Cooper, M.A.S., B.S. History Part 1 of 3.
Just because you’re aging doesn’t mean your social calendar has to. Strengthen your mind, body, and spirit with these activity ideas.
• Participate in Silver Sneakers – Silver Sneakers is a program that offers Medicare-eligible adults memberships to participating fitness centers. The program encourages healthy living through fitness classes, social gatherings, and educational seminars. Seniors can also have access to a program advisor and online support to help address their unique health and fitness needs.
• Join the Senior Olympics – The National Senior Games Association oversees the Senior Olympics, a biannual competition you probably never knew existed. People 50+ years old can compete on a state level in a variety of sports with the goal of winning a national championship.
• Add Variety to Your Walks – A walk in your neighborhood, at the mall, along the beach or around your favorite park is a great way to start the day. For variety, combine walking with another activity such as bird watching, a scavenger hunt, or letterboxing (an outdoor activity that combines hiking and treasure hunting).
• Go Biking – Many communities are building bikeways along abandoned inter-urban railway lines. Your local or county parks department can provide you with bike path locations and even maps, or you can look on TrailLink, the trails to rails conservancy, to see if there are paths near you.
• Go Boating – Canoeing and kayaking are excellent ways to get outdoors, get some exercise, and see nature. Best of all, you don’t have to buy a boat. Canoe liveries rent everything you need at reasonable rates. (Here in Adams County, we have MoonDoggie LIVERee on Brush Creek Road for kayak rentals. Find them on Facebook)
• Try Out Fishing – Walking along the bank of your favorite stream or lake in search of that elusive trout or catfish can provide a wonderful, low-impact workout. If you happen to hook a “keeper,” you’ll have all the exercise you can handle and then some.
• Go Swimming – Whether swimming vigorous laps or lazily dog paddling around the pool, water can provide rigorous and beneficial exercise for seniors. It’s a great way to increase circulation, is perfect for people struggling with joint problems as it’s low impact, and provides a lot of resistance. So, you can get double the work out in for half the time.
• Play a New Sport – If you’re not sure about what physical activities you might like to play, you can join a senior league or play with friends at the local park or rec center. After all, your only limitations are any health conditions you might have and your interest in the sport. A few of the possibilities include: Golf, Tennis, Croquet, Badminton, and Softball.
Article continues next week but if you want to read it fully now, go to:
https://www.lovetoknow.com/life/aging/fun-activities-senior-citizens
Just A Thought: “Walking is the best possible exercise. Habituate yourself to walk very far.” ~Thomas Jefferson