Why is stretching so important for seniors? Including a stretching practice in an elderly person’s daily routine can help them reduce stress. Numerous illnesses that currently account for the highest death rates in the population have strong links to stress. Approximately 374 million fatalities worldwide occur each year as a result of stress, according to estimates from the United Nations Organization (UN).
What are stretches?
Western culture has taught us to look down on times when our bodies are telling us to settle down and take a break. They intended to teach us a system in which being active and moving around all the time is crucial. In their later years, a lot of people find the time to cultivate the rest that their bodies and minds require.
The human body is able to perform incredible feats. It has five senses that enable us to perceive the physical environment around us, hear its sounds, taste its particles, touch its surfaces, and inhale its air.
Our bodies are used for countless tasks throughout the day, or we punish them by doing nothing and not honoring them. This could be the reality for an elderly person suffering from depression who neglects his physical and mental health and dedicates himself to passing the hours of his day through him rather than using and appreciating them.
Stretching is a technique that our elders use to gather information from the body. Deep breathing, relaxing motions, and relaxation techniques all work to strengthen the muscles, realign the spine, improve posture, and prevent aches, pains, and injuries.
Top Reasons for Seniors to Stretch
According to Vogue magazine, intentionally stretching regularly “may improve your life.” Is it accurate to say that this activity can alter our elders’ lives?
Stretching helps correct bad postural habits
The elderly have unintentionally developed bad postures for their spines over the course of their lives, which can cause the lumbar muscle to contract and cause pain.
Stretching aids in lengthening muscles and boosting strength, endurance, and flexibility, which makes it simpler for tension and soreness to go away.
Stretching helps strengthen muscles and bones.
Have you observed that your elderly relative is acting more clumsily than usual, and are you worried that he might trip and fall when left alone?
The stretches can make the elderly seem better physically on the exterior while also protecting their bones, enhancing their coordination, and lowering their chance of falling. The loss of bone mass that occurs more and more as we age can be stopped by fortifying the bones.
Stretching helps to live longer and better
Stretching while breathing consciously boosts our elders’ bodies’ natural defenses and improves the way their immune, circulatory, digestive, and hormonal systems work.
Additionally, it triggers the release of endorphin chemicals, sometimes referred to as “happy hormones,” which are in charge of creating a positive mood. Additionally, it aids in lowering the body’s cortisol levels (a hormone related to stress). It is strongly advised to prevent and improve depression symptoms, for instance, because of all the changes it brings about in the body and mind of our elderly.