Fun Ways to Maintain Muscle Mass as You Age
Maintaining muscle mass is critically important for seniors. It helps you remain strong, healthy, and independent. And fortunately, exercising your muscles doesn’t have to be boring! Try these fun ways to maintain muscle mass as you age.
Join a Team
Staying in shape is always more fun with company. So join a team sport to help maintain your muscle mass. Bowling, pickleball, shuffleboard, and basketball are all excellent choices. Set up a game with friends or visit the Canada Games Centre. They offer many team sports, including times set up for seniors, in partnership with ElderActive.
Swim
The Canada Games Centre in Whitehorse also offers swimming on a regular basis. Although the pool is currently closed for maintenance, it reopens October 3. A variety of swim times are available, including swim classes that are meant to help with fitness and alleviating chronic pain. So give swimming a try! It’s a low-impact way to maintain your muscle mass, and you’ll have loads of fun in the process!
Go Hiking
Here in the Yukon, we are surrounded by nature. So get out and enjoy it! We have some of the best views in the world, and we’re fortunate to have many local hiking trails. That makes it easy to choose a trail that fits your ability and go for a hike. Want even more fun? Bring along your binoculars and camera for birdwatching and photography opportunities!
Dance
Who doesn’t love dancing? It’s so much fun, and it’s an excellent way to maintain muscle mass. Whether you dance in your living room to your favorite music, prefer ballroom dancing with a partner, or join a Zumba class, dancing is so much fun, you’ll forget you’re maintaining your muscle mass in the process!
Try Yoga
We hold weekly chair yoga classes here at Normandy Living because it’s such an excellent way to exercise your body, while also being fun, relaxing, and grounding. Plus, it’s adaptable for all levels of ability. You can even do chair yoga! So join us on Thursdays at 10:30 to give it a try! Prefer to practice on your own? There are lots of great videos available on YouTube!
Exercise Your Green Thumb
Gardening may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of maintaining muscle mass, but it’s actually a wonderful way to stay fit. Weeding, digging holes, carrying pots, and getting up and down as you tend to your plants gives your muscles a real workout! All residents can enjoy gardening in the courtyard. Or try container gardening right from your suite!
Take a Walk
Walking is an excellent form of exercise. And it’s fun, too! Plus, there are so many places to walk, you never need to be bored! Museums, festivals, and shops are always fun to walk through. Or stay closer to home and walk around the neighborhood, take your dog on a stroll, or walk to visit your friends.
Want to walk with a group? Join Normandy Living’s Walking Club! We’re currently enjoying walking outdoors, but we’ll substitute exercise classes in the gym if temperatures become too cold.
Do you have ideas for fun activities you’d like to see here at Normandy Living? We love hearing from our residents! Mention your idea at the next Town Hall, or use our anonymous virtual suggestion box to tell us about your ideas!
