Smart Senior

Wii Exercise and the Senior Citizen

Wii Exercise and the Seniors Citizen

 

You are probably getting tired of hearing that you have to get off your duff and exercise more, but isn’t it encouraging knowing that games are being designed to make exercising fun?  It wasn’t that many years ago that we were yelling at our kids to go outside and play instead of sitting in front of the television playing video games.  Guess what?  Video games aren’t just for kids any more.

 

The good news is that there is a new video game system that actually counts as exercise.  An article in the AARP magazine (September/October 2007) by Jeffrey R. Young says that people 50 and over make up 25% of video gamers.

 

You can bowl, golf, box, and play tennis or baseball all in front of your television.  Wow! That sounds impossible, doesn’t it?   Nintendo’s Wii Sports, a video game, is popping up in retirement communities and senior centers, as well as in living rooms all over the county.  People, according to an article called “Fit to a Wii” by Gina Roberts-Grey (Arthritis Today, July/August 2008), including some with arthritis or other joint issues, started playing for fun and then found that it was quite a workout too.  You need to stand up and actually control the actions by swinging your arms (simulating a real tennis game, or bowling or golf.  All of that swinging of the virtual golf club, tennis racket and bowling ball may actually have some cardiovascular benefits for older folks who can’t cut the real courts and links any more.

 

A more serious model called the Wii Fit is designed to give you a workout.  Instead of the hand held controllers it comes with a pressure sensitive Balance Board that tests your balance as well as your body mass index.  You can do strength training, aerobics, and yoga that will improve your range of motion, strength and overall fitness.

 

Follow the same precautions as any other fitness program; start slowly and modify any parts of the program that isn’t right for you.  You don’t burn as many calories as when doing gym work or regular walking sessions but if you have been a couch potato this is a good place to start.  The experience is fun.  The soccer, for example is pure fun but the strength training program is hard. Suzanne Vranica for The Wall Street Journal, April 23, 2008 talks about the appeal of the system and tells why it can challenge everyone in the household.

 

 

A Pet Cubby for a Small Apartment

A Pet Cubby for a Small Apartment

 

Moving in or living in a small apartment, but can’t give up on the idea of having a pet?  It is a pretty well established fact that pets are good for seniors.  Pets serve as buffers against social isolation, help combat depression, stimulate you to exercise, and provide structure to everyday living.

 

Pets are messy and a lot of work (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing) but it takes some careful planning to keep all of those toys, chewy bones, food bowls, and free standing dog mats from being something to trip over.

 

The Seattle Times (February 16, 2008) ran an article about an item that would be idea for keeping Fido and his gear from being underfoot.

 

The Entryway Dog Bed Cubby is a hutch designed to keep everything together.  The lower section is open and big enough to hold a dog bed.  The upper section is divided into cubbyholes (like the old fashioned roll top desks) and can hold medicines, shampoos, food items and other doggie paraphernalia. I am sure that your cat would like a cubby too but mine seems to prefer sleeping behind me on my computer chair instead.  This particular item is designed by Pottery Barn and can be viewed at (www.potterybarn.com).

Seniors Reading Seniors

Seniors Reading Seniors

 

I love reading.  I especially love reading mysteries and romantic suspense stories, although the new breed of female P.I.’s and Investigative Reporters and Bounty Hunters don’t often catch my interest.  Of course I have to make an exception when it comes to some of my favorite authors such as Sue Grafton, J.A. Jance, Robert B. Parker and the like, but as a rule I like my sleuths to have a little more substance.

 

A recent edition of the AARP magazine discussed a new genre springing up that features senior sleuths so of course I ordered them from the library on the very next day.  I loved them!  You have probably already met Miss Marple (Agatha Christie), Jessica Fletcher, Mrs. Pollifax (Dorothy Gillman) and Sister Helen (Carol Anne O’Marie), but please welcome Mike Befeler and Peter Abresch to the fold.  My very favorite is the series written by Rita Larkin who uses a retirement community as the setting for a very entertaining series featuring Gladdy Gold and her associates. They are not only filled with humor but they touch on all of the trials and tribulations associated with getting older.

 

I think the arrival of more senior sleuths on the scene is an encouraging sign that authors are starting to take the older reader seriously. Let your favorite authors know that you love them and ask for more stories for us and about us.

Seniors Can Swim

 

It is never too late to learn how to crawl, or so the title of an article by Laura Oppenheimer (Newhouse News Service/ The Seattle Times, Sunday, August 10, 2008) tells us.  Of course the young lady writing the article is only 30, but the same principles apply to the rest of us older achievers.

 

I learned how to swim when I was 14 and felt pretty foolish, even then, because the rest of the “kids” in the class were between 5 and 10 years old.  It is pretty much the same for all of us when we want to learn something that we missed out on when we were younger.  We may not look marvelous in our swim suits and we may not have dreams of competing in the Olympics, but being a senior does not mean that you cannot learn new things.

 

The upside is that swimming is good for you and there is no downside.  Swimming is an ideal way for people over 50 to stay in shape and may even contribute to the prevention of serious health problems.  Swimming is safe and it is easy on the body.  Swimming is a non-weight bearing exercise that is easy on your bones and joints.  Think about some of the benefits:  swimming improves cardiovascular conditioning, contributes to flexibility, and improves muscle toning and strength. It is good for your posture, decreases the risk of osteoporosis, eases muscle tension and decreases stress.

 

Many grown-ups decide to take the plunge and learn how to swim.  You may have had a bad experience that turned you off from the idea of swimming when you were younger, but you are old enough to rise above that now.  Yes, there is hope for those of you have never learned how to swim.

 

You can find lessons that are geared toward adult fears and capabilities, and nobody is going to make you do anything that you re not comfortable with.  You will feel a sense of satisfaction about learning something new and it will give you something to practice and become passionate about.

 

So, whether you just want to become comfortable enough in the water to enjoy senior center water aerobic classes or want to train for a triathlon or a Masters Swim Program, you are never to old learn to learn something new.