Taking time away from regular exercise is something that your senior may need to do at some point. Getting back to exercise afterward can feel much more difficult than it should be. Here are some tips to help your senior get back on the path to exercise success.

Take it Easy.

Your elderly family member may have some high expectations for herself, especially if she’s recently been doing well with her exercise routine. The trick now is that she shouldn’t be too hard on herself, otherwise she won’t get as many of the emotional benefits out of exercise as she’d like. Having senior care providers available when your aging family member plans to exercise can give you peace of mind.

Revisit Previous Goals.

Talk with your aging adult about the goals that she chose when she started her exercise plan in the first place. Some of those goals may have changed now that she’s taken some time away from exercising, but others may have remained the same. She may even have some new goals that she’d like to add to her list. Keeping a health diary can help with managing her goals.

Start Slowly and at the Beginning.

Even though your senior may have exercised in the past, she’s essentially starting over after a break. Even if it’s a short one, starting out slowly gives her a chance to test her abilities and to ramp up her activity level. Heading into exercise at full throttle is not going to benefit her much.

Try New Activities.

Your elderly family member may enjoy sticking with the exercise activities that she enjoyed when she started exercising the first time. Or she might find that now is the perfect time for a change. Either is perfectly fine as long as your elderly family member is staying within the bounds of what she’s able to do for now.

Remind Your Senior that She’s Got This.

No matter why your loved one needed to take a break from exercise, the point is that she was exercising. Remind her that she can definitely do this, even if it takes a little longer than she expected that it would take.

Remember that even if your elderly family member has exercised in the past, it’s still a good idea to talk with her doctor again about how she should safely approach exercise now.

If you or an aging loved one are considering hiring senior care in Allentown, NJ or the surrounding areas, please call Independence Home Care today at 609-208-1111 for more information.