Even if your loved ones don’t have any issues with mobility, you need to promote exercising and a healthy lifestyle. Having the right approach is especially important if your father or mother has started experiencing the first signs of lowered mobility.
No matter what, the best way to start is to determine the problem and find the right medical therapy. You need to create a set of daily activities that will keep them in shape and prevent further degeneration of muscles, bones, and joints.
In order to do these things, you need to create a safe environment and routine where they can be stimulated to move around and work out. Here are 5 tips that will help people with limited mobility as well as those who want to maintain the same level of fitness.
Get the right equipment
If your loved ones are really struggling, you should start by getting appropriate home medical supplies. First off, this would allow your family members to stand up and be completely independent. This is crucial for their mental health because none of us wants to feel like a burden.
With adjustable furniture and other medical supplies, they can move around the house, prepare lunch, and go to the bathroom even when you’re not there. Adjustable furniture is especially important, as it allows movement around the house regardless of the patient’s particular problem. Even if their situation worsens, they can fix the medical products according to their current mobility level.
Work as a motivator
Loss of mobility and other health issues can have an extremely bad impact on a person’s physique. Depending on the severity of the issue, some of them are inclined to “let go of the ropes,” which would lead to the further degeneration of the tissue and even greater problems down the line.
So, you need to act as a motivator. Stimulate them to get up and move around. It is much more important to perform frequent workouts than heavy workouts. In other words, it is much better if they get up and walk around the house for a few minutes every hour or so than to perform arduous one-hour walks in the neighborhood.
Focus on entertainment and muscle-building
If you force a person to move every hour, they will become grumpy sooner than later. Even if they’re aware of the importance of exercising, this approach will have a heavy mental toll. Instead, it is much better to stimulate movement through entertaining activities.
For example, you can play games that don’t require heavy physical involvement. Things such as darts are a good example; they will be forced to get up and, without even realizing it, move around.
Do gentle stretches
The best way to start your day is with gentle stretches. However, when we’re talking about the elderly and other people with reduced mobility, you need to be realistic regarding their capabilities. While stretches are great for muscles, you shouldn’t overdo it.
Besides stimulating muscle-building, stretches are great for enhancing coordination and circulation. Among others, light exercises reduce the odds of future injuries. Like everything else on this list, you shouldn’t overdo it with the activity. Just a few minutes of workout is enough to stimulate the muscles and other tissue. In fact, a lot of these stretches can be done while sitting.
Just to be on the safe side, make sure to consult with a doctor prior to creating a workout plan. Some stretches could be problematic, especially if a person has had a recent injury or surgery.
Go outside
Another issue with reduced mobility is that people feel increasingly isolated. Given that it becomes harder to walk, a lot of patients become less social and less inclined to go outside. This is a beginning of a bad pattern that will make it even harder to sustain a healthy level of fitness.
First off, not socializing enough will put a person in a bad mood. They are more likely to suffer from depression and anxiety as time goes by. Even if they eventually decide to go outside and socialize, it becomes much harder to do so.
As soon as you notice that your loved ones are struggling with mobility issues, you need to stimulate them to go outside. In fact, they need to become even more active than before. This would help them cope with the issue while also stimulating muscles and other tissues.
Conclusion
Even if things get hard, you need to be persistent in working with your loved ones. No matter what, you shouldn’t waver, as this will have a negative impact on their confidence as well. Lastly, make sure to set up realistic goals so they don’t get discouraged down the line.