In summary:
Morada Friendswood is nestled into the Texas town of Friendswood, surrounded by amenities and a beautiful, green outdoor area. While it is verdant, you may want to go inside, such as during the milder winters occasionally or if you feel you cannot travel as far each day. So, indoor walking may be the solution to ensure your assisted living fitness levels remain at their peak.
Below, we describe some of the benefits of taking your exercise regime indoors and offer senior mobility tips to maximize the benefits of the activity. Adjust your healthy aging routines to ensure they are effective, and take advantage of the fact that our staff supports independent living activity efforts.
Indoor walking has several benefits, including maintaining the strength of the heart and lungs, as well as boosting the immune system and various other bodily functions. It can also reduce stress and offer a way to engage in mindfulness as you pay attention to the world around you.
We would recommend that you take it slow, however. Don't start too strong, and be aware of your body's limits. You can always ramp up later.
If you are of retirement age, it is more important than ever to avoid a sedentary lifestyle. Instead, try to combine a mix of different forms of exercise, including:
In total, aim to build up to two and a half hours, or 150 minutes, of activity across the week. Should your energy not allow it, you can begin at a lower level with the aspiration of ramping up. This level of activity should help your body become accustomed to exercising more, allowing you to try new things more quickly.
Here in Morada Friendswood, we offer a variety of exercise options and levels for individuals in our different living arrangements.
Those in Independent Living can often self-pace using our wide corridors as exercise spaces, provided they are respectful of others using the area. Meanwhile, those in Assisted Living who want to engage in fitness walks may require a little bit of supervision, especially at busy times. Either way, we can help seniors with both direct and indirect assistance, giving people as much independence as they require.
Regardless of their living situation, however, we do provide a wide range of activities and events that all residents can enjoy.
We can help those who wish to be there attend, allowing them to make the most of the opportunities that mental or physical activities provide. As many of these encourage walking, meaning that even for those in Memory Care, movement is still a regular possibility.
When using indoor spaces for walking, aim to maintain a tall posture with your eyes forward. Relax your shoulders, and remember to swing your arms in rhythm with the walk, moving them lightly.
Keep your steps short and quick if possible. While long and heavy steps may feel like "more effective" exercise, you likely want to protect your joints while in assisted or independent living.
Make sure to look around for anything that might get in the way, whether that be doorways or people. Avoid accidents, and you will never feel discouraged as you move around our corridors.
As you continue to seek out fitness opportunities, remember that our community also offers the chance to engage with other activities, such as yoga and music-and-movement classes. These all provide opportunities for you to boost your fitness without engaging in active sports.
Steps are still steps! Your step tracker should be able to count you putting one foot in front of the other anywhere, even if it's just your brain counting. So, try to focus on movement, not where it is and whether you feel carpet or paving underfoot.
In fact, shorter indoor bouts may be easier to do than many other outdoor activities. Each small walk indoors can add up and help you meet your weekly minute goals.
If the corridors are busy indoors, don't worry about it. Switch from exploring the community to marching in place instead, and keep counting your steps. If the community spaces become available, use them instead!
Look for wide, well-lit hallways with safe flooring and few underfoot hazards. Fortunately, Morada Friendswood is designed to offer this by default, including late-night lighting to ensure that residents can move around late at night.
While nobody expects you to go for a late-night exercise, the spaces are still designed with ease of movement in mind.
Ensure you have supportive shoes with non-slip soles. Tie up your laces properly to avoid them coming off, and get the most out of their comfort as you move.
If you can afford one, a pedometer can help you count steps, while a simple watch should be able to help you track the duration of your exercise. Both time and steps are valid targets for your long-term exercise efforts, after all.
We also recommend bringing a small water bottle with you to sip on now and then. The last thing you want is to realize that you are thirsty at the furthest location from hydration.
Indoor walking is a fantastic opportunity to support your fitness and balance; it can also boost your daily energy without you needing to worry about the weather limits.
So, put on your supportive shoes and talk to our staff about what you can gain from exploring our space as a prospective resident, even if you're not living with us yet. Contact us to book a tour of our pet-friendly senior living community and discover why walking exercises are just the tip of the iceberg for Morada Friendswood's efforts in senior health.