Want a happy old age? Stay active.
That’s the advice of medical professionals around the world. Keep the heart pumping, keep muscle tone, manage weight, keep depression at bay. All these things come down to exercising at least three times a week. A home care services professional can help your mother or father get some needed exercise. If they have home care services, you may want to ask your agency or individual home care services professional about which fitness trackers are best for seniors.
We all need to keep moving. But people over 65, in particular, need to fight muscle loss and slower metabolism by staying active. To keep people honest, the fitness industry developed the fitness tracker, a device that performs a variety of functions including:
Tracking how many steps someone has taken. Experts recommend 10,000 steps a day. While that may not be realistic for everyone, it is a good milestone to shoot for. Walking that much every day staves off chronic disease, obesity, and a host of other aging issues.
Tracking other athletic activities. There are fitness trackers that can tell you how far you went while swimming or bicycling. If your mother or father is still active in one of those sports, there’s a tracker that can report how far he or she swam or biked.
Monitoring heart rate. It’s desirable to get the heart pumping at a much faster rate while exercising. How fast? It depends on age. Heart.org publishes a chart that tells people over 65 what their exercising heart rate should be here: https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/fitness/fitness-basics/target-heart-rates
Track their sleep. Some fitness trackers are good at reporting how much sleep a wearer is getting. If your beloved mother or father has sleep issues, it might be a good idea to get a tracker with this feature.
Considerations for choosing a fitness tracker
When choosing a fitness tracker for your mother or father, perhaps as a gift, you will want to take several things into consideration. Look at the display. Is it bright enough, and is the text big enough for mom or dad to read it without straining. A home care services expert might be able to help you determine which brand and model of tracker has the best screen for your loved one’s needs.
Also consider whether it is waterproof. If mom or dad is going to walk or run rain or shine, you will need to spring a few more dollars for the waterproof variety of fitness tracker.
Is it easy to use? Many people over 65 don’t want to invest a lot of energy and time into learning to use their gizmos. Find one that is user friendly. It’s also wise to get a tracker with good battery life so mom or dad isn’t constantly having to recharge it or let it die. Some trackers are good for three days between charges.
In conclusion, a fitness tracker can help you and your beloved mother or father keep track of how much he or she is moving around. Whether your loved one still has the ability to swim or cycle or just has the ability to take a walk, there is a fitness tracker that will meet his or her needs.
Sources: https://www.consumerreports.org/fitness-trackers/fitness-trackers-for-seniors/
https://www.komando.com/shopping/smartwatches-for-seniors/755420/
https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/nation-now/2017/04/14/what-happens-to-your-body-when-you-walk-10000-steps-health-fitness/99681306/
https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/fitness/fitness-basics/target-heart-rates
