As an older adult, regular movement and exercise are among the most beneficial and essential things you can do for your health. Not only does regular exercise prevent or delay many of the health problems that typically arise with age, but it also strengthens your muscles, which naturally become weaker with age. This means you can go about your regular day-to-day activities with far more ease and will be less likely to become dependent on others.

Sadly, not enough adults over 65 get the exercise they need to live healthy and happy lives. Even for people with no previous health problems or risk factors, not getting enough exercise can increase the risk of heart disease and other issues like high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, and high blood cholesterol. 

The good news is that all senior adults can benefit from moderate physical activity, even those with medical conditions like arthritis or heart disease. Before we dive into Zumba Gold, let’s look at the most significant benefits of exercise for senior adults. 

What are the benefits of exercise for adults over 55?

Exercise isn’t just great for your physical health, but your mental health too. With regular exercise comes new bouts of energy, greater self-confidence, and endorphins, the “feel-good” hormones that help us sleep better, reduce stress, and feel happier. Here are the physical ways that moderate exercise can change your life:

Improved healing and recovery

Regular, moderate exercise can help you fight off infections more efficiently and enables your body to heal physical wounds up to 25% faster. This is especially important for senior adults, as the body’s ability to heal wounds naturally decreases with age, even for small cuts. Faster recovery from injuries results in an overall stronger body.

Increased balance and stability

As we age, we’re more likely to encounter problems with balance and dizziness. Certain medications or conditions could cause this, but often, these problems start suddenly and without a clear cause. Studies consistently show that falls are the number one cause of injury among seniors, and exercise can prevent this.

Exercise is critical in improving functional balance as it strengthens your overall body, particularly your core muscles, which keep you upright.

Helps prevent chronic disease

Regular, moderate exercise can help lower your risk of developing chronic diseases or even prevent it entirely. Exercise can minimize your symptoms if you already have a chronic illness, like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, colon cancer, or hypertension.

Introducing Zumba Gold for seniors

Most people will likely have heard of Zumba, but what about Zumba Gold? Zumba Gold is a lower-intensity version of regular Zumba and was created and designed specifically for adults over the age of 55. So what does this mean exactly? Zumba (the original fitness phenomenon) involves highly choreographed movements to upbeat, international music, usually salsa. It first came on the scene in 2002, but by 2012, the company expanded to 110,000 locations and 12 million people taking classes weekly!

Zumba is designed to energize, uplift, and excite while improving cardiovascular health, balance, coordination, and more. The great news is that senior adults can now enjoy all the benefits of traditional Zumba in a way more suitable to their physical and physiological needs. Zumba Gold focuses on balance, range of motion, and coordination and is easier on the knees compared to the fast-paced nature of traditional Zumba.

So if you’re searching for an enjoyable and social way to incorporate more movement into your life, Zumba Gold might just be it; the motto is “ditch the workout, join the party!”

What to expect from Zumba Gold

The lower intensity of Zumba Gold means the choreography is much easier to follow, the pace is slower, and the classes are shorter. It’s perfect for beginners, as there’s no prior fitness experience or knowledge necessary before your first class. You can be at any fitness level to start!

What are the benefits of Zumba Gold for seniors?

Like most forms of exercise, Zuma Gold hits a few birds with one stone. It helps you lose weight, strengthen your muscles, build confidence, and much more! Let’s look at the benefits in closer detail:

Improves cardiovascular health

Zumba Gold improves your overall cardiovascular strength by getting your blood pumping. This can help prevent several diseases that are unfortunately common among senior adults, like heart disease and stroke. 

Builds balance, flexibility, and posture

Zumba Gold helps you to develop better posture, balance, and flexibility by strengthening your muscles - key for maintaining a healthy body. It also helps you improve your endurance while stretching your muscles and correcting your posture.

Encourages weight loss 

If you’ve been meaning to decrease your body fat, Zumba Gold can be a fun way to do so. It’s an excellent form of cardio—moderate enough not to exhaust you but challenging enough to qualify as a great calorie-burning form of cardio.

Great for making new friends

Zumba Gold is a social exercise, and people usually sign up for a membership that gives them access to a program that may last for several weeks. Making friends can be tricky at any age, but if you give Zumba Gold a go, you’ll be bound to meet new people and keep fit in the process.

But if Zumba Gold isn’t for you, there are several other exercises that you can try. Physicians say that senior adults should remain as active as possible to enjoy a longer, healthier and happier life. Over 65s, for example, should aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity a day, five days a week. Here are some alternative exercises you can implement into your daily life.

Alternative exercises for seniors

Water aerobics 

Water aerobics has become a favorite for senior adults as it’s an ideal exercise for those who struggle with joint pain. There’s no need for weights, as the water provides natural resistance. With minimal stress on your body, water aerobics exercises improve flexibility, balance, and strength.

Pilates

Pilates is a great low-impact exercise option for seniors. Pilates is a form of exercise which concentrates on strengthening the body with an emphasis on core strength. This helps to improve general fitness and overall well-being. Similar to Yoga, Pilates concentrates on posture, balance and flexibility.

Walking 

The general population is advised to walk 10,000 steps daily for a healthy lifestyle. However, this can differ from person to person, particularly for older adults. 

Walking is the least stressful and most accessible exercise you can include in your daily routine and helps strengthen muscles, improve cardiovascular health, and lower your risk of heart disease, diabetes, colon cancer, and stroke. An Australian study in 2015 found that walking 10,000 steps a day can lower your mortality rate by 46%.

Resistance band workouts

Don’t be put off by the word resistance because this exercise has zero weights! Resistance bands are stretchy strips of rubber that you can use to add resistance to simple exercises. They come in strengths extra light, light, medium, heavy, and extra heavy strengths, which make them a great addition for beginners. Resistance bands are particularly common among seniors as you can easily use them at home, and are extremely affordable. Here’s a great list of exercises you can do at home with a few resistance bands.

Bodyweight exercises

You only need one piece of equipment for this type of exercise: your body! Bodyweight exercises are an excellent way to move your body and strengthen your muscles without putting too much strain on your body.

All you need is comfortable clothes you can move around in and an exercise mat to reap the benefits of bodyweight exercise. Here are twelve great equipment-free exercises you can get started with.

Get Started With Zumba Gold For Seniors

Ready to get started with Zumba Gold? Our certified instructors are leading classes in assisted living facilities across multiple states including Texas and California. But if you want to find a class near you for individual sessions, you can find classes here!

Enjoy!