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January 23, 2018  |  By Brooke Faulkner In Aging in Place as a Family, Caregiver Wellness & Tips, Depression & Mental Health, Senior Care Advice

Motivation to Exercise in Winter and Cold Weather Conditioning

Active senior couple cross-country skiing. Winter time.

As the body ages, it’s not always equipped to handle the challenging physical situations in ways it was when it was younger. While this truth isn’t loved by many, it does call for even further cold weather conditioning in the dead of winter. Typical cold weather safety tips still apply for older adults, but there are extra precautions that we need to take to accommodate their changing bodies. But how do you get the motivation to exercise in winter in the first place?

Start with Basic Health

Get the groundwork out of the way by avoiding common seasonal ailments, such as the flu or a cold. Simple, day-to-day healthy actions should be embraced by people in all walks of life but especially those with or around sensitive immune systems (like the elderly or those who are very young). Washing your hands, staying hydrated, eating healthy, and getting a good night’s rest are all important practices. Helping seniors prepare healthy meals to eat throughout the week is an excellent way to promote seasonal wellness.

The reason keeping seniors’ immune systems strong is so important in the winter comes down to two things: cold weather leaves you more susceptible to getting sick, and seniors are more vulnerable to things like infections. An extremely sick or unwell senior may get worse if you let them spend too much time outside, especially if the temperature is below freezing or they are improperly dressed for the weather.

Bundle Up, Buttercup

Reducing the effects of colder weather may be helpful. Making sure there’s plenty of light available to them, even indoors, as well as warm temperatures can decrease the effects of seasonal depression.

It’s your job to make sure your seniors are at a temperature comfortable for them, which may be different than what is comfortable for you. This could also mean offering them warmer clothing choices— sweatpants and sweaters may be wise as opposed to a t-shirt and jeans.

It’s very important that seniors are comfortable and warm enough to be healthy. Be sure to also take this into consideration when changing indoor temperatures, opening any windows or doors, or organizing outside activities.

Motivation to Exercise in Winter

Seasonal depression is a problem for people of all ages. Seniors need to stay healthy and exercise, especially in the winter when they are more vulnerable to bad health issues, but it can be hard when they just don’t feel like even getting out of bed some days! So how do you motivate a senior to stay in shape and keep themselves strong in the winter?

The social benefits of exercising may be one way to convince seniors to work out. Getting out of the house and exercising with others is a great way to stay busy. In the winter, a helping hand could provide relief from the isolation that cold temperatures can encourage.

How do you motivate the seniors in your life to stay healthy and exercise during the winter? Let us know in the comments below. And come back again on Thursday for some Outdoor Winter Activities for Older Adults and Grandchildren!

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Founded in 2006, CaringTimes is a resource center for those seeking home care information and support as they care for elderly parents and research senior in-home care options. Our mission is to celebrate, educate, and advocate aging issues. We highlight available resources and share our expertise during a very difficult and challenging time in many adults’ lives.

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The CaringTimes blog pro­vides gen­eral infor­ma­tion and dis­cus­sion to promote broad consumer understanding and knowledge about various health-related topics. The information, including but not limited to, text, graphics, images and linked materials within this blog are not intended and should not be interpreted as med­ical advice. If the reader or any other per­son has a med­ical con­cern, he or she should con­sult with a licensed physi­cian or other qualified health care provider. Never forgo pro­fes­sional med­ical advice or delay in seek­ing medical attention because of some­thing you have read on this blog or in any of the linked materials. If you think you may have a med­ical emer­gency, call your doc­tor immediately.
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