It's Time to Play! Senior Play Grounds!

                                                             

                                                           

                                                                            Fit After Fifty



 Playgrounds for older people? Wouldn't that be awesome? If only..well, in many places, it is actually a reality!

I miss swinging on a swing set, laughing as you went down the curly chute slide, the bouncy horse, merry-go-round, a simple place to just have fun!
We need a simple place, just to have fun! "Fitness Centers" are fun..to a point. Most feel too structured.
You need to be able to feel like you're going to have fun, and know it when you do!

goric.com:

"We are all lucky to live in an age of expansive play. Adult playgrounds and similar facilities are available throughout the U.S. for most anyone’s enjoyment and benefit. Each one serves as evidence that playgrounds, parks, and even businesses are increasingly paying attention to the kid inside us all.

Most of these spaces go well beyond promoting child’s play for adults. The adult playgrounds highlighted below facilitate both creative and challenging activities that can help us stay in shape mentally and physically."

medicarefaq.com

Benefits of Senior Playgrounds

The health and life benefits that seniors can reap from playgrounds designed for their needs of course includes all the cardiovascular and wellness benefits associated with any type of exercise. But there are specific advantages associated with the machines and equipment commonly found in these parks, such as:
Improved balance that prevents falls. Falls are one of the main contributing factors for seniors entering assisted living and care facilities.
Increased flexibility and range of motion to make it easier for seniors to perform activities of daily living (ADLs), such as independent bathing and dressing. Inability to perform ADLs is a major reason that seniors stop living independently.
Encourages seniors to exercise outdoors which has been found to be more beneficial than solely indoor activity.
Has been found to increase socialization. Many of the playgrounds are designed with social interaction in mind. Increased socialization and physical activity have been shown to improve mood, decrease depression and slow cognitive decline.
Turns exercise into play rather than work. This is not a benefit to be overlooked. Many of us associate exercise with boredom, drudgery and possibly pain. Changing that association to having fun playing with friends and peers is powerful and can encourage more consistent activity.
Why Specifically “Senior” Playgrounds
Some may question the need for senior focused outdoor activity areas when weight rooms and gyms abound, but senior playgrounds have some advantages as well over traditional exercise spaces such as gyms.

Seniors may be less likely to join gyms out of fear of feeling out of place or self-conscious. “Gym intimidation” is a real phenomenon and can be intensified in some gyms that are geared to younger clientele.

Also, gyms and other indoor fitness centers such as the YMCA have costly monthly membership fees and many require annual contracts. These expenses can be an insurmountable barrier to exercise for many seniors on fixed incomes, as is the case for a large percentage of senior women. Senior playgrounds located in municipal parks can provide a free, welcoming space that could encourage more seniors to remain active.

For seniors to gain maximum benefit from activity while remaining safe, the activity and equipment must be focused on their health and safety needs. Upper body exercises become more important as we age to maintain back and arm strength.

Gaps on such equipment as rope bridges must be designed with a senior’s stride (larger than a child’s but smaller than a young adult’s) in mind. All equipment must be sturdily built and include steady handrails to assuage seniors’ fully justified fear of falls.

Senior focused playgrounds don’t necessarily have to be seniors only. While some countries like Spain and Germany build exclusive senior parks due to their aging populations, others are building multi generational parks where seniors and kids can play simultaneously.

KaBOOM! a nonprofit organization that builds playgrounds in under served and low-income areas has begun to focus on building multi generational playgrounds. These playgrounds can be ideal in urban locations where space is at a premium and where many seniors may be the primary caregivers of their grandchildren.

Where are Senior Playgrounds in the United States

Until recently in the United States, most senior playgrounds have been built within gated senior communities or associated with senior centers. In addition to nonprofits like KaBOOM!, for profit companies such as Must Have Play and Play by Design are moving to expand senior playgrounds into community parks.

Florida has several senior or multi generational playgrounds in Miami, Orlando, and Tampa, but they are also starting to pop up in Georgia and Texas. As more seniors hear about and try senior playgrounds, hopefully more organizations and Parks departments will take notice and the playgrounds will become more widespread.

Today’s seniors are looking to stay active and independent as long as possible. Senior playgrounds can be another way to make exercise more fun, more accessible and more effective for more seniors."



If you’re a senior that’s currently enrolled in Medicare and need additional healthcare coverage for you medical bills we can help! Some plans include a membership to the popular fitness program SilverSneakers! More Info

Women Over 60 Staying Healthy: Exercise

                                            Women Over 60 Staying Healthy : Exercise 
                                                                   

Women over 60 who exercise for at least 30 minutes three times per week have the heart, lungs, and muscles of a woman ten years younger. The kind of exercise that you do depends on what effect you want to see. Stretching promotes flexibility, makes movement easier, and decreases the risk of muscle injury; strength training promotes muscle strength and builds up bones; endurance exercises strengthen the heart and improve overall fitness. The best workouts will combine all three types of exercise.

Each time your foot hits the ground you apply a stress to your bones, which respond by maintaining or sometimes increasing their strength, which can be measured in terms of increased bone mineral density (BMD). The higher the impact of the activity contact, the greater the benefit to your bones. This is why weight-bearing exercises that include running or jumping are of greater benefit to your bone health than gentler weight-bearing exercises such as walking.
These exercises encourage mobility and preserve muscle strength and tone.  Try to do each set at least 10 times a day.

Source:

Check out their website for more women's health info!

Women Fitness

Older Women : Getting Healthy Staying Healthy

                                                           

                                                       
                      Today, I begin ... I am not just determined to lose weight, but to get healthy have more                             energy and feel better. Follow me as the journey begins..
                           

Research. Finding out what I need to do daily.

Live Strong Magazine:


Estimated Calorie Needs for a 60-Year-Old Woman

A combination of diet and exercise changes is the most effective way for post-menopausal women to lose weight and body fat, according to a study published in Obesity in 2012. Eating fewer calories while maintaining a high intake of protein and fiber and exercising about an hour each day are among the more effective changes you can make for weight loss. Check with your doctor before starting this new plan, however, to make sure it is safe for you.

Your metabolism slows as you age, so you'll likely need to work harder to lose weight than you did in your 20s and 30s. After age 20, your metabolism decreases by about 2 or 3 percent each decade, mostly due to losing muscle mass. Decreasing caloric intake by about 150 calories every 10 years may help limit weight gain caused by this slowdown.

How many calories you should eat per day to maintain your weight varies based on activity level. A 60-year-old woman who isn't active needs about 1,600 calories per day, one who is moderately active needs about 1,800 calories per day and one who is active typically needs between 2,000 and 2,200 calories per day. To lose about 1 pound per week, you need to get 500 fewer calories than you burn each day. That could mean eating 500 fewer calories than your needs, burning an extra 500 calories through exercise or some combination of the two. Never eat fewer than 1,200 calories daily or you'll risk nutrient deficiencies -- if you're sedentary and need just 1,600 calories daily to maintain your weight, you could cut your calorie intake by 400 calories and burn the extra 100 calories through exercise.

Sample Diet for a 60-Year-Old Woman
The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends a person of this age needing about 1,600 calories per day eat 1.5 cups of fruit, 2 cups of vegetables, 5 ounces of grains, 5 ounces of protein-rich foods and the equivalent of 3 cups of fat-free milk in dairy products each day.

Protein sources should be lean, such as seafood, skinless poultry, eggs and legumes, and grains should be whole grains. Try to get 25 to 30 grams of protein in each meal, as this may help decrease muscle loss. Avoid "junk" foods high in saturated or trans fats, as well as added sugars -- these foods are often loaded with calories but offer little nutritional value.

A sample day could include a breakfast of an orange or a cup of berries, a cup of oatmeal and a cup of nonfat yogurt. For lunch, try 2 ounces of turkey and 1 ounce of cheese on two slices of whole-grain bread served with a cup of salad and an apple. Dinner could be 3 ounces of tuna, 1 cup cooked broccoli, a glass of milk and 1/2 cup of quinoa.


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