One of the best ways to maintain strength and vitality as we age is to just keep moving. Unfortunately, for many, that becomes more and more difficult as joint pain and fatigue become a barrier to a healthy lifestyle.
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Fortunately, there is a great way to keep moving without putting too much strain on joints and muscles. Chair yoga is a great, inexpensive, and low-impact activity that can improve your health and well-being. Let's take a look at five benefits of chair yoga.
1. Improves Circulation
A sedentary lifestyle can lead to poor circulation, which can create a number of health issues. Poor circulation can cause numbness in extremities, cold fingers and toes, and the pins and needles sensation on the skin. If left untreated, it could lead to more serious issues such as blood clots.
Chair yoga improves circulation by compressing and decompressing the veins in our legs through gentle movement and using gravity to expel stagnant blood and reverse blood flow. In other words, movement brings more oxygenated blood to the organs and helps move waste such as CO2 out of the body.
2. Low Impact on Joints
Joint problems such as arthritis can create a vicious cycle of pain in seniors. Moving is difficult and painful, but movement is one of the best things you can do for your joints. A popular saying is that motion is lotion for the joints.
With chair yoga, you can get those joints moving gently with as little pain as possible. This can help relieve pain over time and it can also help strengthen the muscles around the joint to create better stability.
3. Improves Balance
Balance is another issue that many seniors deal with. Unfortunately, this can also lead to falls which, in turn, can lead to serious issues such as broken bones. Balance is perhaps even more important later in life because of bone loss that many older adults experience.
Chair yoga can improve balance and help reduce the risk of falls. The awareness of your body's motions in space is known as proprioception. With chair yoga, you transition between different poses, which helps to improve proprioception. This improves general balance and coordination. 
4. Prevents Depression and Anxiety
Unfortunately, depression and anxiety in seniors can be a serious issue. Not only are they dealing with the aches and pains of aging, but they are also dealing with anxiety associated with aging as well.
When you exercise, a hormone called endorphins is released, which not only improves your mood but also helps to relieve pain. Chair yoga also teaches you how to manage pain by focusing on your breathing.
5. Aids With Pain Management
Pain management can be a tricky proposition as we age. Anti-inflammatories such as ibuprofen and NSAIDS, such as Tylenol, can help with pain but can cause other issues if taken for prolonged periods.
Chair yoga helps with pain management because it works to keep joint tissues supple and relieve pain caused by strain. Movement encourages the flow of synovial fluid, which helps to lubricate the joints and relieve discomfort.
These are just a few of the many ways that chair yoga can benefit the elderly population. This simple yet effective technique can provide physical as well as mental wellness that will help enhance senior living.
At Jacaranda Trace, we are dedicated to our residents' well-being and contentment. We strive to create an environment that is both peaceful and intellectually stimulating as well as socially and emotionally fulfilling. To learn more about our facility and all the ways that we can help you and your family, contact us now.
