5 Tips to Keep Your Parents Active

5 Tips to Keep Your Parents Active

It is hard to see our parents go through the more challenging parts of aging.  As many clients have told me “getting older isn’t for wimps”.

I get many calls from the children of older adults who know the benefits of exercise in their own life and would to see their parents become more active.

1. Do as opposed to preach: No-one likes to be nagged especially by their daughter or son.  If you live close-by go for walks together and if you live farther away set exercise goals together and keep each other accountable to those goals with regular chats.
2. Understand that it is harder as you age: Older joints or past injuries can become stiff and sore over time.  Empathize and modify exercise for the most benefit and least discomfort.
3. Take time to set goals: It is important that your mom or dad links the benefits of exercise to something that they care about such as easily getting up and down from the floor or preventing falls.
4. Learn their exercise barriers: What stops them from exercising now? The weather, lack of a gym, fear? How can you and your parents work together make a plan to minimize these barriers?
5. Learn their exercise triggers:  What encourages exercise for them? A friend of mine knows that she needs social connection to motivate her to exercise and then understood why she never used her Pilates machine in her basement. 

Good Luck

Erin Billowits

Vintage Fitness

Vintage Fitness- At home personal training for 50+ in the Greater Toronto Area including Toronto, North York, Etobicoke,  Port Credit, Etobicoke, Mid Town Toronto, Rosedale, Forest Hill, Leaside, Lawrence Park, Eglinton West,  Oakville, Brampton and Scarborough.