An exercise plateau is really just any point at which your senior feels that not much is changing or happening for her in terms of her exercise plan. Even though she’s still exercising, she may not be seeing or feeling any definitive benefits. That can be frustrating and might even cause her to want to stop exercising for a while.
Reassess Her Goals
The first thing for your senior to look at if she’s frustrated by an exercise plateau is her goals around exercise. Are they challenging her enough, or are they too challenging? If she’s been exercising for a few months already, she may be ready to adjust her goals now that she’s got a solid exercise routine in place. That’s not an uncommon situation and she may find that her new goals are far more accurate for her and her needs.
Push a Tiny Bit Harder
If her goals are where she wants them to be, it’s possible that doing just a tiny bit more could be what she needs. This is tricky, though, because your senior should never be pushing herself too hard with exercise. But she might add a little bit of distance or time to a walk, for instance, and see if that gives her the results she’s seeking. If she’s doing something like yoga, she might try more challenging poses.
Switch Things Up
Something else to consider is that maybe your senior needs to look more closely at what she’s doing. Maybe walking was fun at first and got her started with committing to exercise every day, but she still doesn’t love it. Trying out something else, like a new water aerobics class, can give her exercise but does so in a different way. Switching up what she’s doing can cause her to get closer to her goals.
Exercise with Someone Else
Something that might be important for your senior to consider is that working out with someone else can be distracting enough to help her to exercise without thinking about it as much, too. Very often exercise plateaus are difficult to break through because they seem much bigger than they are. Having a companion there with you to offer distraction can be liberating. Elder care providers can be an excellent option because they’re focused on your senior’s safety, but they can also offer the companionship your senior needs.
Don’t forget to talk to your senior’s doctor before she tries to do anything dramatic about her exercise plans. Staying within healthy limits is an important part of exercising safely.
If you or an aging loved-one are considering Elder Care in Laguna Woods, CA, please contact the caring staff at Canaan Home Care today!
1-844-CANAAN-1 (1-844-226-2261)
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