Healthy habits are important to people of all ages. Staying active can help lower your risk of heart disease. It can improve your strength and balance so you can continue to be independent as you age. It can also improve your mood and your self image. After moving out of a golf community where easy access to activities designed to help you stay active, you may find yourself facing a sedentary life.
Here are five tips on how to stay active after moving out of a golf community. Be sure to note that before you start any new fitness regime, you should consult with your doctor.
Set goals
It’s recommended by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that older adults aim for 2 hours and 30 minutes a week of moderate-intensity aerobic activities. Aerobic activities include walking, dancing, swimming, etc. Anything that gets your heart rate up is considered Aerobic.
If you haven’t been active in a while, start slow and work your way up. A little bit of exercise each day is better than none! Always remember it doesn’t matter how slow you go as long as you don’t stop.
By setting goals, you can hold yourself accountable. Inspire yourself even further by taking progress photos. Tell someone else about your goal so they can help hold you accountable or write it down and post it somewhere you look every day.
Go for daily walks
Daily walks are a great way to stay active and can also supplement your daily routine. Not to mention, finding a partner or two to walk with can help you build new friendships after your move out of your golfing community. If you have a pet, increasing the length or frequency of your daily walks will keep you both happy and healthy.
Strength train twice a week
Strength training, such as working with exercise bands or lifting weights, is an important aspect of your workout regime, enabling you to stay strong, maintain your independence and prevent falls.
Strength training can also mean incorporating functional movements into your fitness routine. Functional movements are based on real-world situational biomechanics such as squatting, stepping and push-ups. Because functional movements are movements that we perform every day, utilizing them in workouts will not only keep you strong but help make day-to-day life easier. Working on squats will help make getting out of a chair easier, light lifting will enable you pick things up when they fall and the ability to do a push-up is crucial should a fall occur.
If you have trouble staying committed and doing strength training on your own, join a local gym or utilize one in your new community. Most gyms have personal trainers that can work with you to meet your fitness goals or help you get started
Do yoga
Yoga is a form of exercise for mental and physical health that incorporates breathing techniques and stretching. The physical benefits to yoga include improved strength, as well as flexibility and balance, all of which are important to help you maintain independence and lower your risk of falls. But other benefits include improved mental wellbeing, sleep and mood. It can also help reduce stress.
The best part about yoga is that it can be done anywhere and anytime. Some people see it as a great way to prepare for the day and others even follow a “sleep time” routine that helps them relax before bed. Because it’s a passive exercise, it’s easy to incorporate into your day such even while watching TV. There are lots of free online yoga classes that can be found via a Google search or on YouTube.
Joining a yoga class is also a great way to socialize after moving out of a golf community. There are a number yoga classes available at places like the Yoga Lab and Fusion Yoga & Wellness which offer beginners yoga for those just getting started.
Continue to golf!
Just because you’ve moved on from living in a golf community does not mean you quit playing golf entirely. Golf is a fabulous way to stay active and socialize as you age. There’s nearly an endless number of public and private golf courses to play a round in Southwest Florida. Not to mention, there’s par three courses and chip and putt facilities available such as Alico Family Golf.
If you’re looking for a condominium community that offers all the amenities you’ll need to stay active after moving out of a golf community, consider Genova. Located in the heart of Estero and priced from the mid $300s to $700s, Genova’s clubhouse has luxury fitness amenities such as a state-of-the-art fitness center with group classes and covered 25-meter lap pool to help you stay active. Genova is located adjacent to Estero Community Park where residents can stay active at any of the many outdoor courts, lake paths, 5K cross country course and more. Because it’s not a golf community, there’s no equity fees, club fees or CDD tax. Ever. For more information, visit Genova-Florida.com, call (239) 948-2929 or email sales@genova-florida.com.