Staying Active and Engaged in a Smaller Home

Living in a smaller home doesn’t have to be synonymous with giving up an active lifestyle, but you do need to plan for less strenuous activities and be cognizant of which are more sedentary.

Vigorous exercise will cause you to warm up, breathe harder, and beat faster – whether that means walking fast or swimming laps.

1. Socialize

As an aging parent downsizes into a smaller home, it’s essential that they remain engaged and active within their community. Social isolation can lead to depression and other mental health issues; encourage them to visit friends, attend community events and participate in physical activities they enjoy – perhaps skating together during winter? Or why not join a mall-walking group so as to meet new people – there are so many possibilities!

2. Exercise

Exercise is key to staying healthy as we age. Exercise helps prevent disease and lower the risks for osteoporosis, heart disease and depression while simultaneously improving mood and increasing energy levels – it’s an effective way to combat boredom!

Beginning an exercise program may seem intimidating at first. To ease into it slowly and build strength and confidence gradually, start small by starting a few sessions each week, gradually building them up over time. Furthermore, before undertaking any new fitness regime it would be prudent to consult your physician, especially if there are preexisting health conditions or chronic pain issues present.

Reestablishing an exercise routine after moving into a smaller home may require thoughtful planning and prioritizing. With so many other financial, family, and work responsibilities competing for your time during an outbreak period, finding time for daily workouts may prove challenging.

Many ways exist to increase physical activity without adding formal exercise regimens: take the stairs instead of an elevator, park further away from your destination, use yardwork and house chores as opportunities to add steps, stand during mealtimes or do squats while eating; these are just a few suggestions to increase physical activity!

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends adults engage in 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week, plus muscle-strengthening activities at least two days each week. If living in a small space is an obstacle to your fitness goals, try bodyweight exercises without equipment such as push-ups, lunges or planks as alternatives.

Join a gym, recreational facility, community center or senior center and enroll in a group or class for exercise, motivation and socialization. Group classes provide a fun social atmosphere to motivate exercise while meeting others with similar interests – creating an avenue of support during an otherwise daunting experience. You could even participate in community programs like Seniors Active Living and Exercise (SAIL) program which offers exercise training along with balance and agility instruction, plus socialization opportunities.

3. Participate in Community Involvement

Engaging with their community helps seniors feel more connected, giving them a sense of purpose. Volunteering, attending cultural activities, meeting friends or socializing at local senior centers are some of the best ways for older adults to remain active members in their communities. Seniors who take an active role often experience lower levels of depression and anxiety as well as improved HRQOL than those who don’t get involved.

Dependence upon community involvement for mood enhancement varies based on many factors, including age, gender, motivation and individual characteristics. Community participation may also be determined by what activities and how frequently they take place.

One study reported that older adults who participated in community organizations reported higher scores on measures of satisfaction with life, positive affect, depressive symptoms, and neuroticism, with lower neurotic scores than their counterparts who did not join community organizations. Unfortunately, due to its cross-sectional design, it is difficult to establish causal relationships; furthermore, all participants lived independently within their community without assistance, potentially altering responses; therefore, this means its results cannot be generalized to other older adult groups.

In this study, 46 older adult residents living in their community-dwelling were recruited and tracked over seven days using GPS, accelerometry and self-reported diaries; data sets generated from each method provided an in-depth picture of community participation.

Findings revealed that community-dwelling older adults were highly active when it came to daily MVPA and visited various places outside their homes, spending 2 – 7 hours daily engaging in social interactions outside the home, with 11.5 (8-17) total interactions over seven days, including recreational, commercial and local walks/green spaces as places for socialization. This was the first study ever to investigate an approach combining GPS, accelerometry and self-reported data collection methods.

4. Home Fitness

Although COVID-19 pandemic has forced many seniors to follow experts’ advice and stay home, staying active doesn’t need to stop altogether. A regular exercise regime is important for maintaining strength and balance while decreasing risks of falls, managing anxiety and improving sleep as well as quality of life overall.

Seniors don’t just need to rely on joining exercise classes or exercising together with an exercise video as forms of physical activity – daily chores like gardening, walking the dog and household tasks such as vacuuming and dishwashing can provide them with enough physical activity to achieve their recommended level.

Even small changes such as taking extra steps when folding laundry, walking extra steps during TV commercials, or marching in place can add 30 minutes of additional movement into their day. Also suggest new activities that get them moving such as salsa dancing classes or square dancing lessons or teamwork-focused games like volleyball or croquet with family members.

Create rewards into their exercise plans and celebrate when they achieve one of their goals.