Friendly Follow-Ups

October 9th, 2008 by Kristyne McDaniel

There are so many health experts that seem to preach to us everyday, apparently knowing what is best for us and pledging to make our lives better… if only we would follow this health program or that one! Unfortunately, health experts do not distinguish a man in his mid-twenties from a man in his mid-eighties, and obviously these two examples are on the opposite end of the spectrum when it comes to fulfilling their health needs. However, there are some general guidelines for seniors to adhere to when they do undertake some form of exercise.

Seniors may find exercise more beneficial that most. Gentle exercise will serve to loosen the joints and warm the body up, which may keep ailments such as arthritis at bay temporarily. It will, however, keep you active and able to get around in the longer term. Those seniors that are confined to a wheelchair or whose movements are stiff and uncoordinated often spend long periods of their days before becoming immobile in armchairs or lying on a bed. By relaxing in the same position for long periods of time, the muscles will think of it as a nice little rest and stiffen. However, their age means that they are not as supple as they used to be and thus will cause pain when moved, which in turn encourages the senior in question to sit for another period of time. It is an unending vicious circle that can potentially take away an individual’s freedom of movement. Exercise can therefore work wonders for a senior.

20 minutes of exercise three times a week is the recommended amount for seniors, from the age of 65 and above. However, there is no generic amount that applies to everyone. Whilst 20 minutes every day may be good for some seniors, twenty minutes over a period of a week is better for others. You know your capabilities better than anyone else and thus are perhaps better equipped to decide what form your exercise plan should take. Even if you choose not to exercise every day, you should at least walk around the house or venture into the yard a couple of times just to stay mobile. The effort is ultimately worth it, no matter how painful it may be, if you can still move. Too many seniors give up their freedom as soon as movement becomes too painful by resolving not to move or to remain in bed. This is exactly the opposite of the attitude you should take.

The best form of exercise for seniors are gentle activities that will not jar the bones and muscles and will not put too much strain on the body. Swimming and walking are perfect activities for seniors. Both gently exercise the muscles without using too much energy, and they can be as gentle or as strenuous as you wish to make them. As a result, you can tailor your exercise plans to either your long-term needs or how you are feeling from day to day. Swimming and walking will maintain your strength, flexibility and endurance, as well as enhancing your body’s ability to fight off disease and disability. Of course, seniors should feel free to find an exercise regime that suits them and incorporate any other forms of physical activity that they enjoy. However, you should never be afraid to exercise. It will not make your ailments any worse than they already are unless you push yourself too hard.

The main thing that seniors should remember when they are undertaking physical activity is to be sensible. It is easy to push yourself too hard without building up your stamina and endurance first, but everything should progress nice and slowly. Physical fitness does not happen overnight, especially if you have been inactive for a period of time before you begin to get fit. Learn to walk before you can run, as the proverb says, and you won’t go far wrong!

October 1st, 2008 by Kristyne McDaniel

It is a fact that we all live in a technological society. Our ability to live from day to day largely depends on the technology that is all around us. We can see around our homes at night as a result of modern lighting and electricity. We keep informed of world news as a result of television and radio. There are thousands of other ways that we benefit from modern technology every day, and the improvements keep coming as a result. However, there is one technological advance that leaves the older generations baffled and that is the Internet. Logging on opens us all to an amazing world of information and thus everyone should have a basic grasp of how to communicate via the World Wide Web. This, as a result, is a senior’s guide to the Internet and how to get online.

Connecting to the Internet is not nearly as difficult as it sounds. All you effectively need is a computer to use. The rest of the equipment will actually come as part of the Internet package that you choose. There are adverts for various Internet providers out there and they are extremely visible these days because the Internet is so popular. More and more people are connecting every day. However, these adverts may prove to be confusing because they use technical jargon that the majority of beginners fail to understand.

Before you look at adverts for Internet providers, you should decide what you want to use the Internet for. If you simply want it for searching and chatting rather than downloading music and movies then this will often affect how much you pay for the pleasure. With all providers you will pay a flat monthly cost. You have to sign an initial 12-month contract with them to secure your connection, but then you have to stick to their terms and conditions, which brings me back to what you want the Internet for.

The cost of the Internet is usually based on the memory that you choose to have at your disposal. Memory refers to the amount of use you get out of your Internet over the course of a month and is usually denoted with the letters GB, meaning gigabytes. The more gigabytes of memory you are allowed every month, the more you can use the Internet. However, chatting and surfing the web uses less memory than downloading. If you plan to do the former, between 2 and 8GB is adequate, whereas the latter would need 16GB or more. You have to be careful though because choosing the wrong package could cost you. If you use up your allowance then some companies cut you off but other would you just charge you for the excess memory. If you talk to the individual providers then they are obligated to advise you of the package that best suits your needs.

The next step is receiving the equipment for the Internet. This is easier than it sounds because they all come with step-by-step instructions for you to follow. Some will even come to your home and set it up for you. Either way, it takes a matter of moments to get hooked up. This equipment often comes free as part of the package you decide to take out.

Once you are connected and have logged on for the very first time, you will realise that you have opened the door to a whole new world… one that you never knew existed. You can surf your way around the world and choose from a variety of activities. You can look up old friends on one of the hundreds of websites designed to reunite you with those you lost touch with over the years, or you can choose to search for local entertainment. You can look up all of the latest news and research your family history. You can even chat to complete and utter strangers! In short, there is nothing you cannot do on the Internet.