How Can Your Senior Stick with Her Exercise Routine When Her Workout Buddy Isn’t Available?
Now and again, your elderly family member may find that the exercise companion that she counts on regularly isn’t available for one reason or another. It might be a temporary situation or a more permanent one, but it definitely means that your senior needs to try something else.
Join a Class or Group
Joining a class or group at the local senior center or at a local gym can help your senior to continue to stay active. She might enjoy trying different classes regularly even when her buddy is available, too. Try to keep a list of local classes that your senior might find interesting so that you have them handy if you need them. A great place to contact is the local senior center. They often have group exercise classes that cater to older adults.
Work out with a Backup Buddy
Having a backup workout buddy is a great idea, but it’s not always easy to do. Other family members or friends might be a good idea, but they also might not always be available. Having senior care providers available regularly for companionship can also give your elderly family member a built-in backup workout buddy if she needs one.
Try Another Activity
If a workout buddy isn’t available for that regular walk in the park, maybe your senior can try a yoga video at home. Sometimes it’s not so much the specific activity so much as it is helping your elderly family member continue to be active in some way. Sit down and make up a list of other activities she might enjoy in a pinch. She might also find that these are activities she and her buddy want to try together when they’re able to exercise together again.
Find a Group Activity
Another way to help your senior avoid missing out on workouts is to help her to find group activities that she enjoys. Joining a water aerobics group or a walking group can help her to have more than one workout buddy she can count on. That way if one person can’t be there, your senior still has other people with whom she can work out and have a great time.
Having a backup plan is a great idea for lots of different aspects of your senior’s life, not just working out. Try to plan ahead, if possible, so that this sort of situation doesn’t completely derail your senior’s exercise plans.