Sports & Leisure
Out and about during leisure time and when playing sports
Here you can read what you should pay attention to when playing golf, running, or skiing and find out which training tips are helpful for you, particularly if you are over 60 years old. Anyone who trains regularly and correctly can have more flexible muscles, tendons, and ligaments at any age.
Find a sport that you enjoy
The type, duration, and intensity of sports and leisure activities should be tailored to your personal requirements. Find the sport that you enjoy most. This is the only way you will continue exercising long-term and training effectively. In addition to physical fitness and individual preferences, the body’s strengths and weaknesses also play a decisive role.
Cycling keeps you on the road in everyday life
Cycling is principally suitable for everybody. And the best thing about it: it is kind to the joints and is thus the ideal type of sport for all ages.
Bicycle training – on your exercise bike or ergometer – is a particularly suitable form of sport for patients with osteoarthritis of the knee, because the knee joint is subject to even movements without having to bear the body’s weight. Select the lowest possible gear to take as much stress off the knee as possible. Set the bike up, so that you can just stand on the pedal with your heel.
Training tips
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How to stay fit in old age
“Exercise pays off” – this particularly applies to the 60+ generation. Especially as we age, sports activity is a wonderful way to stay healthy. This also applies to older people: Strength and stamina, balance and mobility are the cornerstones of a holistic training program. To be on the safe side, you should visit your GP before you start training.
Anyone who trains regularly and correctly when older can continue to enjoy flexible muscles, tendons, and ligaments, while at the same time maintaining their mental agility. Furthermore, experts agree that exercising in the fresh air floods the body with “happy hormones”. So, what are you waiting for? Get started. As a first step, we’ll let you in on our best training tips.
The All-Over Body workout – Skiing
Skiing is the pure enjoyment of nature. On the first day of skiing, many people are concerned about making it through the coming season without injury: Am I fit enough? Have I prepared enough for the skiing season? In order to prevent injury, you should make provisions during the summer months and consider a few points.
According to the DSV, fewer and fewer accidents are occurring on the piste. This is mainly due to continuous technical development, improved protective equipment, and piste preparation. Nevertheless: Avoid dangerous situations and get your body into shape in good time for the physical challenges of skiing.
Exercises – The art of flexibility and strength
Back pain, a stiff neck, or heavy legs – we can pretty much all relate to all or one of these. However, exercise can be taken as a preventative measure. There’s a tremendous selection of exercises and classes, some of which we can only guess from the exotic names what they actually are. As a rule, these are gymnastic exercises that can be done with or without music, with or without choreography, with equipment, or without, alone, or in a group. Compared to endurance sports, which mainly train the cardiovascular system, exercises focus on the specific strengthening and mobilization of the musculature.
Sports at age 60+
Sport acts like a fountain of youth
A fit 60-year-old can feel more vital and energetic than an unfit 25-year-old. It sounds unbelievable, but it has been confirmed in numerous studies. The reason: Regular physical activity builds up muscles that are important for an upright posture. It boosts the metabolism, prevents illnesses such as diabetes, helps you lose weight, is good for the heart and the blood vessels, and makes you feel happy. In brief: Sport acts as a fountain of youth.
Golf
Stay healthy and relaxed with golf
Golf is certainly comparable with sports such as walking, hiking, or swimming. Here you can find out how well this sport trains your body and mind.
Exercising in the fresh air, hitting the ball over the lush green grass, and spending time with congenial fellow players – the life of a hobby golfer can be very good! The over-55 age group has not only seen the greatest growth, but it is also the largest group of players, and for a good reason. A Swedish study recently determined that older people who regularly play golf live an average of five years longer.*
* Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports.
Basketball
Basketball is a very dynamic sport with demanding tactics. To achieve this, basketball players need intensive training and functional help such as support and sports compression socks. These devices support joints, tendons, and ligaments and can even help boost performance.
Hiking: Discover new trails
Whether alone or in a group – hiking can be the perfect opportunity to enjoy the beautiful countryside air. If the right destination is chosen to match your ability and equipment, then the hike will be a beautiful experience.
Running boosts your mood
Hardly any other sport is as uncomplicated and effective as running: it doesn’t cost much, is very easy and you can run just about anywhere. Running can be taken up at any age, either alone or in a group. In addition, it is an effective form of training for the. Running for just half an hour four times a week is enough to achieve an above-average fitness level in a very short time. Furthermore, jogging melts away subcutaneous fat and ensures a good mood, self-confidence, and stress reduction.
Feel like running? If you are over 35 or have taken a long break from jogging, you should first have a check-up with a doctor. And even when he/she gives you the OK: Start slowly. At first, it is best to alternate between jogging and walking.
Strength training
Playing and romping around with your grandchildren and mastering your everyday life – carrying shopping bags, performing minor repairs at home, going on excursions – all require fitness, physical control, and a good sense of balance. Many gyms offer special courses or training programs for the 60+ age group – go and get some advice.
Strength training helps you to strengthen your muscles so that they can better support the bone structure and relieve the load on your joints. For this, it is sufficient if you take about 15 minutes twice a week to train the six main muscle groups of the abdomen, back, front and back of the thighs, arms, and shoulders by simply implementing your own body weight as a training device, for example, by doing knee-bends and press-ups. You can also fill up normal plastic bottles with water or sand and use them as dumbbells.
Aqua-jogging
The type, duration, and intensity of sports and leisure activities should be tailored to your personal requirements. Find Exercises in water are particularly recommended for patients with osteoarthritis because the buoyancy of the water considerably reduces stresses on the joint. A higher water temperature also has a positive effect. If you wear a buoyancy jacket, aqua-jogging is also a possible physical exercise for patients with osteoarthritis. The buoyancy of the water completely relieves all weight on the joints and muscles. Aqua-jogging also has positive effects on the cardiovascular system and our metabolism.
Swimming
Like aqua-jogging, swimming is very suitable for patients with osteoarthritis due to the buoyancy of the water. The crawl is the most recommended swimming style for patients with osteoarthritis of the knee. The movement of the leg muscles during the crawl is more suitable for building up muscles than with the breaststroke due to the scissor movement. A higher water temperature is also recommended for swimming.
Power walking
Power walking is the alternative to jogging for people with osteoarthritis of the knee because the stresses on the joints are lower (jogging: 2.5 to 3 times bodyweight, power walking 1.0 to 1.5 times body weight). It is important to wear shoes that offer enough support and have above-average damping properties. Forest floors, farm tracks, or sandy pathways are more suitable than asphalt surfaces.