Chapter III: EXERCISE

Michelle B. Delmonte

19-43496
Types of
Exercise:
1. Endurance

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 Endurance activities, often referred to as aerobic, increase your breathing and
heart rates. These activities help keep you healthy, improve
your fitness, and help you perform the tasks you need to do
every day. Endurance exercises improve the health of
your heart, lungs, and circulatory system. They also can delay
or prevent many diseases that are common in older adults
such as diabetes, colon and breast cancers, heart disease,
and others. Physical activities that build endurance include:

 Brisk walking or jogging

 Yard work (mowing, raking)
 Dancing
 Swimming
 Biking
 Climbing stairs or hills
 Playing tennis or basketball

Increase your endurance or “staying power” to help keep up with your

grandchildren during a trip to the park, dance to your favorite songs at a family
wedding, and rake the yard and bag up leaves. Build up to at least 150 minutes of
activity a week that makes you breathe hard. Try to be active throughout your day to
reach this goal and avoid sitting for long periods of time.

2. Strength

Your muscular strength can make a big difference. Strong muscles help you stay
independent and make everyday activities feel easier, like getting up from a chair,
climbing stairs, and carrying groceries. Keeping your muscles strong can help with
your balance and prevent falls and fall-related injuries. You are less likely to fall
when your leg and hip muscles are strong. Some people call using weight to improve
your muscle strength “strength training” or “resistance training.”
Strength exercises include lifting weights, even your own body weight, and using
a resistance band.
Lifting weights
Try to do strength exercises for all of your major
muscle groups at least 2 days per week, but don’t
exercise the same muscle group on any 2 days in
a row. If you’re just starting, you might need to use

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 1- or 2-pound weights, or no weight at all. Your body needs to get used to strength
exercises. You can use common objects from your home, such as bottled water or
soup cans. Or, you can use the strength-training equipment at a fitness center or
gym. Use light weights the first week, then gradually add more. Starting out with
weights that are too heavy can cause injuries. Use proper form for safety. To prevent
injury, don’t jerk or thrust weights into position. Use smooth, steady movements.
Avoid “locking” your arm and leg joints in a tightly straightened position.
Using a resistance band
Resistance bands are stretchy elastic bands
that come in several strengths, from light to heavy.
You can use them in some strength exercises instead
of weights. If you are a beginner, try exercising
without the band or use a light band until you are
comfortable. Add a band or move on to a stronger
band when you can do two sets of 10 to 15
repetitions easily. Hold on to the band tightly (some
bands have handles) or wrap it around your hand or
foot to keep it from slipping and causing possible
injury. Do the exercises in a slow, controlled manner, and don’t let the band snap
back.
Safety tips

 Don’t hold your breath during strength exercises and breathe regularly.
 Breathe out as you lift or push, and breathe in as you relax.
 Talk with your doctor if you are unsure about doing a particular exercise.

3. Balance

Balance exercises help prevent falls, a common problem in older adults that can
have serious consequences. Many lower-body strength exercises also will improve
your balance. Exercises to improve your balance include Tai Chi, a “moving
meditation” that involves shifting the body slowly, gently, and precisely, while
breathing deeply.
Examples of balance exercises

 Try standing on one foot, then the other. If at first you

need support, hold on to something sturdy. Work your

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 way up to doing this movement without support. Get up from a chair without
using your hands or arms.
 Try the heel-to-toe walk. As you walk, put the heel of one foot just in front of
the toes of your other foot. Your heel and toes should touch or almost touch.

Safety Tips

 Have a sturdy chair or a person nearby to hold on

to if you feel unsteady.
 Talk with your doctor if you are unsure about a
particular exercise.
Marian's

Story

4. Flexibility

Stretching can improve your flexibility. Moving more freely will make it easier for
you to reach down to tie your shoes or look over your shoulder when you back your
car out of the driveway.
Examples of flexibility exercises

 Try the calf stretch exercise. Stand facing

a wall slightly farther than arm’s length
from the wall, feet shoulder-width apart.
Step forward with the right leg and bend
the right knee. Keeping both feet flat on
the floor, bend the left knee slightly until
you feel a stretch in your left calf muscle.
Hold the position for 10 to 30 seconds,
and then return to the starting position.
Repeat with the left leg.

 Try the ankle stretch exercise. Sit securely

toward the edge of a sturdy, armless chair.

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 Stretch your legs out in front of you. With your heels on the floor, bend your
ankles to point the toes toward you. Hold the position for 10 to 30 seconds.
Bend your ankles to point toes away from you and hold for 10 to 30 seconds.
Safety tips

 Stretch when your muscles are warmed up.

 Stretch after endurance or strength exercises.
 Don’t stretch so far that it hurts.
 Always remember to breathe normally while holding a stretch.
 Talk with your doctor if you are unsure about a particular exercise.

Safety tips

 Do a little light activity, such as easy walking, before and after your endurance
activities to warm up and cool down.
 Listen to your body: endurance activities should not cause dizziness, chest
pain or pressure, or a feeling like heartburn.
 Be sure to drink liquids when doing any activity that makes you sweat. If your
doctor has told you to limit your fluids, be sure to check before increasing the
amount of fluid you drink while exercising.
 If you are going to be outdoors, be aware of your surroundings.
 Dress in layers so you can add or remove clothes as needed for hot and cold
weather.
 To prevent injuries, use safety equipment, such as a helmet when bicycling.

Benefits of
 Exercise:
Help you control your weight.

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  Along with diet, exercise plays an important role in controlling your
weight and preventing obesity. To maintain your weight, the
calories you eat and drink must equal the energy you burn. To lose
weight, you must use more calories than you eat and drink.

 Reduce your risk of heart diseases.

 Exercise strengthens your heart and improves your circulation.
The increased blood flow raises the oxygen levels in your body.
This helps lower your risk of heart diseases such as high
cholesterol, coronary artery disease, and heart attack. Regular
exercise can also lower your blood pressure and triglyceride levels.

 Help your body manage blood sugar and insulin levels. 

Exercise can lower your blood sugar level and help your insulin
work better. This can cut down your risk for metabolic
syndrome and type 2 diabetes. And if you already have one of
those diseases, exercise can help you to manage it.

 Help you quit smoking. 

Exercise may make it easier to quit smoking by reducing your
cravings and withdrawal symptoms. It can also help limit the weight
you might gain when you stop smoking.

 Improve your mental health and mood. 

During exercise, your body releases chemicals that can improve
your mood and make you feel more relaxed. This can help you deal
with stress and reduce your risk of depression.

 Help keep your thinking, learning, and judgment skills sharp as you
age. Exercise stimulates your body to release proteins and other chemicals
that improve the structure and function of your brain.

 Strengthen your bones and muscles.

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 Regular exercise can help kids and teens build strong bones. Later
in life, it can also slow the loss of bone density that comes with age.
Doing muscle-strengthening activities can help you increase or
maintain your muscle mass and strength.

 Reduce your risk of some cancers, including colon, breast, uterine,

and lung cancer

 Reduce your risk of falls.

For older adults, research shows that doing balance and muscle-
strengthening activities in addition to moderate-intensity aerobic
activity can help reduce your risk of falling.

 Improve your sleep. 

Exercise can help you to fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer.

 Improve your sexual health. 

Regular exercise may lower the risk of erectile dysfunction (ED) in
men. For those who already have ED, exercise may help improve
their sexual function. In women, exercise may increase sexual
arousal.

 Increase your chances of living longer. 

Studies show that physical activity can reduce your risk of dying
early from the leading causes of death, like heart disease and
some cancers.

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 How can I make exercise a part of my regular routine?

 Make everyday activities more active. 

Even small changes can help. You can take
the stairs instead of the elevator. Walk down
the hall to a coworker's office instead of
sending an email. Wash the car yourself.
Park further away from your destination.

 Be active with friends and family. 

Having a workout partner may make you
more likely to enjoy exercise. You can also
plan social activities that involve exercise.
You might also consider joining an exercise
group or class, such as a dance class, hiking
club, or volleyball team.

 Keep track of your progress. 

Keeping a log of your activity or using a
fitness tracker may help you set goals and
stay motivated.

 Make exercise more fun. 

Try listening to music or watching TV while
you exercise. Also, mix things up a little bit -
if you stick with just one type of exercise,
you might get bored. Try doing a
combination of activities.

 Find activities that you can do even when the weather is bad.
You can walk in a mall, climb stairs, or work
out in a gym even if the weather stops you
from exercising outside.

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 Factors Affecting Body Alignment and Activity:

1. Growth and Development

As age advances, muscle tone and bone density decrease,
joints lose flexibility and bone mass decreases, particularly in
women who have osteoporosis.
All of these changes affect older adult’s posture, gait and
balance

2. Physical Health
Health- chronic or acute disease
Musculoskeletal- congenital or acquired abnormalities
Nervous System- stroke
Cardiovascular- orthostatic hypotension
Metabolic- affects normal metabolic functioning

3. Mental Health

4. Nutrition
Both under nutrition and over nutrition can influence body
alignment and mobility
Poorly nourished people may have muscle weakness and
fatigue
Vitamin D deficiency causes bone deformity during growth
Inadequate calcium intake and vitamin D synthesis and intake
increase the risk of osteoporosis.
Obesity can distort movement and stress joints, adversely
affecting mobility.

5. Personal Values and Attitudes

Whether people value regular exercise is often the result of
family influences. In families that incorporate regular exercise in
their daily routine or spend time together in activities, children
learn to value physical activity.
Values about physical appearance also influence some
people’s participation in regular exercise. People who value a
muscular build or physical attractiveness may participate in
regular exercise programs to produce the appearance they
desire.

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 6. External Factors
Availability of recreational facilities
Unsafe environment

7. Prescribed Limitations
Limitations to movement may be medically prescribed for some
health problems.
Bed rest is the choice for certain clients, for example to reduce
metabolic and oxygen needs, to decrease pain.
Clients who are short of breath may be advised not to walk-up
stairs

Effects of Immobility:
Although critical illness and injury require various degrees of bed rest or immobilization,
immobility itself has been found to have negative complications on patient’s health. Potential
complications of immobility include among others

 Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP)

 Pressure ulcers
 Delirium
 ICU acquired weakness

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 References:

https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/four-types-exercise-can-improve-your-health-and-
physical-ability

https://www.health.harvard.edu/exercise-and-fitness/the-4-most-important-types-of-
exercise

https://medlineplus.gov/benefitsofexercise.html

https://www.scribd.com/doc/20242197/1-Factors-Affecting-Body-Alignment-Activity-
1-2-3

https://www.slideshare.net/sivanandareddy52/factors-affecting-mobility-and-
immobility

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