Health Services - Senior Citizen's Guide

which exercise types are best for you.
Know Your Numbers
It is good to get into the habit of timing your heart and
knowing what your resting pulse rate and your target
heart rate is. Discuss with your doctor what your optimal
heart rate should be. You want to stay between 50
percent to 85 percent of your maximum heart rate. If you
are on blood pressure medication, your physician may
recommend that you modify your target heart rate based
on your current blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
If you haven’t worked out in a while or have mobility
issues, these home exercises are a good start.
Sample exercises for the couch include:
• Armchair Curls – Use small hand weights to do
a modest arm curl. If you don’t have weights,
improvise by using soda cans or small household
gadgets that weigh approximately the same.
• Reclining Row Boat – Place a resistance band
under one leg of the couch and sit in front of it.
Use the band to pull yourself up bringing your
elbows up toward your shoulders.
• Home Heel Raise - Place a heavier object on your
lap and practice raising your heels while you sit. This
is a great way to tone the calves and thigh muscles.
• Sofa Stretch – Assume yoga-like poses by bringing
your arms high above your head and count to
10. Breathe in and slowly exhale. This will help
improve circulation while lowering blood pressure.
Go digital with your workouts:
Tune into your local TV listings for fitness shows.
There are a wide variety of classes from aerobics to
zumba, the latest fitness craze. With laptops, the
computer screen becomes a TV and the myriad of
fitness programs you can download off the Internet are
22 Say You Saw It in the Senior Citizen’s Guide to Pittsburgh