The health benefits of staying active as we age are well known, and help contribute to an active senior lifestyle. A recent study explored the relationship between aging and physical activity, as researchers from King’s College London and the University of Birmingham in England analyzed the health of seniors who remained physically active as they aged. There were 84 males and 41 females between the ages of 55 and 79 involved in the study.The researchers ultimately concluded that the more active the participants were, the fewer signs of aging they showed.
Dr. Stephen Harridge, director of the center of human and aerospace physiological sciences at King’s College and lead researcher in the study, elaborated on how important maintaining physical activity is for promoting a healthy lifestyle the older we become.
“Because most of the population is largely sedentary, the tendency is to assume that inactivity is the inevitable condition for humans. However, given that our genetic inheritance stems from a period when high levels of physical activity were the likely norm, being physically active should be considered to play an essential role in maintaining health and wellbeing throughout life.”
Of course, staying active as we age is often easier said than done. Luckily, there are a number of excellent devices and gadgets currently on the market that not only assist in monitoring your health, but also provide a better understanding of how your workout is benefiting your body. Take a look at these latest gadgets that can help boost your senior independence and keep you on the right track to living a healthier life:
Fitbit
One of the trickier aspects to getting in an efficient workout is knowing whether the exercises you’re doing are really paying off. Fitbit is an accessory that helps you understand just how your daily hobbies and activities are impacting your health, through a number of tracking capabilities. Users can wear Fitbit around their wrist like a bracelet, and the device monitors everything from your heart rate to how many steps you’ve taken throughout the day. If you’re someone who enjoys frequent jogs or strolls for physical activity, this gadget can be beneficial to seeing the distance of your route as well as how many calories you’re burning with each step.
BodyMedia CORE Armband
This electronic is considered one of the more accurate health tracking devices available on the market, especially for seniors who are trying to stay more physically active. How the BodyMedia CORE Armband works is simple – wearing the accessory around your arm throughout the day allows four different sensors to simultaneously monitor everything from your resting heart rate to your skin temperature. What makes this device stand out above the rest is that besides informing you of calorie count and providing weight loss updates, the BodyMedia CORE Armband actually gives users personal feedback. This info can be used to make adjustments to get more out of their workout.
Finis Neptune
Seniors who swim as part of their workout routine will love to hear about Finis Neptune, a revolutionary product that serves as a waterproof music player. Everyone loves to listen to music as they exercise, but obviously the relationship between water and electronics makes it difficult for songs and swimming to coexist. However, Finis Neptune uses waterproof material as well as bone conduction audio to clearly hear music underwater, without putting your ears at any risk. This can also make as a great gift for any active swimmer you know.
