Welcome to Happie Feet!

Welcome to Happie Feet! My name is Ruth Ozuruonye. I am the creator of Happie Feet, and my purpose is to find ways to combat chronic back, feet, and knee pain for older adults. 

Normally, health is discussed for more youthful ages in order to have longevity and decent health into old age, whereas they neglect discussing what people of older ages should do in order to keep themselves agile and moving. It is important that people of all ages can have access to vast amounts of methods and information that can aid and improve their quality of life. 

Personally, I deal with arthritis, and it has heavily affected my movement over the years. The usual remedies that were provided to me were medications and physical therapy, however, those methods did not immediately relieve the limitation that arthritis caused to my body. Despite the methods provided to me, they were temporary fixes to what felt like a permanent problem.

Therefore, I began this quest to search for answers on what adults within the age range of 50 and up would do to improve the health of their lower body. In this quest to find solutions, I have come across many insightful tips that can help keep older adults youthful in their movement.  

It's obvious that exercise is important to the physical body, but for an older adult, what specific exercises can help form an active lifestyle? According to the National Institute of Health, they recommend three types of exercises: aerobics, muscle strengthening, and balance. 

Aerobic exercises mainly consist of cardio and endurance training, using physical activity to move your body for an extended period of time causing elevated heart rate. Aerobic exercises range from taking walks to dancing, swimming, playing tennis, and bicycling. These exercises help in increasing mobility and endurance of activity in general.

Muscle strength-training consists of lifting and resistance training, which helps the muscles to contract. A couple of currently popular forms of muscle strength training is weightlifting and Pilates. These forms of training builds strength and endurance in the body in order to perform everyday tasks And are known in preventing falls and fall-related injuries.

Balance exercises consist of movements that help build stability and strengthen your body. Popular forms of balance exercises consist of Tai chi and yoga. According to John Hopkins medicine, yoga is known to improve strength, balance and flexibility, relieves and can ease arthritis symptoms. Tai Chi also has similar benefits as well as reducing stress and improving sleep quality. 

To conclude, these are the elementary methods that can be used in order to improve the health of the lower body for older adults. These methods may seem challenging however they truly are beneficial to one's body. It is important that we are mindful of the aging of our bodies and work towards keeping it moving. It is never too late to begin your journey to a healthier and stronger you.

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References 

“9 Benefits of Yoga | Johns Hopkins Medicine.” Johns Hopkins Medicine, , www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/9-benefits-of-yoga.

NIH. “Health Benefits of Exercise and Physical Activity | National Institute on Aging.” National Institute of Health, National Institute of Health, www.nia.nih.gov/health/exercise-and-physical-activity/health-benefits-exercise-and-physical-activity.