How Exercise Boosts Mental Health in Older Adults

Depression and mental health are a difficult reality at any stage in life. Unfortunately, many older adults tend to be less resilient when it comes to fighting feelings of loneliness and depression. Thankfully, exercise has countless mental and physical benefits that promote feelings of well-being and a renewed sense of control over your life.

Why Older Adults Suffer from Poor Mental Health

As you age, your social circle tends to be smaller and it can become more difficult to make new friends. You’ll often experience your friend group decrease throughout the decades due to premature death, moving away, divorcing or remarriage, having children, or changes in values or beliefs.

Mental health decline can be made worse by experiencing life-altering medical conditions, decreased sense of purpose after retirement, a lack of parental responsibilities and the inability to make connections with new acquaintances. Everyone wants to feel like they have things in common with those around them. But when you feel like there’s no one who can relate to you or your independence has been reduced by physical limitations, it’s even harder to cope with life’s hardships. Similar to one’s physical health, mental health is scalable throughout a person’s lifetime.

Significant Benefits of Exercise in Older Adults

What are some of the amazing health benefits when it comes to exercise in older adults? Besides the obvious physical advantages, there are some major mental health reasons to incorporate more exercise into your daily routine.

Reduced Levels of Anxiety and Depression

Significant amounts of clinical research reinforce the correlation between exercise and reduced levels of anxiety and depression. The endorphins released through exercise enable greater blood circulation throughout your brain and body. As a result, older adults and people of all ages feel better about themselves with an improved mood and outlook on life.

More Confidence and Increased Self-Esteem

You can’t help but feel good about yourself after accomplishing the difficult task of a weight-bearing or cardio exercise. It’s the same as we age, and older adults need to feel confident in their physical and mental abilities more than ever.

There are so many fears and challenges faced when you are physically and mentally changing from the natural progression of aging. Exercise makes you feel young again and healthier in every way from the inside out.

Lowers Stress Levels

It’s not uncommon for older adults to have an overactive mind, worrying about their well-being and feeling as though their independence is slowly reducing with every passing year. You might not be able to drive at night anymore or have moved into an assisted living facility. Exercise is a wonderful, natural medicine when it comes to building mental strength and resiliency.

Each stage of life comes with its own reasons for declining mental health. However, staying mentally fit is just as important as maintaining your physical condition. The two aspects go hand-in-hand and truly offer many wonderful benefits at every stage of life.

South Coast Post Acute is Southern California’s Premier post-acute Partner

Exceptional Health and healing are possible with the right professional oversight and daily nutrition. At South Coast Post Acute, we deliver the services needed to restore health, regain autonomy and reduce the occurrences of rehospitalization.

South Coast Post Acute is here for you, at any age. Our innovative care, experienced staff and welcoming accommodations combine to bring you the highest level of care you’ve come to expect from Southern California’s leading post-acute provider.