Using the age of 65 to define the senior population is in many ways an arbitrary choice. Ask many adults who’ve celebrated that milestone birthday, and they’ll tell you they certainly don’t feel like a senior citizen.

Still, over the decades, our bodies undergo changes no matter how much we try to fend off the effects of time. Some of these changes mean the fitness activities we’ve engaged in are no longer recommended as senior workouts. But there are plenty of safe options that can be incorporated into an exercise program for seniors—as you’ll discover when you keep reading.

Staying Active Is Vital for Older Adults

While engaging in physical activity is important for people of all ages, being active is especially crucial to older adults who want to remain as healthy and independent as possible, for as long as possible.

Not only can a physical exercise routine help prevent or alleviate the symptoms of heart disease, high blood pressure, depression and diabetes, it can also help with balance, muscle strength, bone density, mood and sleep quality.

Compared with their sedentary peers, older adults who are physically active tend to:

• Feel more energetic
• Enjoy a more consistent positive outlook
• Benefit from improved cognitive health
• Experience a higher quality of life
• Be more likely to perform activities of daily living (such as eating, dressing, bathing and getting in and out of bed or a chair) with little or no assistance
• Have a lower risk of injury from falling

Senior Exercises Should Emphasize Safety First

Some older adults have never stepped foot inside a gym or even given exercise much thought. Others may have been physically active in their younger years but shifted their priorities as the responsibilities of raising a family or advancing their career required more time and energy.

If you’re new to exercise or looking to gradually get back into it after being sedentary for a while, it’s always a good idea to talk with your physician before getting started on a new routine. This is also true if you have any chronic illnesses or physical limitations such as mobility issues.

Regardless of your level of fitness, think about consulting a fitness professional or doing some online research about specific activities or exercises you’re planning to do. A simple search on the internet using a phrase such as “safe senior exercises” is a good place to begin—as long as you rely on trustworthy sources.

Many types of exercises suggested specifically for older adults address multiple desired outcomes, such as improved balance, strength, flexibility and endurance. Some low-impact exercises, such as water aerobics and chair yoga, are often recommended for those who have achy joints from arthritis or other health conditions.

Remember, any senior exercise program should place your safety above all else!

No Need To Join a Gym

The thought of walking into a fitness facility might feel intimidating—unless it’s one like our fitness center at Heron’s Key, where everyone except the fitness specialists is in your age group.

If you prefer some privacy as you begin your physical activity routine, you can go online and find a wide array of exercises for seniors at home, many with videos you can watch to make sure you’re doing them properly.

These basic exercises will help you get started.

Bridge

You can do this exercise while lying on a mat on the floor, on a carpeted floor or on your bed. It builds strength in the muscles of your back body while also stretching the muscles in the front of your body. It’s an especially good exercise for anyone who sits a lot.

1. Lie on the floor, face up, with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor.
2. Place your arms at your sides, palms facing down.
3. Lift your hips up into the air so your knees, hips and shoulders are in a straight line.
4. Squeeze the muscles in your buttocks and hold this position for several seconds.
5. Slowly, and with control, lower your hips back to the floor.
6. Repeat several times.
7. As you get stronger, you can hold the pose longer and do more repetitions. Eventually, you can try lifting one leg straight up toward the ceiling as your hips are raised and then alternate with the other leg.
8. Be sure to relax your neck while doing this exercise.

Wall Push-Ups

Push-ups use your body weight to build strength in your chest, arms, shoulders and core.

1. Stand straight, facing a wall, about a foot away from the wall.
2. Place your hands on the wall at shoulder height and a little more than shoulder-width apart.
3. Walk your feet back away from the wall, keeping your body in a straight line.
4. Tighten your core muscles and your buttocks.
5. Bend your elbows and bring your chest toward the wall.
6. Straighten your elbows and take your chest back away from the wall.
7. Repeat several times.
8. As you get stronger, you can do more repetitions and make the exercise more challenging by stepping farther away from the wall.

You can do regular push-ups on the floor if you prefer, making them less strenuous by keeping your knees on the ground while you raise and lower your upper body. You can also do chair push-ups, standing behind a sturdy chair and pushing down on the back of the chair with your hands while you raise and lower your body toward the back of the chair.

Bird Dog

This exercise helps improve balance and stability by creating a stronger core. It works muscles along your spine and in your upper back and shoulders, as well as your abdominal muscles, glutes (in your buttocks) and hamstrings.

1. On a mat or carpeted floor, get onto your hands and knees. Be sure your hands are directly beneath your shoulders and your knees are directly under your hips.
2. Lift and extend one leg behind you while reaching the opposite arm out in front of you. You should form a straight line from the tips of your fingers on the outstretched arm to your toes on the leg stretched out behind you. Keep your eyes on the floor below you.
3. Return your hand and knee to the floor so you’re in the same position in which you started.
4. Repeat on the opposite side.
5. Alternate sides several times.
6. As you get stronger and steadier, you can incorporate crunches by bringing your elbow to meet your knee (while gently arching your back) and then stretching your arm and leg out again before returning your hand and knee to the ground.

Knee-to-Chest Stretch

If you have tension in your lower back and hips, this stretch can help alleviate that. It can also improve your flexibility and range of motion in your hips and hamstrings.

1. Lie on the floor (on a mat or carpet) with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground.
2. Clasp your hands around one knee and bring it in toward your chest.
3. While keeping your lower back pressed to the floor, hold your knee to your chest for 15 to 30 seconds.
4. Relax and return to your starting position.
5. Do the same movement with the other knee.
6. Do several repetitions on each side.

If you have any discomfort in your knees, you can clasp your hands around the back of your thigh instead of around your knee. Also, it may feel better for your back if you keep the opposite leg flat on the floor (instead of bent at the knee) while bringing your knee toward your chest.

Single Leg Balance

As you start doing this exercise, you may want to stand with one hand against the wall or hold on to the back of a sturdy chair for support. As your balance improves, you may not need any support.

1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart, hands on your hips.
2. Lift one foot off the floor, bending your leg at the knee, and raise your foot behind you while keeping your knees even.
3. Hold for 10 to 30 seconds.
4. Lower your foot to the ground and repeat on the opposite side.
5. Do several repetitions on each leg.

How Often Should You Exercise?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that seniors engage in activities of moderate intensity for at least 150 minutes a week. Brisk walking, lively dancing, swimming and bike riding are examples of moderate-intensity activities. You can aim for 30 minutes per day, five days a week, or break it up into shorter blocks of time.

Older adults should also participate in muscle-strengthening activities at least twice a week and balance activities on most days, according to the CDC.

Physical Activity Is Part of Our Holistic Approach to Wellness

If you’d like to learn more about how residents at Heron’s Key enjoy staying active, we invite you to come have a look around. We’ll show you our beautiful community and tell you all about the amenities we offer, including our fitness center.

While you’re here, you can talk with some of our residents to find out what they like most about living at Heron’s Key. To arrange a visit, contact us or call (877) 892-7129.

If you’ve been undecided about moving to a senior living community in part because you think your grandchildren (or great-grandchildren) won’t want to visit, then take this to heart: Choose a community like Heron’s Key, where there are countless ways to spend time with them in the larger, surrounding community—in our case, Gig Harbor, Washington.

Not only has SmartAsset™ named Gig Harbor the best place in Washington to retire (and one of the top five places in the country). It’s also quite family friendly, as Martha Bien, one of our newer residents, can attest.

Wondering what to do in Gig Harbor, WA? Read on!

How Martha Chose Heron’s Key as Her New Home

Martha has lived at Heron’s Key for less than a year, so she’s still exploring all there is to do in our community. But she’s very familiar with Gig Harbor because her son and his family have lived in the stunning seaside village for the better part of a decade.

As you might imagine, having family living nearby helped Martha make her decision to move to Heron’s Key—and her grandson was instrumental in having Martha take a closer look at our community.

Before moving here, Martha had lived an hour away, on Bainbridge Island, for almost 30 years. She loved her home on the island, and her son would bring her two youngest grandchildren to visit her on most Sundays. Other times, she would come to stay with them in Gig Harbor for a few days.

Eventually, Martha and both of her sons (her other son lives in Oregon) began to talk about her future living arrangements. She looked into a senior living community that was being built on Bainbridge Island but “didn’t really care for that.”

During one of her weekend visits to Gig Harbor, which she describes as a “sweet town,” she and her son drove by Heron’s Key, and he mentioned that our community has a good reputation. At first, Martha said she didn’t think she would like it here, but her grandson, who was only about 6 years old at the time, piped up from the back seat and said, “Tutu, would you at least consider it?”

After a couple of visits to Heron’s Key, Martha changed her mind.

“Moving here was a really good decision,” she says. “People ask me, ‘Did you make the right choice?’ I really can say, ‘Yes.’ It’s such a lovely place, and the people are so welcoming and wonderful, right from the get-go.”

Where Is Gig Harbor?

Gig Harbor is nestled on the western side of the lower region of Puget Sound, in Pierce County, which is in western Washington. Part of the Olympic Peninsula, it’s across from Tacoma, which is about 12 miles away via the Tacoma Narrows Bridge.

How far is Gig Harbor from Seattle? Less than an hour’s drive, which makes it a breeze to take trips to the dozens of intriguing, kid-friendly museums in the area, as well as the Seattle Aquarium and Woodland Park Zoo. You can also enjoy performances by the Seattle Symphony Orchestra and the Pacific Northwest Ballet, Seattle Mariners ballgames and a whole lot of other pastimes.

Getting there is even easier when someone else does the driving, like we do with our frequent group excursions.

Fun Things to Do in Gig Harbor

You don’t have to venture to Tacoma or Seattle unless you want to. There are plenty of things to do in Gig Harbor when your grandchildren visit.

If you want them to take a break from “screen time,” Gig Harbor has 21 city parks, many with trails for hiking and biking. The trails and the area’s wetlands are great for spotting wildlife while on nature walks. The preserved urban forest at Grandview Forest Park, where you’ll find local artwork on display along the trails, is an excellent example.

Harbor WildWatch offers guided beach walks, and the organization’s new Marine Life Center in downtown Gig Harbor is a fascinating place to learn all about plants and animals that call the Salish Sea their home.

You can also walk around the harbor (where you just might spy some porpoises, seals and seabirds) or take a sightseeing trip with Destiny Harbor Tours. If you’re up to it and your grandchildren are old enough, kayaking and paddleboarding are popular pastimes in Gig Harbor. Enjoy being on the water? You can access it from several parks in the area.

For a unique experience on the water, you could take the grandkids on an authentic Venetia gondola ride, provided by Gig Harbor Gondola.

During the summer, you can catch an outdoor concert on Tuesday evenings at Skansie Brothers Park or on Thursdays at Uptown Gig Harbor, the upscale outdoor shopping center that’s only about 15 minutes from Heron’s Key. By the way, Uptown Gig Harbor has an IMAX theater.

You can also plan to attend the Maritime Gig Festival in June, the Summer Art Festival in July and the Gig Harbor Film Festival in September.

If it happens to be raining when the grandchildren are visiting, there are lots of indoor activities to choose from, such as pottery painting at the Java and Clay Cafe. Or, you can check out Ocean5, which offers both 10-pin and duckpin bowling, a two-story laser arena and an arcade with the latest in modern gaming.

Kids of all ages can learn more about the local history and culture at the Harbor History Museum, located on the waterfront in downtown Gig Harbor.

If you don’t feel like driving, or to make any local outing more memorable, the Pierce Transit trolley runs during July and August, making numerous trips between downtown Gig Harbor and Uptown Gig Harbor shopping center. The trolley stops right at the entrance to Heron’s Key, so it’s especially convenient!

More About Martha and Her Grandchildren

Martha’s situation is a bit different from other Heron’s Key residents who may have grandchildren visiting them, since her grandkids live in Gig Harbor. She goes to events they’re involved in at school and can volunteer to watch them if their parents need an extra hand.

For instance, Martha’s 7-year-old granddaughter recently came over one afternoon for a couple of hours. Martha made dinner and they watched one of the “Minions” movies together. Martha said both her granddaughter and grandson like to eat at Spinnaker’s, our restaurant, and she sometimes orders takeout meals or ice cream if they want to eat in her apartment.

When the weather’s nice, they go for walks around the pond to get some fresh air.

Martha cherishes these times with her younger grandchildren and loves living close enough to see them while they’re growing up. When she’s not with the grandkids, Martha enjoys plenty of other ways to keep active—like walking with her friend, Janet, who also moved to Heron’s Key from Bainbridge Island. Three mornings a week, they walk between three and four miles in and around the community.

She also likes the variety of lectures and exercise classes available at Heron’s Key, which are a great option anytime and particularly when it rains.

“I’m much busier here than I was on Bainbridge,” she says, noting that she’s looking forward to helping with the planting project that’s planned for the newly resurfaced path around the pond.

She also intends to explore some of the hiking trails on upcoming group outings and may look into starting another book club here at Heron’s Key.

Would You and Your Grandchildren Like It Here?

The best way to find out is to come visit us. We’d love to show you around our community. While you’re at it, you can stroll around downtown Gig Harbor, which is less than 10 minutes away. Visitors and locals alike love to wander among the many shops, galleries and restaurants on or near the waterfront.

To arrange a visit to Heron’s Key, call (877) 892-7129 or contact us online.

Planning for your retirement years: the most thoughtful gift for families.

What Is a Waitlist?

A waitlist for a retirement community is similar to a waitlist at a restaurant. By adding your name to the list, you have a place in the queue as openings (homes) become available.

In addition to specifying what type of home you want — for example, the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, with or without a den, apartment, cottage or patio home — you may be able to request other criteria, such as:

• A specific floor plan
• The location (on the ground floor, near the elevator, near the dining venue, overlooking a courtyard)
• A certain price range
• A general time frame

The criteria you can select will vary among senior living communities, and so will the deposit you’ll need to make when adding your name to the list.

How Does a Waitlist Work?

If you decide you want to be placed on a waitlist for a specific senior living community, you’ll need to fill out an application and make the required deposit. Waitlist deposit amounts vary from community to community.

If your application is accepted, your name will be added to the list. Then, as soon as a home becomes available that meets your specified criteria, the community will notify you to see if you are interested.

You can turn down the opportunity without losing your place in the queue. The community will simply notify the next person on the waitlist whose criteria meet those of the available home, and you’ll be notified the next time a similar home becomes available.

If you decide you no longer want to be on the list, you notify the community and ask to be removed. Typically, the community will refund your deposit except for an amount to pay for administrative fees.

The Most Important Reasons to Be on a Waitlist

Every person’s situation is different, so your reasons for wanting to be on a waitlist may be quite different from those of another person. Still, there are several reasons that are likely to pertain to most people who are eligible or nearing eligibility to live in a retirement community.

#1: The demand for senior living residences is expected to increase and outpace supply.

By 2030, all baby boomers will be over the age of 65. Most will be older than 70. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, baby boomers are the second-largest age group, at an estimated 73 million. (Millennials, the children from 1982 to 2000, are the largest.)

Additionally, life expectancy increased for baby boomers, thanks in part to improvements in health care. So, not only are there more seniors in the market for senior living, they’re also living longer — which means they have the opportunity to live in a retirement community longer.

Plus, after dipping somewhat during the pandemic, occupancy rates for senior housing are increasing again. Counting the third quarter of 2023, occupancy rates have increased for nine consecutive quarters, according to data compiled and analyzed by the National Investment Center (NIC).

That same NIC data, referred to in a separate blog post, indicates the demand for senior housing is outstripping the number of new homes being added to the market. This trend has also persisted for nine consecutive quarters.

One real estate investment services company estimates that between 25,000 and 40,000 additional housing units will be necessary from now until 2030 to meet the increasing demand for senior housing.

#2: You’ll have more flexibility and control over your future.

We all know life can change our plans in a split second. What we thought we could put off indefinitely can suddenly become quite urgent.

Having your name on a waitlist may make the difference between you selecting the home you’ll live in or someone else making that decision for you, should your circumstances change suddenly.

Being on a waitlist could also keep you from having to settle for a less-than-desirable home, should you have to move on short notice. Some senior living communities have dozens — and some have hundreds — of names on their waitlists. All of those people have priority over anyone who’s not on the list when it comes to accepting an available residence.

#3 Not all retirement communities have the option to expand their footprint.

If you have your eye on a specific senior living community, putting your name on the waitlist practically guarantees you the opportunity to live there at some point.

Some communities with long waitlists have expansion projects planned or underway. Others may not be able to expand, whether due to geographic restrictions, limitations imposed by the community’s governing board or even local regulatory restrictions.

Even communities that are in the process of adding new residences may not have any availability in the near future. Expansion projects can take years to implement and bring new residences to fruition. A lot can happen in the interim.

#4 There’s virtually no downside to getting on a waitlist.

Although you will be required to make a deposit when you add your name to a waitlist, nearly all retirement communities will refund the lion’s share of your deposit if you change your mind. Some may retain a percentage to cover the administrative costs of maintaining their waitlist.

Knowing you have a place in the queue and the ongoing right of refusal as residences in the community become available can provide tremendous peace of mind.

And, if you do move into the community, your deposit will be applied toward the entrance fee.

The Future Residents Program at Heron’s Key

After reaching an occupancy rate of over 90%, Heron’s Key recently decided it was time to begin a waitlist, which we call the Future Residents Program.

When our community was in the conceptual stages, development plans included the option to expand Heron’s Key in the future. We are actively considering this possibility but have not yet made any firm decisions.

The Heron’s Key waitlist, which we call the Future Residents Program, will help us manage demand for homes that become available while we work through the decision-making process regarding a potential expansion.

Our First Future Residents: Jill Guernsey and Tom Stanfield

Jill and Tom made it their mission to be the first participants in the Future Residents Program.

Tom, who was our director of sales and marketing from the time Heron’s Key was in conceptual development until he retired in 2019, had advocated for a waitlist for quite some time.

Jill was on Gig Harbor’s city council when Heron’s Key was in the development stages and then served as mayor of Gig Harbor for three years while Heron’s Key was under construction and preparing to open. She currently serves on the board of directors at Heron’s Key, Emerald Communities and Emerald Heights, our sister community in Redmond, Washington.

Both Jill and Tom had been in previous long-term marriages and lost their spouses to cancer. Their involvement with Heron’s Key was instrumental in bringing them together. They began their relationship in 2018 and were married the following year.

When asked about their decision to put their names on the waitlist, Jill pointed out that they are both in their 70s and one day will no longer be able to life in “this gorgeous house we built.”

“I don’t want my kids to pick where I’m going to live,” she said. “I’d rather pick it myself.”

During his career of 20-plus years in sales and marketing for senior living communities, Tom said he’d heard every possible excuse and argument about why someone would not choose to live in a continuing care retirement community — and he says he wasn’t going to let those affect his decision.

“Gig Harbor is where we choose to live, and Heron’s Key is the best solution available to seniors in our local market,” he said.

“Because of my extended experience with Heron’s Key, I know a good majority of the residents there, and they are my friends,” Tom noted. “I have an appreciation for the people who live there and an appreciation for the culture of the community. When it’s time for us to make the move, there won’t be any culture shock.

“The people who live there are very ambitious, they’re active and they want to be involved not only in Heron’s Key but also in the Gig Harbor community at large,” he said.

Jill reinforced Tom’s observations: “I love the fact that they are their own community,” she said, referring to Heron’s Key residents. “They shaped Heron’s Key, and they run it. And they’re actively involved in the Gig Harbor community in many ways. I think that’s fabulous.”

If you’d like to learn more about the Future Residents Program at Heron’s Key and the benefits of being on a waitlist, let’s get in touch! 

Featured Image: Drazen Zigic / Shutterstock