Staying active becomes difficult as we get older. The wear and tear on our body take a toll on our physical strength and energy—which is all the more reason to work out regularly at an older age.
One way to stay active for senior citizens is to use recumbent exercise bikes. These bikes offer a perfect balance between comfort and workout so older people can enjoy an active lifestyle. These bikes are a perfect way to tone your leg muscles and stay in good shape.
Compared to traditional bikes, these bikes are less strenuous, offering just the right amount of workout that senior citizens can handle.
Keeping in mind the challenges that older people experience while exercising, we have put together this guide to outline the benefits of a recumbent exercise bike and recommend the best bike for elderly people.
Here’s Why Stationary BikesAre Good For Senior Citizens
Exercise at any age is beneficial as it boosts the immune system. Moreover, astationary bike provides an effective and safe cardiovascular workoutone can get at any time of the day. It burns calories and reduces weight.
In contrast, an upright bike can put a strain on older people’s back. If you or someone you know experiences these challenges, a recumbent bike is a better option.
If you’re still unconvinced, we have highlighted some of the major benefits of a recumbent exercise bike for seniors below:
Respiratory Health
One way a recumbent bike improves respiratory health is by reducing the amount of oxygen you need while working out. It enhances your breathing ability as you go about your day-to-day chores.
Lack of oxygen leads to other problems such as lethargy, depression and anxiety. That feeling you get every once in a while is the sign that your muscles need more oxygen to function—something more common in older people.
A recumbent exercise bike will help you produce and balance the amount of oxygen senior people need to do their everyday tasks such as mowing the grass and cleaning their house. This gives them more energy.
Heart Health
Training on a recumbent exercise also improves heart rate resulting in a less stressed heart. It’s important for elderly people to have low stress levels to help them manage their blood pressure.
Over time, the arteries get clogged up,meaning the heart pumps less blood to the rest of the body. This can cause heart enlargement, which is what makes doing simple chores like walking long distances or climbing stairs difficult.
A recumbent bike will stabilize heart rate and blood pressure and improve blood circulation. Together, these things reduce the risk of stroke and fatal heart disease.
Muscle Health
Besides its positive impact on heart and respiratory health, recumbent exercise bikes build muscle strength.These exercise bikes are an incredible tool to tone up calves and thighs. These stationary bikes build quads and legs among senior citizens, thus, reducing their stiffness and soreness.
Since recumbent exercises are low resistance, it makes it easier for senior people to get good workouts without experiencing knee or back pain. Moreover, these exercises are adaptable to the needs of each person. Pedaling the bike not only builds leg muscles but also improvesthe overall mobility of elderly people.
If you or someone you know wants to build upper body strength, a recumbent exercise bike is a good choice. These bikes work the triceps and biceps—two major arm muscles that enable senior citizens to carry out everyday activities without hurting themselves or pulling a muscle.
Joint Health
Working out on recumbent exercise bikes is easier compared to running. Since these bikes are offer a low-intensity exercise experience, they are gentle on the joints. People with arthritis and back or knee injuries can also benefit from these stationary bikes.
Remember: if you’re planning to include a workout routine in your everyday life, we suggest consulting your physician to ensure that you don’t strain your body.
Reduced Risk of Diabetes
While exercising, the muscles use up the body’s glucose and lower blood sugar level. Diabetes is excess sugar but physical workout, such as cycling, lowers glucose level in people with diabetes.
33% of people aged 65 or older have diabetes. They are also at risk of diabetes-related problems such as heart disease and hypoglycemia. Cycling for three to five times a week can increase heart rate and burn blood glucose to manage diabetes. Older people with diabetes can experience high insulin levels after meals. Working out on an exercise bikecan help them manage their blood sugar.
Alzheimer’s Prevention
Young people often engage in athletic activities that keep their brains sharp. However, the level of regular exercise and physical activity declines as we age, which can increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease among older people.
Thanks to recumbent exercise bikes, senior citizens can get tons of energy through stationary cycling, which ultimately slows down or reduces the degenerative effects of cognitive diseases. That’s because physical activities such as cycling, stretching, running and swimming have shown to slow down the progression of dementia and Alzheimer’s.
Lowered Cholesterol
Physical workout such as cycling lowers bad cholesterol and improves good cholesterol levels in the body. This is necessary to keep the risk of heart disease at bay among older people. Regular use of recumbent exercise bikes also helps with different cardiovascular diseases.
Let’s Look At the Best Recumbent Exercise Bike
Now that you know all the benefits of using a recumbent exercise bike for senior citizens, let’s look at one of the best stationary bikes that are perfect for elderly people.
ECHANFIT Recumbent Exercise Bike
ECHANFIT recumbent exercise bike is the perfect stationary bike for senior citizens who want to lead the golden years of their lives actively.
This recumbent exercise bike from the ECHANFIT brand enables seniors to lead a better life with this professional indoor cycling machine. The machine will last for around 10 years and be the perfect companion in your fitness journey.
Let’s look at some of the noteworthy features of this machine:
Easy Assembly
ECHANFIT recumbent exercise bike is easy to assemble. It comes with an instructional manual and takes 20 minutes to set up the bike. The structure of the machine is reliable and sturdy and requires little to no maintenance.
Magnetic Resistance
This recumbent exercise bike features 8 levels of resistance so that users can change the workout intensity according to their level of fitness. You can move up and down the resistance level for different intensity options.
Bluetooth Function
ECHANFIT recumbent exercise bike also comes with an option for wireless Bluetooth function to support connectivity with Kinomap, ZWIFT andFitShow app. You can connect your mobile device to the machine to maximize your experience.
The Bluetooth function shows workout stats, and activity reports as well as accessto free coaching sessions and personalized workout programs on the apps.
Front Wheels
The machine is equipped with transport wheels that make it easier for senior citizens to move the machine. It doesn’t require a lot of muscular strength to move this stationary bike. All you need to do is lift and move the bike around with its front wheels.
The two-mounted front wheels also make ECHANFIT a perfect indoor cardio machine because users can store it away when not in use.
Adjustable Seat
One of the best features of this recumbent exercise bike is its plush seating. The large and softsurface area is easily adjustable. The user can move it backward or forward to accommodate leg length. Moreover, the padded backrest offers comfort to those struggling with back pain.
The rail slider system offers multiple position settings. It’s fit for anyone between 4’9″-6’5″ heights and 27.56″-39.76″ inseam length. The quick-release system doesn’t require you to get off the machine to adjust the seat.
Strength Workout
Besides the health benefits mentioned above, ECHANFIT recumbent exercise bike also offers a full-body workout. It improves lower body strength without straining the muscles. Older people can target their glutes, thighs, quads and calve muscles without stressing them.
Display Monitor
The machine also features an LCD digital monitor that you can set up to monitor and track your progress including total distance, speed, time, pulse rate and calories burned depending on your training goals.
The Bottom Line
Recumbent exercise bikes offer multiple health benefits to elderly people including improved heart, respiratory and muscle health. It also reduces the risk of fatal heart disease, Alzheimer’s and Parkison’s disease and improves good cholesterol levelsin the body.
Recumbent bikes also work different muscle groups without causing any strain on the joints. These bikes have more benefits than an upright bikes because of thelow intensity workout they provide.
ECHANFIT recumbent exercise bike is the right choice for senior citizens looking for a less strenuous workout routine. This machine features wireless Bluetooth connectivity to access fitness apps, comfortable adjustable seating, a large display monitor and moving wheels for storage purposes. What’s more? It is affordable so you can get a cardio workout for under $500 in the comfort of your home.
ECHANTFIT recumbent exercise bike is available on Amazon and you can purchase it by clicking here.
