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Taking care of your physical health is incredibly important, especially as we get older. At Southgate, we encourage our residents to exercise regularly if they’re able and support their fitness goals.

Please remember, you should always talk to your doctor about how much exercise you can handle depending on the condition of your health. At Southgate, we have trained professionals and health experts that can set you up to success on your fitness journey as well. 

If you’re looking to be proactive in taking care of your body and mind, here are some indoor fitness activity ideas for you to try:

Indoor fitness amenities at Southgate

At Southgate at Shrewsbury, we offer many amenities so that you can explore new hobbies. Our indoor health club and spa is open every day of the week and offers scheduled classes for you to learn beside others. 

We also have an indoor swimming pool for you to enjoy casually or use to put your swimming skills to the test. Swimming is a great way to build your muscle strength and protect your heart health.

Activities you can do with just a yoga mat

You can do many indoor exercises in your own home using just a yoga mat. These low-impact activities will improve your flexibility and positively impact your mental health (and you can take guided classes online for extra support and ideas): 

Pilates: Doing pilates is an excellent way to build strength in your muscles without straining yourself. Pilates will make you feel strong without overworking yourself, and you can always modify instructions to fit your body and your skill level.

Yoga: Yoga is a great exercise that combines your mental and physical health by connecting you mind and your body. You can also try meditating while you do yoga to improve your focus and concentration. 

Daily stretching: One of the best things you can do for your mind is to stretch it everyday. Reach out to touch your toes or reach up and touch the sky. This will give your muscles room to breathe and work themselves out slowly and naturally so you don’t pull anything while exercising.

Senior strength training

Weight training is a great way to gain muscle and get stronger. Lift light weights (those that are two to three pounds) or add weighted resistance bands to your exercises to maintain your muscle mass and bone strength. 

Additional tips for your indoor fitness journey

When exercising, it’s important to keep a few things in mind to protect yourself:

1. Listen to your body: You know your own body best. Not every exercise is made for every individual, so if something is too strenuous for you, dial it back and take breaks. 
2. Don’t strain yourself: When exercising, always drink plenty of water and modify routines so that you can complete them without injuring yourself. If you feel strained, take days off and visit a medical professional for healing tips and advice.
3. Stretch: The best thing you can do for your body is to stretch before and after you exercise. Even if you’re doing a simple 10 minute pilates workout or taking a walk, you should stretch your muscles before and after so they don’t get strained or sore the next day.

At Southgate at Shrewsbury, we support our residents in their journey to maintain and strengthen their physical health. Visit our health club and spa and indoor pool to start exercising indoors today, and talk to Southgate staff about other opportunities to get active.

 

 

Here at Southgate at Shrewsbury, we offer our residents a variety of amenities to enjoy. Your time as a resident is sure to always be full of fun, exciting things to do either alone or with a group of friends, with the opportunity to meet new people as well.

Explore indoor and outdoor exercise options

At Southgate, we want to promote and support healthy eating and exercise habits of seniors. That’s why we offer you a variety of workout options in the comfort of the Southgate campus.

Our Health Club and Spa is open seven days a week for you to enjoy. You can take group classes or choose to use the exercise equipment available to craft your own individualized routine. We also have a heated indoor swimming pool for our residents to use to strengthen their swimming skills.

If you’re looking to get exercise outside, our beautiful 3-acre campus with a park is perfect for taking a nice, refreshing walk on a sunny day. 

Get crafty and pursue your hobbies

If you’re feeling creative and want to make some new friends or meet up with old ones, consider some of our more crafty amenities. 

Our Arts & Crafts Studio is perfect for painters, whether you’re an expert or a beginner. We have plenty of supplies ready for you to create your next masterpiece, and we even offer classes to help you learn something new.

If you’re interested in building something from scratch, come to our Woodworking Shop! You can put your lifelong skills to the test or learn how to do something you’ve never done before thanks to our variety of tools and equipment.

Our library with a fireplace is a great place to unwind and relax if one of your favorite hobbies is curling up with a good book. Residents can enjoy the cozy environment and read a new bestseller or a literary classic.

Meet up with friends

At Southgate, we strongly encourage our residents to get to know one another and spend time with their friends. Connecting with each other and investing in strong friendships is beneficial to seniors’ health because it prevents loneliness and isolation. 

You can catch up with some of your neighbor friends at the Four-Lane Candlepin Bowling Alley for some fun and laughter, or enjoy some games in the billiards and card rooms. You can also bring your kids and grandkids to these spots when they come to visit!

Check out the 200-seat theater to watch movies, plays, or live music performances. We always have plenty to offer our residents to keep them entertained, and they can even join in on the fun by performing themselves!

Discover shopping and dining locations

We want our residents to feel comfortable and enjoy all of their favorite foods and drinks, which is why we offer casual and fine dining restaurants. We also have a cocktail lounge if you’re looking to grab a drink and connect with friends or family members.

Southgate is also conveniently located near delicious nearby restaurants and shopping centers, with the ability to easily travel to both Worcester and Boston. The Natick Collection, Northborough Crossing, and Solomon Pond Mall are all nearby retailers where you can enjoy a nice day of shopping and exploring.

At Southgate, we want our residents to feel their very best and do the things they love the most. Our amenities are designed to make you love where you live, and live your life to the fullest each and every day.

This is the perfect time to set goals for yourself that you’d like to see accomplished in the new year. At Southgate at Shrewsbury, we encourage and support our residents on their quests to reach their goals and remain exploring, growing and learning.

If you’re looking for an easy resolution for the new year that will positively impact many different areas of your life, then reorganizing and decluttering is the perfect choice. Ideally, you should strive to reorganize your belongings in a way that will last long-term and allow you to be more organized and productive each and every day with minimal effort.

Here are some tips for beginning your journey to home organization:

Sort Through Your Belongings: One of the first things to do when decluttering is sorting through the things you own and making two piles, one for things you’d like to keep and another for things you’d like to discard. Make sure that when you go through your items that you only keep clothes that you wear often and things that you use on a regular basis. When you’re done sorting, you can even donate the items in the discard pile so that someone else can give your unwanted goods a new purpose.

Clutter that could present a tripping hazard is especially important for seniors to be aware of. That means stacks of old magazines or old rugs that are curling up at the edges are definitely things that should go in the discard pile. Take a look around your home at ground level to make sure you get rid of anything that could present a hazard.

Set Daily/Monthly Goals: Staying organized requires practice and patience, so it’s important that you set new goals to stay on top of things. One way to do this is by setting a new, small goal for yourself every day or each month. Trying to organize your entire life at once will be overwhelming and daunting, so it’s best if you break it up into smaller goals across time so that you feel more comfortable approaching each task.

Make Important Items Easily Accessible: Items like medications that you take regularly and tax documents should be kept in a place within your home that is easy for you and others to access if necessary. When you begin to sort through your belongings, label important items and store them where they will always be safe.

For example, keep printed documents regarding your estate plan or will in a fire-proof box and alert a close friend or family member of where it is. For daily vitamins and medications, keep them in a 7-day pill organizer in your medicine cabinet near other items you use daily, such as your toothbrush.

Another option is to purchase a rolling cart that can be transported from room to room easily. You can keep everyday items such as cleaning products, kitchen utensils, and art supplies in the cart and take it with you throughout your home.

Invest in Convenient and Manageable Storage: If you’ve sorted through your belongings and now are looking for a place to store everything, consider investing in new storage materials. Instead of putting everything into large tubs that can get heavy and unwieldy, stick with smaller storage boxes and plan your organization style accordingly. For example, instead of putting all of your clothes for the warmer months together in one heavy box – split them up into transitional items, spring items and items for the warmest summer weather—or split them up by tops and bottoms. That will make it easier to find what you need and prevent you from having to move heavy bins.

It’s also important to invest in shelving that lets you keep storage bins at mid-level to avoid straining yourself by pulling them down from high shelves or from the ground. You can also do this by investing in wall hooks to hang in your home to easily access items that you use everyday, such as your keys, jacket, or tote bags.

At Southgate at Shrewsbury, our floor plans are designed for you to feel at home and at ease. Start the new year off right by organizing your living space and setting easy and attainable goals that will leave you feeling accomplished and refreshed.