This is Part 3 of 3 series of the exercise blogs from The Community Service Interest Group (CSIG) in the School of Life Science and Chemical Technology (LSCT) at Ngee Ann Polytechnic.  CSIG aims to encourage students from LSCT to serve the community.  

For Part 3, these exercises need some skill and if you have not tried these before, you may start by signing up with a coach, or ask a friend who knows the sport to teach you.

What are the activities you can do with some guidance and practice?

1. Tennis
2. Bowling
3. Yoga

Always be aware of you own health condition before you start on a new routine.

Tennis (contributed by Jin Han)

Tennis is fun and gives us a good workout.  Its unique nature, we can play the sport no matter how old we are.

Playing tennis improves our upper body strength and reduces the percentage of body fat while keeping our mind active.  A tennis match takes an hour or two to complete and can be played with either two or four players and hitting the ball back and forth to each other with a racquet.

Not only is tennis a fun and healthy sport for seniors to take part in, but also one that we can start to excel in no matter our age.

Read Part 1: Start, stretch and lift!

Bowling (contributed by Chee Wee Rung)

Hurl a bowling ball down the lane to hit a pattern of 10 pins to gain points.  Bowling is fun and an engaging activity where you can compete with friends and family to see who gets the highest score.

A simple match of bowling would only take around 10 to 15 minutes per person.  It is not only a low-impact, low-risk sport which helps to improve bone density and heart circulation.  Bowling keeps us physically active and mentally alert.

It is open to all age groups, young and old.  Simply head down to your neighborhood bowling alley and start a game!

Yoga (contributed by Ka Ki)

Yoga is an exercise that anyone can attempt standing up or sitting down.

Yoga improves strength, flexibility, heart health, balance and many more!  Doing Yoga requires little to no equipment and we can do it in the comfort of our own home.  There are many videos, articles and classes on Yoga workout routines.  They can be found online or in your nearest community clubs. The picture below illustrates the simple Yoga stretches that we can do in the comfort of our own home.  Take time and go at your own pace.  We should relax and be comfortable when doing Yoga, and we can do it alone or in a group. Namaste!

This is Part 3 of 3 series of the exercise blogs from The Community Service Interest Group (CSIG) in the School of Life Science and Chemical Technology (LSCT) at Ngee Ann Polytechnic.

Part 1: Start, stretch and lift!

Part 2: Practise, train and go!

CSIG aims to encourage students from LSCT to serve the community.  During the pandemic, all volunteers activities with direct physical contact with our elderly residents is suspended.  Hence, the group decided to contribute to our Home with this series, recommending elderly-friendly exercises and sports.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of St. John's Home for Elderly Persons.

St John's Home for Elderly Persons is not a government-subvented Home and depend largely on the public's generosity to enable us to continue our work as a Registered Charity.

Please support our Home by donating generously: https://www.giving.sg/stjohnshomesg