Winter Wellness Activities for Seniors

Staying active during the coldest season of the year may be challenging for seniors. However, it’s crucial to older adults’ overall well-being to remain physically active, socially connected and mentally engaged throughout the winter months. Embrace a fun-filled season in Independent Living with a range of winter wellness activities to keep you actively engaged. Aberdeen Heights has the perfect prescription for a healthy and happy winter, from social gatherings to stimulating mental and physical activities.

Benefits of Physical Wellness

Physical fitness is always beneficial, even more so in winter when you might tend to hibernate indoors and become less active. Some top benefits of exercising in the winter include:

• Improved Joint Health: Regular exercise helps maintain flexibility and reduce joint stiffness, making it especially beneficial if you have arthritis or other joint-related issues.

• Increased Circulation: Cold weather causes blood vessels to constrict, reducing blood circulation and potentially impacting your extremities. Regular exercise promotes better circulation, helping your body stay warm and improving heart health.

• Enhanced Mood and Mental Well-Being: Shorter winter days mean less sunlight, potentially leading to seasonal affective disorder, commonly known as the winter blues. Exercising triggers the release of feel-good hormones called endorphins that can help alleviate depression and anxiety, which is especially important in the winter.

• Weight Management: Winter is packed with holidays that include hearty meals and high-calorie sweets, making weight management a concern. Regular exercise helps you maintain a healthy weight while still being able to enjoy food-filled festivities in moderation.

• Boosted Immune System: Physical activity helps enhance aging adults’ immune systems, even theoretically reversing the adverse effects of aging placed on the immune system. Moderately intense exercise can help increase immunity against viral infections, such as the flu and other respiratory illnesses more common in winter.

The benefits of physical wellness during the winter can be two-fold if you try a group fitness class. Group classes offer an excellent opportunity to socialize with other Independent Living residents, reducing feelings of isolation that can sometimes be more pronounced during the winter. 

Aberdeen Heights encourages group fitness in our indoor aquatic and wellness center with instructor-led courses and competitive games. Another option when it’s cold outside is to walk around the mall to get your steps in, which you can do alone or as part of a group. 

Benefits of Social Wellness

Winter is the perfect time to warm up your social life to help reduce feelings of isolation and foster a sense of community in Independent Living. Some top benefits of social activities in the winter for seniors include:

• Increased Motivation: Social engagement helps motivate you to stay active in the winter and get involved with others in the community.

• Mental Stimulation: Group interactions can provide cognitive challenges that help keep your mind active and sharp, which is especially important for seniors no matter the season.

• Emotional Support: Sharing experiences with other community members can help reduce boredom and feelings of loneliness that might be more pronounced in cold winter months when you might not be able to engage in your regular outdoor pursuits.

• Learning Opportunities: Interacting with others can introduce you to new interests or hobbies that foster continuous learning.

• Enjoyable Distractions: Social interactions can provide the perfect distraction to take your mind off winter blues, increasing your mental and emotional well-being.

Joining a club at Aberdeen Heights can be a fantastic way to meet like-minded community members who share common interests. Attending group activities created for Independent Living residents, such as happy hours, live entertainment or organized trips, can add a delightful social touch to your winter calendar, filling your days with the warmth of old and new friends. 

Benefits of Mental and Emotional Wellness

Mental and emotional wellness are essential to a senior’s overall well-being, especially during winter. Some benefits of prioritizing mental and emotional health in the winter include: 

• Stress Reduction: Engaging in mentally stimulating activities in the winter acts as a natural stress-relief outlet, aiding overall emotional well-being.

• Mood Elevation and Emotional Resilience: Uplifting activities boost your overall mood to help combat seasonal blues and build emotional resilience, aiding in coping with winter challenges.

• Holistic Well-Being: Balancing spiritual, cognitive and emotional facets promotes overall well-being during the winter, contributing to a positive mindset.

• Cognitive Stimulation: Participating in intellectually stimulating pursuits helps maintain cognitive health function.

• Improved Sleep Quality: Emotional well-being positively impacts sleep patterns, promoting better rest.

Participating in televised or live worship services can offer a source of spiritual comfort that helps enhance mental and emotional wellness. In addition to hosting special events on-site, Aberdeen Heights routinely schedules day trips and off-site events at popular local attractions to offer another stimulating outlet to engage your mind and lift your spirit during the dreary winter months.

How Does Aberdeen Heights Prioritize Winter Wellness for Residents?

Aberdeen Heights is a Life Plan Community, offering you every level of living for every season of your life. Winter isn’t just a season; it’s an opportunity to embrace wellness in every format. We help you engage your mind, body and spirit with a multidimensional approach to wellness.

On the physical front, we offer ample ways to stay active, including weekly aerobics and other fitness classes for our Independent Living residents. You can try swimming and hydrotherapy in our indoor pool, use Quantum hydraulic fitness equipment in our wellness center, join a competitive water volleyball team and participate in the local senior Olympics events.

From a social standpoint, Independent Living residents find as much social interaction as they like. In addition to hosting numerous on-site events, we regularly schedule special off-site events and day trips to local attractions year-round. Our location in Kirkwood, Missouri, puts our campus within a 20-minute drive of Downtown St. Louis and all the cultural and entertainment venues of this major metropolitan area. Local and national parks, Busch Stadium, Natural History Museum, Missouri Botanical Gardens, performing arts centers, St. Louis Zoo and St. Louis Aquarium are just a few of the local attractions we routinely visit.

Combined with spiritual nourishment, intellectual presentations, creative outlets and service-oriented activities, Aberdeen Heights covers every aspect of wellness for our residents no matter the season. Contact us at 314-394-8943 to schedule a tour and learn more about our Independent Living community today.