According to the National Institute on Deafness, hearing loss is one of the most common conditions affecting older adults. If you are over age 45, it is more likely that you will eventually face losing some or all of your hearing. If you wish to stay active, that can pose problems.

However, you have options to mitigate the problem of lessened hearing ability while still doing the activities you enjoy with hearing aids. There are several types available.
Here are some types of hearing aids and which type of health activity corresponds best.

Receiver-in-Ear (RIC) Hearing Aids
Receiver-in-ear hearing aids are smaller than behind-the-ear hearing aids. They are more susceptible to earwax. But those are not things you need to worry about when walking, so that might be a good health activity for this type of aid. Conversation while walking also becomes easier because the speakers in this type of hearing aid offers higher voice quality.
Behind-the-Ear (BTE) Hearing Aids
Behind-the-ear hearing aids, the world’s most common, are most appropriate for yoga. This is because you can do it alone, and behind-the-ear hearing aids are not discreet. Also, yoga requires a relatively low amount of active motion.

In-the-Ear (ITE) Hearing Aids
in-the-ear hearing aids are smaller and more discreet than the two previous types. The Mayo Clinic warns that this type of hearing aid may pick up more wind noise. Tai Chi is practiced indoors in studios without wind noise, making in-the-ear hearing aids well suited for that health activity.
In-the-Canal (ITC) Hearing Aids
In-the-canal hearing aids may pose problems for people with dexterity issues. Using stationary bicycles requires less dexterity, so it may be useful to choose in-the-canal hearing aids for stationary bicycling.

Completely-in-Canal (CIC) Hearing Aids
The second-smallest type of hearing aids, completely-in-canal hearing aids, may be less likely to fall out during the high-impact activity of running. This makes them ideal for an exhilarating run.
Invisible (IIC) Hearing Aids
Invisible hearing aids are the smallest type of hearing aids and the most discreet. They rest in the second bend of your ear canal. They may not accommodate manual volume or memory controls. Zumba classes are high-intensity group activities requiring wide range-of-motion, so invisible hearing aids should stay in even while you get your Zumba on. Plus, the memory control features are more likely to be needed for activities that require going from indoor to outdoor to indoor again than for Zumba classes, where noise level is usually set.

If you are older with hearing issues but still social and active, these recommendations should assist you in choosing what type of hearing aid is best for your health activity of choice.