Exercise For Seniors




Regular exercise can prevent or delay diabetes and heart trouble. It can also reduce arthritis pain, anxiety and depression. It can help older people stay independent. There is a fountain of youth. Millions have discovered it - the secret to feeling better and living longer. It's called staying active. Finding a program that works for you and sticking with it can pay big dividends.

There are four main types of exercise and seniors need some of each:

Who Should Exercise?

Almost anyone, at any age, can do some type of physical activity. You can still exercise even if you have a long-term condition like heart disease or diabetes. In fact, physical activity may help. For most older adults, brisk walking, riding a bike, swimming, weight lifting, and gardening, are safe, especially if you build up slowly. But, check with your doctor if you are over 50 and you aren’t used to energetic activity. You also should check with your doctor if you have:

  • a chronic disease, such as diabetes or heart disease
  • any new symptom you haven’t discussed with your doctor
  • dizziness or shortness of breath
  • chest pain or the feeling that your heart is skipping, racing, or fluttering
  • blood clots
  • an infection or fever
  • unplanned weight loss
  • foot or ankle sores that won’t heal
  • joint swelling
  • a bleeding or detached retina, eye surgery, or laser treatment
  • a hernia
  • had hip surgery
Page Top

Benefits of Exercise

Scientific studies show that staying physically active and exercising regularly can help prevent or delay many diseases and disabilities. Scientists find that even moderate exercise and physical activity can improve the health of people who are frail or who have diseases that accompany aging.

Exercise and physical activity are among the healthiest things you can do for yourself, but some older adults are reluctant to exercise. Some are afraid that exercise will be too strenuous or that physical activity will harm them. Yet, studies show that exercise is safe for people of all age groups and that older adults hurt their health far more by not exercising than by exercising.

An inactive lifestyle can cause older people to lose ground in four areas that are important for staying healthy and independent: strength, balance, flexibility, and endurance. But research suggests that exercise and physical activity can help older people maintain or partly restore these four areas.

Growing older doesn't mean people have to lose their strength or their ability to do everyday tasks. Exercise can help older adults feel better and enjoy life more, even those who think they're too old or too out of shape.

Increasing strength and endurance make it easier to climb stairs and carry groceries. Improving balance helps prevent falls. Being more flexible may speed recovery from injuries. If you make exercise a regular part of your daily routine, it will have a positive impact on your quality of life as you get older.

Page Top

Safety First

If you are at high risk for any chronic diseases such as heart disease or diabetes, or if you smoke or are obese, you should check first with your doctor before becoming more physically active.

In general, men over 40 and women over 50 should check with their doctor before doing vigorous activity. Most older adults, regardless of age or condition, will do just fine in increasing their physical activity to a moderate level.

Consult your doctor if you have

  • any new, undiagnosed symptom
  • chest pain
  • irregular, rapid, or fluttery heart beat
  • severe shortness of breath

If you have had hip repair or replacement

  • Check with your doctor before doing lower-body exercises
  • Don't cross your legs.
  • Don't bend your hips farther than a 90-degree angle.
  • Avoid locking the joints in your legs into a strained position.
Page Top

Health Benefits from Different Types of Exercise

Walking and aerobic activities
Walking is the core activity in most exercise plans for older adults. It is, by far, the most common and popular form of physical activity for older adults. Walking reduces the risks of death and heart disease, as well as the risk of falling. Of course, some older adults prefer other forms of aerobic activity, such as swimming, biking, pilates, yoga, dancing, and racket sports.

Stretching exercises
Stretching exercises and other activities that improve flexibility are recommended for older adults. Flexibility can be increased by specific stretching exercises, by exercise programs that include stretching exercises, or by some daily activities such as walking. Current recommendations encourage stretching at the end of a bout of activity, or after gentle warm-up activities.

Reducing muscle loss related to age
Age-related loss of muscle is called sarcopenia. This condition contributes to functional limitations and dependence in older adults. We don’t completely understand why sarcopenia develops, but nerve damage, decreased blood supply, and injury to cells may be involved.

Several studies suggest that regular physical activity among older adults can prevent much loss of muscle mass. For example, in one study of 22 active older men, their fat-free mass (a measurement of the amount of muscle tissue) did not change over 6_ years. In a Finnish study, everyday physical activities, such as household work, walking, and gardening, maintained skeletal muscle strength well enough for independent living.

Resistance training
Isotonic resistance training is strength training using weight machines or free weights. It has been extensively studied and is recommended as a means of building muscle mass and counteracting sarcopenia. Strength training has become a standard part of many therapeutic exercise programs, including programs for heart and lung rehabilitation. It also improves function and joint symptoms of older people with arthritis. In addition, strength training can improve control of blood sugar in older adults with diabetes.

As a rule, older adults benefit from strength-training programs at moderate-intensity levels. These programs typically use free weights, such as weight cuffs or dumbbells. Typically, regular training for 3-6 months can increase strength by 10-30%. In general, 2 days per week of resistance training is enough, doing, for example, 8-10 exercises 10-15 times each. Even 1 day per week has some benefits. Strength training programs also improve overall physical function, including improved balance and gait and less risk of falling. Programs are inexpensive and are run in a variety of settings, such as nursing homes, senior centers, and residences.

Some older adults may want to go a step further and explore more strenuous or high-intensity resistance training. In high-intensity training, the resistance or weight is at least 70% of the maximal weight that a person can lift just once. Older adults involved in these programs can gain strength steadily for many months. Although with proper supervision, vigorous training appears safe (even for nursing home residents), it is time consuming and less practical because it requires weight machines or other major equipment. In addition, training at this level is not for everyone. It can cause low levels of muscle inflammation and, if improperly done, cause injury.

Reducing osteoporosis, falls, and fractures
Regular physical activity by older adults probably has some effect in slowing bone loss related to age. Resistance and high-impact exercises are probably the most beneficial for slowing bone loss but they may be associated with injury. Weight-bearing aerobic activities can also help maintain bone mass.

Increasing physical activity is regarded as an effective part of programs to prevent falls. Overall, exercise improves balance and reduces the risk of falls and hip fracture. Studies also suggest that even daily activities, such as walking and climbing stairs, can reduce the risk of hip fracture.

Balance training
Some types of balance training, such as tai chi, can improve balance in older adults and reduce the risk of falls. Some programs include separate balance exercises, such as standing on narrow bases of support (eg, a one-leg stand). Other programs include some stretching and strengthening exercises done in a way that also improves balance.

Balance exercises can increase in difficulty, with exercises becoming more difficult as balance improves. For example, ,a tandem-walk exercise (walking by putting one foot directly in front of the other) is easiest when holding onto a table. The same exercise becomes progressively harder with arms in any position, then with arms close to the body, and then with arms close to the body and holding a weight.

Page Top

What is the Right Amount of Physical Activity?

Older adults are the least physically active age group in the United States. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that about 35% of adults 65-75 years old and 46% of adults older than 75 years are inactive or sedentary. About 40%-45% of adults are not active enough, and only about 20%-25% of older adults are moderately active. On average, the activity levels of older adults have not improved much over the past decade.

Healthy adults with no symptoms of illness do not necessarily need a medical evaluation before increasing their level of activity. However, adults with chronic illness should consult their health care provider before making any major change in their activity levels. Your health care provider can help design a physical activity plan that is best for your specific needs. Your health care provider may also recommend additional medical evaluation to minimize your risk of possible injury related to exercise.

Healthy adults with no symptoms of illness do not necessarily need a medical evaluation before increasing their level of activity. However, adults with chronic illness should consult their health care provider before making any major change in their activity levels. Your health care provider can help design a physical activity plan that is best for your specific needs. Your health care provider may also recommend additional medical evaluation to minimize your risk of possible injury related to exercise.

Page Top

What if I can’t exercise a lot?

Although bouts of activity 30-45 minutes long, are recommended, several bouts as short as 10 minutes each may substitute for one 30- to 45-minute bout. Short bouts fit into daily schedules more easily. They are also often preferred by older adults who may have symptoms of conditions that limit exercise, such as arthritis pain.

Even low amounts of activity have important health benefits and are better than an inactive life style. For example, in the Nurses Health Study, about 10 minutes of moderate activity a day reduced the risk of cardiovascular events by over 20%. About 22 minutes of moderate activity a day reduced the risk by about 35%. The generally recommended activity level of about 30-45 minutes a day reduced the risk by more than 50%.

Page Top

Information obtained from National Institute of Health
Library | Products | Service | Affiliates | Home