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Senior fitness: exercise is not just for younger people
Jane is in her early 80’s and is noticing her mobility is getting more and more limited. Her doctor gave her a clean bill of health but recommended she consider an exercise class to maintain her balance and keep her strength up. “He must be nuts”, she says. “Doesn’t he know how old I am”? Jane has never liked exercise and it is hard enough to get moving as it is. A few months ago, she fell on the last step in her entryway-- a frightening experience Jane does not want to repeat in an exercise class
Fred is in his late 70’s and has progressively worsening arthritis. He has a lifelong love of being active-hunting, fishing, hiking and bicycling to name a few- but he is unable to keep up at the pace he is used to. “I just don’t see how I can exercise”, he says. “I don’t like feeling sluggish and slow but I just can’t do what I used to anymore. Isn’t that part of being old?”
Have you heard you should be exercising, but you aren’t sure where to begin? You are not alone. Many seniors don't exercise for the same reason that people of all ages resist physical activity – they think of it as too hard, too boring, or they are disappointed by the lack of immediate results. On top of this, some older adults have additional challenges, such as chronic health conditions or concerns about injury or falls.
But the evidence is clear: exercise benefits people of all ages. In fact, studies show that not only is exercise safe for seniors, but it has enormous health advantages. Exercise can help you maintain your health and independence throughout your life. Regular exercise and senior fitness is the key to greater energy, stronger muscles, better balance and flexibility, and a happy and alert mind.
It doesn’t matter how old you are! People in their sixties, seventies, eighties, and even nineties can reap the benefits of exercise.
Myths and facts about senior fitness and exercise
Dispelling the many myths surrounding older adults and exercise is the first start towards getting fit.
Myth 1: Exercise is a chore.
Fact: If you pick an activity that you already enjoy doing, exercise is easier than you think. For example, gardening, walking at the mall, or playing with your grandchildren combine exercise with another fun activity.
Myth 2: There’s no point to exercising. I’m going to get old anyway.
Fact: Exercise and strength training helps you look and feel younger and stay active longer. Regular physical activity lowers your risk for a variety of conditions, including Alzheimer’s and dementia, heart disease, diabetes, colon cancer, high blood pressure, and obesity.
Myth 3: I’ve never been coordinated. Exercise is not for me.
Fact: You don’t have to be an Olympic athlete to benefit from exercise. If sports are not for you, walking is a great form of exercise that is easy to do.
Myth 4: I’m afraid I’m going to fall if I try to exercise.
Fact: Regular exercise, by building strength and stamina, prevents loss of bone mass and improves balance, actually reducing your risk of falling. There are many types of exercise to start with if you are concerned about falls.
What if I am frail or physically unable to exercise?
Some seniors are reluctant to exercise because of the mistaken belief that exercise is bad for older people – especially those with various diseases and disabilities – because it puts too much of a strain on your body. As you age, the body does take a little longer to repair itself, but moderate physical activity is good for people of all ages and of all ability levels. Remember that your body was meant for movement, and just like a car or a bike needs to be used to keep working properly, your body needs to be used to function best. If your physical abilities are limited by medical conditions or frailty, you may have to go about exercise more carefully than others, but don’t dismiss it entirely:
- Consult your doctor before starting your exercise program. With proper instruction and guidance, you can learn activities and exercises that you can do to improve mobility and reduce frailty, reducing the risk of falling and broken bones.
- Try exercise in a class setting with proper supervision. Safe options for seniors with health or mobility issues include chair exercises, swimming, or water aerobics. Your local YMCA is a good place to start when looking for exercise programs that address special needs.
The benefits of exercise for seniors
Regular exercise is more important than ever as you age. There are many physical and mental health benefits that result from regular exercise.
Physical benefits of exercise for seniors
- Exercise helps seniors maintain or lose weight. Maintaining a healthy weight is a challenge as you age, as metabolism naturally slows down. Exercise helps keep your metabolism up and increases your muscle mass, helping you to burn more calories. Your overall health improves at a healthy weight as well.
- Exercise reduces the impact of illness and chronic disease. Among the many benefits of exercise for seniors include improved immune function, better heart health and blood pressure, better bone density, and better digestive functioning. Seniors who exercise also have a lowered risk of several chronic conditions including Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, obesity, heart disease, osteoporosis, and colon cancer.
- Exercise increase mobility, flexibility, and balance in seniors. Exercise improves your strength, flexibility and posture, which in turn will help with balance, coordination, and reducing the risk of falls. Strength training also helps alleviate the symptoms of chronic conditions such as arthritis.
Mental benefits of exercise for seniors
- Exercise helps seniors sleep better. Many older adults report problems with sleep. Poor sleep is not an automatic consequence of aging and quality sleep is important for your overall health. The right amount of exercise often improves sleep, helping you to fall asleep more quickly, sleep more deeply and awake less often during the night.
- Exercise can improve mood and boost self-confidence. Endorphins produced by exercise can actually help you feel better and reduce feelings of sadness or depression. Being active and feeling strong naturally helps you feel more self confident and sure of yourself. This improved sense of well-being also helps your overall mood and attitude about life.
- Exercise is good for the aging brain. Exercise helps encourage regular brain functions and can help keep the brain active, helping to prevent memory loss, cognitive decline, and dementia. Exercise may even help slow the progression of brain disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease.
Types of exercises for seniors and older adults
Don’t let the different types of exercise intimidate you. Any exercise is better than none! However, mixing different types of exercise helps both reduce monotony and improve your overall health. Here are some examples of different types of exercise and how they can help you stay more active.
- Cardio endurance exercise increases your body’s ability to deliver oxygen and nutrients to tissues and to remove waste over sustained periods of time. This type of exercise gets your heart pumping and you may even feel a little short of breath.
- Strength training uses and strengthens your muscles with repetitive motion exercises. Strength training helps prevent loss of bone mass, builds muscle, and improves balance, both important in staying active and preventing fall risk
- Stretching, flexibility and balance exercise improves and maintains flexibility, prevents injury, and reduces muscle soreness and stiffness. Brief stretching is also good to do before any other type of exercise as well.
| Exercise for seniors: How it improves your daily life | ||
Type of exercise |
How to do it |
Daily activities it benefits |
Cardio exercise |
Walking, bicycling, swimming, water aerobics |
Cleaning the house, gardening, shopping, running errands |
Strength training |
Weights, resistance bands, nautilus machines or by using walls, furniture, and your own body weight for resistance. |
Lifting grandchildren, carrying groceries, doing household chores |
Stretching, flexibility, balance |
Yoga, Pilates, basic stretching exercises, Tai Chi, or Qi Gong |
Putting on shoes, looking behind you while driving, navigating steps |
While the exercise options can seem overwhelming, the good news is there is a type of exercise for any person at any level. Even if it means starting simple exercises entirely seated or starting by walking half a block, you are still exercising.
What exercise is best for me?
Think about activities that you enjoy and how you can incorporate them into an exercise routine. Below are examples of activities that are especially beneficial to seniors:
- Walking. Walking is a great way to start exercising. It requires no special equipment, aside from a pair of comfortable walking shoes, and can be done in many places, from a shopping mall to a hiking trail. You can also enjoy walking and chatting with a friend or workout buddy.
- Senior sports or fitness classes. Sports and fitness classes offer a great way to stay motivated to exercise while also helping you relax and relieve stress. They are fun, so it is easy to keep up your fitness plan, and are a great way to make friends and stay socially active as well.
- Water aerobics and water sports. Water aerobics has several advantages over land-based aerobics, especially for seniors. The water reduces stress and strain on the body's joints. At the same time, increased resistance and exercise for the muscles enables you to burn calories more efficiently.
- Yoga. Yoga is a widely practiced form of exercise that combines a series of poses with breathing. Moving through the poses works on strength, flexibility and balance. Yoga can be adapted to a wide range of levels and disabilities, using a chair or other props to start.
- Tai Chi and Qi Gong. Tai Chi and Qi Gong are two martial arts-inspired systems of movement that are beneficial to both mind and body, helping with improved ability at daily activities, better balance, and increased strength. Classes catering to seniors can often be found at your local YMCA or community center.
Making Exercise Fun
Exercise can be fun, and it doesn’t have to be the traditional walking, swimming, or biking. You can try different sports or you can take up an active hobby like gardening. Even better, make your fitness routine sociable by exercising with friends. Making sure your activities are fun is the most important step in your decision to be healthy and fit over the long term.
Read Making Exercise Fun: Finding a Fitness Plan That Works for You
Starting a senior fitness and exercise plan
Often the hardest part of exercise is getting started. The following tips will help you get on your way safely while having fun:
- Get medical clearance from your doctor before starting an exercise program, especially if you have a preexisting condition. Your doctor may be able to guide you to community resources for specific conditions as well. If something feels wrong, such as sharp pain or unusual shortness of breath, stop doing it. You may need to scale back or try another activity.
- Start slow. Remember, if you try to build in a complicated exercise routine, you might get burned out and frustrated before you even begin. The resources below provide a variety of step-by-step exercises you can try, including simple arm exercises you can do while seated. You might just want to start with ten minutes a couple of times a day, or take a class once a week to start. Let exercise become a habit, and then you can slowly start building up your time and vary your exercise routine. Remember to drink plenty of water and gently stretch.
- Get support. It can be easier doing something new if others are there to support you. Consider taking a class or exercising with a buddy- it can be easier to stay motivated if there is a set time to exercise and you are able to socialize with others as well.
- Enjoy yourself. If you are dreading your exercise or find it too hard or boring, sooner or later you will find a way to talk yourself out of it. If you feel this way, take a look at what you are doing. Is it time to try a new activity? The resources below provide a variety of activities and new exercises to try.
Exercise does not have to break the bank
Are you hesitant to start exercising because you think it will be too expensive? Like many of the best things in life, exercise can be free. You don’t need fancy equipment to exercise. Some easy to do exercise starters:
- Do arm exercises or light stretching while watching TV. No weights? Many kitchen items, like soup cans, provide a quick way to get started.
- While shopping, take an extra ten minutes to walk around the shopping center before you begin shopping
Keeping your exercise program going: Tips for seniors
Exercise is a lifelong commitment to better health. The more you exercise, the more you will reap the benefits. The National Institute on Aging provides excellent examples of life’s challenges and how to keep your motivation to exercise.
| How To Cope with Change In Your Situation | |
You’re on vacation |
|
Caring for an ill spouse is taking up much of your time |
|
Your usual exercise buddy moves away |
|
You move to a new community |
|
The flu keeps you out of action for a few weeks |
|
You are recovering from hip or back surgery |
|
Related articles
Healthy Aging
A Recipe for Aging Well and Living Life to the Fullest
Nutrition for Seniors
Healthy Eating Tips for Older Adults
More Helpguide articles:
- Sex and Aging: Lifelong Sexuality for Seniors
- Sleeping Well As You Age: Healthy Sleep Habits for Seniors
- Improving Your Memory: Tips and Techniques for Memory Enhancement
Related links for senior fitness and exercise
NIA Exercise Guide – An excellent starting point, this comprehensive guide outlines the importance of exercise, safety tips, sample exercises, target heart rate charts, activity logs, and how to make an exercise plan. (National Institute on Aging)
NIHSeniorHealth: Exercise for Older Adults – Covers the benefits of exercise for seniors, safe exercises to try, an FAQ, and charts to track your progress. (National Institutes of Health)
Building Blocks – Presents tips for getting started on an exercise program. (AARP)
Keep Active for a Longer, Healthier Life – Discusses value of exercise and provides tips to help you get started. (AARP)
Exercise for the Elderly – Presents basics of starting an exercise program for seniors and some sample exercises. (American Academy of Family Physicians)
Advice for the Aging Athlete – Provides valuable information about adjusting your workouts as you age. (Healthlink-Medical College of Wisconsin)
Senior fitness plans and exercise instructions
NIA Exercise Guide sample exercises and charts:
Sample exercises for all major types of exercise
Sample activity logs, goal setting and exercise plans
Exercise: The Key to the Good Life – Provides an exercise plan for seniors. Sample exercises include directions and diagrams so that you can get started on your own. (President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports)
Strong Women – Offers different exercise programs for women specifically designed for strengthening bones (and preventing osteoporosis), staying slim or aging well. Commercial site aimed at selling books, but all programs offer sample exercise demonstrations which are useful for getting started. User must read and accept user agreement to have access to programs.
Benefits of exercise for seniors
Aging and Exercise – Technical article outlining the effects of aging on different functions of the body. Helpful for understanding specifics of exercise’s influence on the aging process. (Encyclopedia of Sports Medicine and Science)
Regular Exercise Slows an Aging Brain’s Decline – Provides information about two studies showing the benefit of exercise in decreasing the risk of Alzheimer’s. (USA Today)
Senior sports and types of exercise
Aerobics for Seniors - Discusses types of aerobic exercise, as well as exercising comfortably and
The Water Well – Discusses the benefits of water exercise for people with medical conditions like osteoporosis, diabetes, and back problems. (Aquatic Exercise Association)
Senior All-Star Bowling Association – Membership page will help you find out about participating in senior tournaments.
Senior Cyclists – Information about current rules and laws governing cycling. (Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center)
Yoga Slows the Aging Process – Outlines the benefits of yoga and the many different types of yoga. The site includes extensive health information as well as an animated section showing many of the various postures and poses.
Tai Chi - Explains the basics of Tai Chi including what to expect from your classes, how Tai Chi works, and more. (Health and Age)
More senior fitness and exercise resources
The National Senior Games Association – Information about the Summer and Winter National Senior Games (the Senior Olympics) and sports information for older adults.
Senior Sports Page – Offers detailed articles on a variety of sports. (Senior Journal)
