Choosing to be active at any age is a healthy decision for your well-being and has numerous significant health advantages. As part of an active lifestyle, older adults need to incorporate a mix of exercise types. Even small levels of activity throughout the day contribute to the 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity and two days of muscle-strengthening activities per week.
It can be difficult to initiate and sustain a change in your lifestyle. Thankfully, there are tips to make you more active. Apply these strategies for getting active and staying active.
Take it slow
It is best to build up your level of physical activity over several weeks to months. As a precaution to avoid injury, begin with low-intensity exercises suitable for your existing fitness level. Then increase the frequency, intensity, and duration of activities over time. Working your way up slowly and steadily can also help to build confidence, motivation, and a regular routine. When there is a break in your routine, perhaps due to illness or travel, work back up gradually.
Older adults with no pre-existing injury or chronic condition, and who intend to build up gradually their levels of physical activity, usually do not require consultation with a doctor prior to becoming active. But for individuals with or without chronic conditions, physicians and exercise specialists can:
- Evaluate current levels of physical activity
- Offer guidance on suitable types of activity and how to progress at a safe and gradual rate
- Provide ongoing support through follow-up visits
Just as with the increase in physical activity, it is also necessary to be gradual with the exercises themselves. Warming up prior to exercise and cooling down after exercise is advisable to prevent injury and other adverse health occurrences, like heart attack or stroke.
A warm-up readies the muscles for exercise and enables the heart rate and breathing to rise slowly. A cool-down following activity enables a slow reduction at the end.
Set goals and track progress
Goal setting for your physical activity can motivate you to attain higher levels of physical activity, beginning from where you are now. Goals work best when they are specific and achievable. This form of goal setting can serve to transform an overall goal, for example, to be more active, into a measurable and actionable goal, for example, to take a 10-minute walk three times a week. Ensure that you go through your goals from time to time as you progress.
To assist with your goals, you can monitor and log your physical activity. Recording it every day can yield useful information about progress toward reaching weekly physical activity objectives. You can use a device (e.g., a step counter) or a written record. Some individuals prefer to share their activity with a friend, physician, or exercise professional for additional responsibility and feedback. Don’t forget to celebrate success, too!
Overcoming barriers
These barriers can discourage older adults from being active. Some individuals do not know or have access to safe areas for activity, venues or equipment might be expensive, and some are worried about being able to do it, becoming injured, or falling. Some other typical barriers are time, weather, and interest.
The first step toward assisting in breaking through barriers against physical activity is to determine for yourself potential obstacles. Problem-solving, perhaps involving guidance from a physician or fitness expert, will aid in combating determined barriers using individualized resolutions. It also behooves individuals to redetermine barriers across time, given changes in life situations.
The following chart is a list of some potential barriers, with examples of solutions. Use the same type of problem-solving for other barriers that could decrease your level of activity.
Build social support
Group-based exercise, including exercise classes, walking clubs, or “exercise buddy systems,” not only moves you, but also offers chances for social contact, friendship, and emotional support. Social support from family and friends can boost motivation and be an integral part of success for older adults in efforts to become more active. Encouragement and interaction complement physical activity well!
Participate in a range of activities
As part of increasing more daily movement and sitting less, older adults need to have a variety of activities. This can make activity more fun and may prevent overuse injury. Older adults should also include a mix of aerobic, muscle-strengthening, and balance activities every week.
Activity can be accomplished with exercise, housework, work chores, walking or biking for transportation, or leisure-time physical activity. Examples:
- Playing pickleball with others
- Going up the stairs
- Doing yard work
- Swimming
- Dancing
- Groceries carried
- Assisting in the care of grandchildren
- Exercising in a class
Try indoor and outdoor activities. Having more than one way to create fun activity into your life and engaging in enjoyable activity as you grow older can provide the ability to increase physical activity.