Exercise for Seniors

Exercise gets increasingly more important with age. In fact, exercise is one of the best prevention strategies seniors can take to stay healthy and avoid illness, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Seniors who exercise report fewer aches and pains and more energy compared to seniors who are sedentary. Exercise also can maintain or even improve the cognitive functioning and emotional well-being of seniors. Exercise doesn't have to be strenuous or long to be beneficial. The CDC says even a 10-minute walk qualifies as exercise. However, the more 10-minute walks you take, the better you'll feel.

  1. How Much Exerise Should Seniors Get?

    • For optimal health, adults age 65 and older who are relatively healthy, with no limiting health conditions, should aim to get as much exercise as younger adults, suggests the CDC. That means about 150 minutes a week -- or two and a half hours -- of combined aerobic activity and muscle-strengthening exercise. But you can break it up. A brisk walk around the neighborhood, heavy gardening, yoga and light weight-lifting exercises all count. The CDC says to kick it up to five hours for even greater health benefits. Even seniors with chronic diseases, such as arthritis and heart disease, should exercise, but only under the supervision and guidance of their doctor.

    Exercise Improves Memory and Mood

    • Forgetfulness, insomnia and feeling blue are common symptoms of age -- but they needn't be. Research shows that exercise can help. As people age, areas of the brain that control learning and memory, which are associated with age-related illnesses such as Alzheimer's and dementia, begin to shrink. Researchers from Brown University's Alpert Medical School and Rhode Island Hospital are finding that regular, moderate aerobic exercise can stimulate chemical changes in the brains of seniors to produce new neural connections that positively impact cognitive health, particularly memory. In the study of 120 seniors, walking was found to be the most beneficial activity compared to other types of exercise. Seniors who exercise are also less likely to feel depressed and have an easier time falling asleep, according to studies cited by the CDC.

    Exercise Prevents and Improves Chronic Disease

    • Many seniors avoid exercise because it hurts. But health advocates say that's all the more reason to get moving. Exercise can actually improve painful health conditions in the long run. For example, researchers at Tufts University saw a 43 percent decrease in pain among seniors with moderate to severe knee arthritis who participated in a strength-training program. Another study at Tufts on arthritic seniors also saw marked improvements in physical function and pain when they practiced tai chi, a series of gentle movements based on Chinese martial arts. Exercise can also have a profound and positive effect on seniors with diabetes. Studies cited by the CDC found that seniors who participated in a strength-training program were able to control their glucose levels in ways that were comparable to taking diabetes medication.

    Exercise Increases Strength and Independance

    • Seniors who exercise are stronger, more balanced and more flexible, which means they're less likely to fall and can perform more activities on their own compared to seniors who don't exercise. One New Zealand study showed that women aged 80 and older who participated in a simple strength and balance routine actually decreased their number of falls by 40 percent. Resistance training can also significantly regenerate senior muscle tissue and increase strength measurably, according to a study by the Buck Institute for Research on Aging. After six months of training twice a week, the seniors increased strength by 50 percent. And cardiovascular exercise reverses diminished aerobic capability, which is typical of older sedentary adults. Increasing aerobic capacity increases functional independence and the ability to enjoy activities for longer periods of time, according to studies conducted by the National Institutes of Health.