Health Tip of the Week!

Maintaining Health and Fitness: Tips and Exercises for Older Adults

Many older adults are not being as physical activity as they need.

Lack of physical activity can lead to loss of muscle strength at a rate of around 12% a week! Research published in the Journal of Physiology shows that just two weeks of inactivity can cause a loss of strength in older adults that can be difficult to regain.

On the other hand, physical activity and exercise can prevent this decline. According to a study in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, physical activity and exercise also offer many benefits for older adults. These benefits include improving or delaying the loss of physical function and movement and reducing the risk of fall-rated injuries.

Physical activity improves quality of life and:

• Slows the physical changes due to aging.

• Optimizes body composition.

• Supports mental and cognitive health.

• Increases life span.

• Reduces the risk for falls that can result in injury, hospital stays, or even death.

• Can help lower the risk of developing chronic diseases.

• Helps people who have chronic disease manage their health.
  

How to Stay Healthy and Strong at Home

According to the Department of Health and Human Services guidelines, adults aged 65 and older should perform both aerobic and muscle-strengthening activities every week.

Aerobic Activities

Aerobic activity can include:

• Brisk walking.

• Marching in place.

• Taking stairs repeatedly.

• Any activity that causes your heart to beat faster than usual.

HHS recommends that adults aged 65 and older do aerobic activities for at least one of the following amounts and intensities:

• 30 minutes on five days a week at a moderate intensity.

• 20 minutes on three days a week at a vigorous intensity.

An easy way to gauge your intensity is with the "Talk Test." When doing an activity at a moderate intensity, you should only be able to say one sentence before needing to take another breath. When performing an activity at a vigorous intensity, you should have difficulty with saying even a short phrase before taking another breath.

Strengthening Activities

Individuals should perform muscle-strengthening activities at least two days a week. Doing total-body exercises can help build strength and save time (see video demonstrations). For strengthening exercises, use dumbbells, resistance bands, household items, or your body weight.

Rating how you feel while doing your physical activity or exercises on a scale (like the Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion) can help tell you how hard you should be working. Think of a simple scale from one to 10 (where one equals no exertion, five equals somewhat difficult exertion, and 10 is max exertion or exhaustion). With this scale in mind, you should try to exercise at the following levels:

• Beginner exercisers: Try to achieve a level of exercise difficulty from five (somewhat difficult) to six (difficult).

• Regular exercisers who feel your routine is very easy: Exercise at a level between seven (hard) and 8 (very hard). Ensuring that the exercises are challenging will also ensure that you'll get stronger.