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Exercise for older people
Expert reviewer, Emmanuel Udomhiaye, Bupa Physiotherapist, and Dr Yasmin Rahman, Bupa GP
Next review due September 2023
Being active is an important part of a healthy lifestyle for everyone, but especially as you get older. As you age, and perhaps begin to have aches and pains, or develop a health condition, you may be put off doing exercise.
But staying active may be the key to keeping healthy, mobile and independent. It can also stop existing health problems getting worst and reduces your risk of developing new ones.
Benefits of exercise for older adults
Getting enough exercise has a whole host of benefits for your physical and mental health. Studies show that people over 65 who regularly exercise are healthier. They are also less likely to get serious long-term health conditions than those who don’t. Doing regular exercise can reduce your risk of getting:
- high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke
- type 2 diabetes
- osteoporosis, osteoarthritis and back pain
- some types of cancer, such as breast cancer and bowel cancer
Exercise can also improve the strength and tone of your muscles. This means you’re less likely to have an accident or a fall and hurt yourself. Regular exercise can also help:
- your ability to continue with everyday activities and be independent
- your brain – how well it works and your memory
- your sense of wellbeing and self-esteem
How much exercise should older adults do?
You should aim to be as active as possible.
- Aim for 150 minutes (two and a half hours) of moderate intensity aerobic activity every week, building up gradually from what you do now. During moderate exercise, your breathing and heart rate are faster, and you feel warmer, but you’ll still be able to talk.
- Do some activities that make your muscles stronger and help with balance and flexibility on at least two days every week.
- If you spend a lot of your day sitting down, make sure you’re still moving regularly. Get up and walk around the room, or even just stand up and sit down again, especially if you find it difficult to walk.
Don’t be put off if this seems a lot. If you’re just getting started, take it easy at first and gradually increase how much activity you do to build up your fitness. The most important thing is to spend as little time as possible being inactive. Any activity is better than none – more is better still.
If you’re already regularly active, you could try doing 75 minutes of vigorous exercise spread over the week. If you’re doing vigorous exercise, your breathing will be much deeper and quicker, and your heart rate will increase quickly. You’ll find it harder to talk too. Or you could do a combination of moderate and vigorous activity.
Types of exercise
Aerobic activity
Your aerobic fitness shows how healthy your heart and lungs are. As you get older, your aerobic fitness tends to get lower naturally. But you can stop this by doing any activity that increases your heart rate and makes you slightly breathless.
You can do aerobic exercise anywhere and anytime. Whether it’s taking the stairs instead of the lift, going to a gym, exercise class, swimming pool or getting out into the great outdoors. There are also lots of aerobic exercises you can do in the comfort of your own home if you prefer.
You may find it helpful to use a pedometer or step counter to see how active you are and track your progress. This may help you decide whether you could be more active, especially at certain times of the day or on certain days of the week. There are no official rules on how many steps you should do each day, but the more steps you do, the better your fitness and health should be.
Aerobic activities
- Doing 10,000 steps a day means you’re very active.
- Doing 5,000 to 10,000 steps a day means you’re moderately active.
- Doing less than 5,000 steps a day means you’re inactive and could try to walk more if you can.
Here are some ideas to get more aerobic exercise.
- Ride your bike to the shops.
- Go for a brisk walk – make it more interesting by listening to an audiobook or podcast while you walk.
- Go for a swim – try doing more lengths each time you go. Swimming is low-impact, so a good choice if you have hip or knee pain.
- Aquarobics is a good activity for everyone – water supports your weight while you exercise.
- Go dancing – this could either be a class, or simply put on some music and dance around your living room.
- Take on your friends in doubles tennis.
- Mow the lawn or tackle the weeds – gardening is great exercise.
Strengthening activity
Your muscles lose strength as you get older, but it’s possible to limit how much strength you lose. Try building up your muscles with some strengthening exercises. Keeping them as strong as possible will make it easier for you to carry out daily activities and reduce your risk of falls.
You don’t have to lift heavy weights to strengthen your muscles – everyday activities can help too. We’ve put together some suggestions of activities to build up both your aerobic fitness and strength. Doing some balance and stretching exercises will help you reap even more benefits. Have a go at a few things until you work out what suits you best.
Here are some ideas of strengthening activities.
- Head to a Pilates class – this gentle exercise with slow movements will boost the strength of some of your major muscle groups.
- Start your day with some tai chi – this gentle, Chinese martial art may boost your flexibility and balance.
- Join a yoga class. Some types are more demanding than others, so ask your instructor about the different types and classes.
- Do some push-ups or sit-ups to build up your strength.
- Try swimming or water aerobics. This type of exercise can help maintain muscle mass and strength, while being low-impact.
- Carrying the shopping – this chore has the hidden benefit of working your muscles.
- Do some heavy gardening like digging – get some fresh air and work your muscles at the same time.
- Go to the gym and lift light weights – an instructor can advise you on what exercises to do.
What if my health is bad?
As you get older, your muscles get weaker. You may get more aches and pains and become more likely to fall and hurt yourself. As with any age group, fitness levels vary from person to person. Some older people run marathons, while others find it hard to get out of a chair without help.
If you have a health condition or are recovering from an illness, this may affect how active you can be. But don’t assume it’ll stop you from being active altogether. It may be more important than ever to exercise to help you get better.
Walking is often very safe but if you’re worried about any health conditions, ask your GP about what’s safe for you.
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Smarter living. It’s in your DNA.Seated exercises for older people
If you struggle to exercise on your feet due to a long-term illness, it’s even more important to try to exercise when you can. Exercise can boost your mood and help your mental health. And you can do this while you sit in a chair.
- Try doing a series of repetitive movements when you’re sitting down to improve your posture and balance.
- Push yourself up from your chair as much as you can and then sit back down.
- Use resistance bands and hand weights to strengthen your muscles if you feel ready.
Have a chat with a physiotherapist about other exercises that may be right for you.
Being inactive or sitting down for long periods of time is linked to an increased risk in developing deep vein thrombosis (DVT). The following video demonstrates some simple lower leg exercises you can do daily from the comfort of your own home to help prevent DVT.
Lower leg exercises to prevent DVT
Michelle Njagi, Senior MSK Physiotherapist at Bupa, shares some simple lower leg exercises you can do daily from the comfort of your own home to help prevent DVT. These are great to do if you spend long periods being inactive, such as working at a desk, are elderly or recovering from surgery.
Lower leg exercises to prevent DVT
Michelle Njagi, Senior MSK Physiotherapist at Bupa, shares some simple lower leg exercises you can do daily from the comfort of your own home to help prevent DVT. These are great to do if you spend long periods being inactive, such as working at a desk, are elderly or recovering from surgery.
Advice from our expert
Emmanuel Udomhiaye, Bupa Physiotherapist, gives advice on exercising in situations where you may be worried about doing so.
The problem
“I had a bad fall last year and since then I’ve been reluctant to exercise. I’m worried I’ll have another fall.”
Emmanuel’s advice
“Sign up to do a yoga or Pilates class on a couple of days each week. This may help to improve your balance and coordination and stop you having any more falls. You could pick a class that’s especially for older people or join any group and just do what you can. Make sure you tell your instructor if you have any health problems.
“You could also consider having an assessment with a physiotherapist to work out any areas of weakness. You can then work with them – or a fitness instructor – to strengthen these muscle groups.”
The problem
“I have arthritis in my knee and it’s so painful at times I can hardly move.”
Emmanuel’s advice
“You may be worried that exercise will hurt your knee but the opposite is true. If you keep moving and do some exercise, it can help to keep your joints working well and ease any pain. Research has shown that if you have osteoarthritis in your knee, exercise eases the pain and makes your knee joint work better.
“Research has shown that exercise may help hip pain too, and maybe even help how well your hip joint works. Try swimming to start with because you can exercise your joints without the pressure of your weight on them. You could also try tai chi, which may help to ease the pain from osteoarthritis of your knee.
“It doesn't matter how old you are. Taking some regular exercise will help your arthritis and boost your general health and wellbeing.”
The problem
“I’m too old to start exercising.”
Emmanuel’s advice
“You’re never too old to exercise! Start with some gentle walks and build up your fitness gradually. Once you get your confidence up, try having a go at other activities.”
When should I stop exercising?
If you’re sensible, exercising won’t be harmful. It’s certainly less harmful than not being active at all. If it’s been some time since you exercised, start slowly and see how you get on.
But if you feel pain in your joints or get dizzy while you’re exercising, stop and get medical advice – especially if these symptoms don’t go away when you stop.
Stop exercising and seek medical advice straightaway if you:
- get any chest pain
- feel lightheaded
- find it hard to breathe
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Related information
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How to start exercising
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Types of exercise
Whatever your motivation for exercise, the best way to ensure all-round fitness and health is to do a mix of different types
Walking and health
It might sound too good to be true, but walking is a simple, free way to get active, lose weight and become healthier
Healthy weight for adults
Weighing too much or too little can increase your risk of several diseases, including heart disease, diabetes and cancer
Tools and calculators
Physical activity quiz
How much physical activity should you be doing? Take our physical activity quiz and test your knowledge about the importance of staying active.
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Other helpful websites
- Age UK
www.ageuk.org.uk
0800 055 6112 - Walking for Health
www.walkingforhealth.org.uk
- Age UK
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Author information
Reviewed by Sarah Smith, Freelance Health Editor, and Alice Windsor, Specialist Health Editor, Bupa Health Content Team, September 2020
Expert reviewer, Emmanuel Udomhiaye, Bupa Physiotherapist, and Dr Yasmin Rahman, Bupa GP
Next review due September 2023
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