We know that being physically active helps with conditions that older adults are more likely to have, such as high blood pressure, diabetes and mental health challenges.
Incidental exercise This is activity involved in doing things like housework or walking to the letterbox. Increasing this can be as easy as getting up to change the TV channel instead of using the remote control. Or taking the longer walk to where you’re going.
Planned physical activity. If you are already doing a program that works well for you, well done and keep doing it. If necessary leave out any exercises you think might be causing undue strain or pain, and contact your health professional for alternatives.
If you haven’t been physically exercising much for 6 months or more, or if you have health concerns it is recommended to see your doctor before trying again. Walking is a good form of exercise for most people.
WHO recommends 150 min of moderate intensity exercise per week for everyone. If you haven’t been doing much recently, avoid strain by building up your exercise time and intensity gently and gradually.
A combination of incidental and planned physical activity is the best. If you’re hesitant about where to start, just getting up and walking around for a few minutes at least every hour, is better than sitting.
We would love to hear what your physical activity looks like, and how you make it work. To all our wonderful seniors, let’s all stay a little more physically active, and healthier!