Need more energy to look after the grandkids? Looking to revamp your garden? Or perhaps you’ve still got the travel bug. Priming your physical fitness is essential for fulfilling these common ambitions. Regular physical activity promotes longevity and a multitude of long-term health benefits. Even if you’re not used to exercising, there are plenty of strategies that will allow you to achieve the daily physical activity recommendations. This blog post will focus on how keeping active is achievable and can be straightforward.
Fitness for longevity
Fitness is important at every age.
From our earliest childhood moments to the golden years of adulthood, maintaining our physical fitness is non-negotiable.
As our body and mindset evolve over time, and our priorities may also begin to change. For most people who are 60 years or older, fitness is probably more meaningful than preserving a physical appearance or winning gold medals at the Olympics. Instead, it’s about longevity and optimising your quality of life.
“The best part of the art of living is to know how to grow old gracefully.” – Eric Hoffer
Benefits of physical fitness
Regular exercise and physical activity are necessary for preserving fitness. Especially after 60, research [1][2] has supported the insurmountable benefits of keeping the body moving, including:
• Being independent.
• Optimising your quality of life
• Improving balance and preventing falls
• Maintaining muscular and bone health.
• Reducing the risk of chronic diseases (.e.g., diabetes, heart diseases, high blood pressure, cancer, etc.)
• Enhancing bowel and bladder movement
• Improving sleep hygiene
How much exercise is enough?
As your body evolves over the years, the way you exercise also changes. Unlike your younger years, you don’t necessarily need to be sprinting up hills to be moving enough. That’s why the Australian Physical Activity Guidelines has specified unique exercise recommendations for those over 60.
| Recommendations | Time Required | Examples |
| Aerobic activities | 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity daily. |
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| Flexibility activities | Combined 2 x 30-60 minute sessions a week [3] |
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| Strength activities |
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| Balance activities |
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Making a change for the better
Making a change for the better requires consistent and prolonged effort. Fortunately, being physically active has never been more accessible. Following online exercise classes, dedicated classes for seniors with physiotherapy or exercise physiology, and even gardening in your backyard. These are all options that can help keep you fit and healthy.
However, it can still be challenging to keep up with an exercise routine in the long term (especially for those who are not usually active). Fear not, we have some practical and straightforward exercise tips you can easily incorporate into your day.
• Involving family and friends in your exercises, such as golf, walking groups or exercise classes.
• Finding activities that you enjoy makes the process easier to follow.
• Setting yourself a routine helps you follow through with your commitments. One easy way to help you remember to keep active is by doing a 10-minute walk after every meal.
• Not all physical activity needs to be pre-planned. Changing your daily habits can make meeting your daily physical activity recommendations more achievable. For example, you can park 5-10 minutes away from the shops to get in your daily aerobic activity.
At Move Better for Life, our focus is on keeping you fit and healthy. If you’re in pain, feeling unmotivated or looking to improve your overall wellbeing, we are here for you. Our team of physiotherapists, occupational therapists and exercise physiologists will help you achieve your physical health goals.
Depending on the current circumstances, we can assist you within the comfort of your own home or face-to-face.
Make a change today by clicking here
Reference List
1. https://www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/physical-activity-recommendations-65years.pdf
2. https://www.acsm.org/blog-detail/acsm-blog/2019/09/10/physical-activity-function-older-age
3. https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/physical-activity-guidelines-older-adults/
