Importance of Exercise and Physical Activity for Seniors
Kristian Li
7/5/20242 min read
As we age, being able to stay active through physical activity and exercise becomes even more critical for maintaining basic health needs. Studies show that physical activity offers benefits from overall health related quality of life, increased mental health, and increased longevity. Some estimates that there is a direct correlation between physical activity and physical decline in people over the age of 65. Due to the lack of mobility of seniors over the age of 65, some may be discouraged to exercise causing a downward trend of physical activity as we age. However, it is crucial to challenge the lack of physical activity in seniors and ensure that every senior is receiving an adequate amount of exercise to provide for their basic health needs.
Benefits of Regular Exercise
Regular exercise in seniors has many mental and physical benefits. Some physical benefits include:
Improved cardiovascular - Reduced heart disease risk by 35%
Improved muscle and bone health - Increase bone density by up to 1-2% per year
Controlled body fat levels
Enhanced immune system
Enhanced mobility and flexibility - Reduce the risk of falls by 23%
Some mental benefits include:
Improved cognitive function - Reduces cognitive decline by 35-50%
Better health related quality of life
Boosted self esteem and confidence
Enhanced emotional resilience
Reduction of depression - Reduce depression symptoms by 20-30%
Common Misconceptions of Exercise in Seniors
Seniors may not be encouraged to exercise as they believe in many misconceptions of exercising as a senior.
Seniors are too old to exercise - Age is not a barrier to starting exercise, and physical activity is directly correlated to maintaining better mental and physical health, not age.
Exercise increases the risk of injury - Although some improper exercise could lead to injury, the various physical benefits gained from exercise outweighs the risk of gaining injury during exercise and improves many areas in physical and mental health
Exercise has to be vigorous and intense to be beneficial - Many exercises that are tagged as “low-intensity” such as walking, gardening, or swimming could have the same substantial benefits that are found in “high-intensive” exercise
While some levels of physicality slowly decrease as we age, it does not excuse the fact that it is important for seniors to exercise to provide for their basic physical and mental health. Exercise is crucial to aging seniors as it could provide several more years into their lifetime and drastically improve their mental health, even though some say that age is a barrier to exercising. Ultimately, it is important for seniors to go outside and practice exercise and recreation just as consistently as young adults and children.
Article by Kristian Li
Sources:
https://nutritionsource.hsph.harvard.edu/staying-active/physical-activity-guidelines-for-americans/
https://betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/physical-activity-for-seniors