Exercise (over 65 years of age)

Older adults should do some type of physical activity every day. The more you exercise the better. Avoid injuries.

Adults aged 65 and over should:

Aim to be physically active every day.

Do activities which improve strength, balance and flexibility at least two days a week.

Perform 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise a week or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity exercise per week.

Reduce time sitting or lying. Stay active throughout the day.

If you've fallen or are worried about falling, doing exercises to improve your strength, balance and flexibility will help make you stronger and feel more confident on your feet.  Please talk to your healthcare provider before starting any exercise routine.

What counts as light activity?

Light activity is moving rather than sitting or lying down.

Examples of light activity include:

Getting up to make a cup of tea.

Walking at a slow pace.

Cleaning and dusting

Vacuuming

Making your bed.

Standing up and moving around

What counts as moderate exercise?

Moderate exercise will raise your heart rate, and make you breathe faster and feel warmer. While performing moderate exercise, you can still talk but not sing.

Examples of moderate intensity activities are:

Brisk walking

Water aerobics

Riding a bike.

Dancing

Playing doubles tennis

Pushing a lawnmower.

Hiking

What counts as vigorous intensity exercise?

Vigorous intensity activity makes you breathe hard and fast. If you're working at this level, you will not be able to say more than a few words without pausing for breath.

Examples of vigorous activities are:

Jogging or running.

Aerobics

Swimming fast.

Riding a bike on hills

Hiking uphill

Singles tennis

Football

Energetic dancing.

Martial arts

What are muscle strengthening activities?

To get health benefits from strength exercises, you should do them to the point where you need a short rest before repeating the activity.

Examples of muscle-strengthening activities are:

Carrying heavy objects 

Yoga

Pilates

Tai chi

Lifting weights.

Working with resistance bands.

Using your own body weight for exercise. Like push-ups, situps

Heavy gardening like digging, shoveling

You can try other exercise routines like sitting exercises, strength exercises, flexibility exercises, balance exercises with the help of a trainer.

You can do activities that strengthen your muscles on the same or different days as your aerobic activity – whatever's best for you.

Muscle-strengthening exercises are not always an aerobic activity, so you'll need to do them in addition to your 150 minutes of aerobic activity.