Use it or Lose it: It’s Never Too Late to Start Exercising

A lack of exercise as you age can lead to muscle loss, bone loss, joint issues, and many other health concerns. If you’ve not exercised in a while or never exercised, you can still start today and reap the many benefits of exercise, including:

• Strengthens muscles and joints
• Eases joint pain
• Helps manage stress and boosts your mood
• Weight-bearing exercise can slow and rebuild bone loss
• Maintain postural stability and balance
• Prevents falls by helping with reaction time

How to start exercising

It is never too late to begin exercising. Start small and slowly build new habits and routines. Your eventual goal should be 30 minutes a day of moderate or 150 minutes a week of intense exercise. There are three types of exercise you should be incorporating into your routine: Strength training, aerobic, and stretching.

Stretching

Taking a few minutes to stretch daily can significantly benefit your overall well-being. Regularly stretching improves flexibility and range of motion, making everyday activities easier and helping prevent injuries. It also helps reduce stress and tension by loosening tight muscles that can hold onto stress. Additionally, stretching before exercise is a warm-up, increasing blood flow and preparing your body for movement. This can improve your performance and reduce the risk of injury. Aim to hold each stretch for 15-30 seconds, focusing on a gentle sensation rather than pushing yourself to the point of pain.

Stretching is important for:

• Flexibility
• Increasing blood flow to muscles to prepare for vigorous activity
• Helping to avoid injury
• Relieving stiffness
• Maintaining and increasing range of motion

Aerobic exercise

Aerobic exercise, or cardio, is any repetitive physical activity that uses large muscle groups and relies on oxygen to extract energy. It will make you breathe faster and your heart beat faster. Generally, experts advise 150 minutes of moderate physical activity per week or 30 minutes five days a week.

Some examples of accessible cardio can include walking, chair boxing, seated marching, seated heel taps and portable pedal exercisers.

Benefits of cardio:

• Burns calories
• Is good for your cholesterol
• Reduces health risks such as obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure and certain cancers
• Increases stamina
• Makes the body pump blood more efficiently
• Activates your immune system to help fight off viral illness

Strength training

Strength training uses resistance to build muscle strength and endurance. It can involve weights, resistance bands, weight machines, or your body weight. Healthy adults can see significant strength improvements with two to three weekly 20-30 minute strength training sessions.

Benefits of strength training

• Maintains and builds muscle
• Develops strong bones
• Preserves independence and vitality

How good is your balance?

Ask yourself, have you fallen in the last month? Do you hold on to furniture as you walk? Do you avoid going out with friends or family because you fear using stairs?

As you age, exercise is crucial in preventing falls. Falls can happen because of bone/muscle loss, arthritis, dizzy spells, brain/nervous system concerns, vison changes or impaired strength. Exercise can improve these risks.

You should talk to your primary care provider if you have fallen or regularly fall. They may suggest physical therapy or other steps to prevent future falls, such as:

• Daily stretching for balance and stability
• Exercise to maintain muscle strength and bone density
• Light stairwells and use night lights
• Modify your home for safety
• Regular eye exams
• Use a cane or walker for stability if needed
• Wear supportive, low-heeled shoes
• Wear socks with non-skid bottoms

Find activities that you’ll enjoy

The key to a long-lasting exercise routine is finding activities you genuinely enjoy. Find what works for you. Here are some ideas:

• Build a stretching and exercise routine at home
• Do chair exercises while you watch TV – or at every commercial
• Dance
• Tai Chi classes
• Walk for cardio health
• Exercise classes
• Workout with friends

When should you stop exercising?

Listen to your body, challenge it accordingly and rest as needed. But don’t stop. Get back up and go when you can.

If you are new to exercise, talk to your provider about what is right for you. Ease into exercise by slowly building a routine.

If you avoid physical activity because you're afraid of falling, tell your healthcare provider. Your provider may recommend carefully monitored exercise programs or refer you to physical therapy.