Physical activity in older adults

Recommended levels of physical activity for the health of 65+

For adults of this age group, physical activity is recreation or leisure trips (eg walks walking or cycling), occupational (if the person still plays in work), household chores, games, sports or planned exercise in the context of daily, family and community activities.

In order to improve cardiorespiratory and muscle function and bone and functional health, and reduce the risk of NCDs, depression and cognitive impairment, it is recommended that:

2. adults 65 onwards devote 150 minutes per week to perform aerobic moderate physical activity or some kind of vigorous aerobic physical activity for 75 minutes or an equivalent combination of moderate and vigorous activities.
3. the activity is performed in bouts of 10 minutes, at least.
4. that in order to obtain greater health benefits, adults of this age group devote up to 300 minutes per week to the practice of moderate aerobic physical activity or 150 minutes per week of physical activity vigorous aerobic, or an equivalent combination of activity moderate and vigorous.
5. adults of this age group with physical disabilities perform to improve your balance and prevent falls, three or more days a week activities.
6. activities that strengthen the major muscle groups two or more days a week by clients.
7. When older adults can not perform the recommended because of their health status physical activity, they remain physically active to the extent that your condition allows.

Physical activity for all

These guidelines are valid for all healthy adults over 65 years. They also apply to people of those ages with chronic ENT. People with certain health problems such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes, may have to take more precautions and consult a doctor before attempting to reach recommended physical activity levels for older adults.

Older adults can accumulate the total of 150 minutes per week in various ways.

The concept of accumulation refers to the goal of total activity 150 minutes intervals based at least 10 minutes each along the week, for example by performing 30 minutes of moderate five times a week intensity.

These recommendations apply to all adults, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity or income level.

The recommendations are extended to older adults with disabilities, provided they fit each person based on their exercise capacity, their limitations and specific health risks.

Inactive or limiting diseases older adults improved their health will also to some extent if they spend category "no activity" to that of "certain level" of activity. Older adults who do not follow the recommendations for physical activity should aim to increase the duration, frequency and finally intensity as a goal to fulfill them.

Beneficial effects of physical activity in older adults

Overall, the available evidence shows conclusively how that compared with less active older adults, men and women, the elderly physically active:

• have lower mortality rates from all causes, coronary heart disease, hypertension, stroke, type 2 diabetes, colon and breast cancer, and depression, better performance of their cardiorespiratory and muscular systems, and better mass and body composition .
• Biomarkers have a more favorable profile for the prevention of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and improving bone health, and
• They have greater functional health, a lower risk of falls, some better preserved cognitive function and reduced risk of moderate and severe functional limitations.