Exercise for Older Adults : Is It Safe for Me to Exercise? Part 2

by National Institute on Aging

(Page 5 of 12)

Contrary to traditional thinking, regular exercise helps, not hurts, most older adults. Older people become sick or disabled more often from not exercising than from exercising. Those who have chronic diseases, or risk factors for them, may actually improve with regular exercise, but should check with their doctor before increasing their physical activity.

There are few reasons to keep older adults from increasing their physical activity, and "too old" and "too frail" aren't among them.

If you plan to work your way up to a vigorous level, check with your doctor first if you are a man over 40 or a woman over 50. Also check with your doctor first if you have any of the conditions listed under "Checkpoints."

Your doctor or cardiac rehabilitation specialist can give you guidelines for physical activity if you have had a heart attack recently. Controlled exercise usually is an important part of long-term heart-attack recovery.

People with conditions called "abdominal aortic aneurysm" or "critical aortic stenosis" should not exercise unless their physicians tell them they can.

Almost all older adults, regardless of age or condition, can safely improve their health and independence through exercise and physical activity.

How to Keep Going

"Definitely NOT!" That's what 75-year-old Emma King told us when we asked her if she ever intended to stop exercising. Ms. King lives in Durham, North Carolina, and has taken long walks at least 4 or 5 days a week, for years. Recently, she took part in a study of exercise for older adults and added stretching to her weekly routine. "I can really tell the difference if I miss 2 or 3 days. I don't know what it would be like not to exercise," she said. For many older adults, motivation to keep exercising and doing physical activities isn't a problem. They say that regular physical activity makes them feel so much better that it would be hard to stop.

Others say that, while physical activity makes them feel better, a little extra motivation helps them get going. For example, Georgia Burnette, 68, of Amherst, New York, told us that she used to put on headphones and listen to recorded books borrowed from the library to make her 40-minute walks more interesting. Now, she mall-walks for an hour, 5 days a week, with a friend. Having that companionship is a good motivator, says Ms. Burnette.

We have included this section on motivation because physical activity needs to be a regular, permanent habit to produce benefits like those listed in part 1. So does staying motivated!

Recording your scores and watching them improve can be an excellent motivator to exercise, and we have included charts at the end of this booklet so you can do that. But don't get discouraged if you see that your scores have improved by only a few seconds or just one or two lifts of a weight. In terms of real-life benefits, those slight improvements are multiplied many times over as you include them in your everyday activities. You incorporate that extra little bit of endurance and strength into everything you do, and it adds up to a lot.

But no matter how enthusiastic you are about exercise, there may be times when you need extra motivation. It's common for beginning exercisers, especially those who are frail, to make fast progress at first. You might get discouraged when the improvements you were making taper off at times.

These leveling-off periods are normal. Often, they mean that it's time to gradually make your activities more challenging. If you have any doubts about whether you are doing the right things to progress, check the guidelines listed under each type of exercise in Chapter 4, or check with your doctor or a qualified fitness professional.

When you need extra motivation, try the following: Ask someone to be your exercise buddy. Many older adults agree that having someone to exercise with helps keep them going. Follow Georgia Burnette's advice: Listen to recorded books or music while you do endurance activities. Set a goal, and decide on a reward you will get when you reach it. Give yourself physical activity homework assignments for the next day or the next week. Think of your exercise sessions as appointments, and mark them on your calendar. Keep a record of what you do and of your progress. Understand that there will be times that you don't show rapid progress and that you are still benefiting from your activities during those times. Plan ahead for travel, bad weather, and house guests. For example, an exercise video can help you exercise indoors when the weather is bad.

Let Us Acknowledge Your Efforts

When it comes to motivation, the first month is crucial. If you can increase your physical activity for a month and keep going after that, you will have passed a critical landmark. It's a good sign that you are on your way to making exercise and physical activity regular, life-long habits.

We want to give you credit for that. If you increase your physical activity for more than a month, send us the form at the end of this book. We will send you a National Institute on Aging certificate acknowledging your commitment.

About the Author

www.nia.nih.gov
NIA, one of the 27 Institutes and Centers of NIH, leads a broad scientific effort to understand the nature of aging and to extend the healthy, active years of life. In 1974, Congress granted authority to form NIA to provide leadership in aging research, training, health information dissemination, and other programs relevant to aging and older people.