Physical_Activity_Guidelines

Explaining the Key Guidelines
As with other adults, the key guidelines for older adults focus mainly on two types of activity—aerobic and
muscle-strengthening. In addition, these key guidelines discuss the importance of multicomponent physical
activity, which includes balance training along with aerobic and muscle-strengthening activity. Each provides
important health benefits, especially to improve physical function, as explained in Chapter 2. Physical Activity
and Health.
Aerobic Activity
Aerobic activities, also called endurance or cardio activities, are physical activities in which people move their
large muscles in a rhythmic manner for a sustained period of time. Brisk walking, jogging, biking, dancing, and
swimming are all examples of aerobic activities. Aerobic activity makes a person’s heart beat more rapidly
and breathing rate increase to meet the demands of the body’s movement. Over time, regular aerobic activity
makes the cardiorespiratory system stronger and more fit.
No matter what the purpose—from walking the dog, to taking a dance or exercise class, to bicycling to the
store—all types of aerobic activity count toward meeting the key guidelines. When putting the key guidelines
into action, it is important to consider the total amount of activity, how often, and at what intensity. For health
benefits, the total amount of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity is more important than the length of each
physical activity episode. In general, muscle-strengthening activities do not count toward meeting the aerobic
key guidelines. Table 5-1 lists some examples of aerobic and muscle-strengthening activities for older adults.
How Much Total Activity a Week?
Older adults should aim to do at least 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity a week, or an
equivalent amount (75 to 150 minutes) of vigorous-intensity activity. They can also do an equivalent amount of
activity by doing both moderate- and vigorous-intensity activity. As is true for people of all other ages, greater
amounts of physical activity provide additional and more extensive health benefits. Older adults who do
more aerobic physical activity have a reduced risk of age-related loss of function and reduced risk of physical
function limitations compared to the general aging population.
Chapter 5. Active Older Adults 69