Physical_Activity_Guidelines

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Older adults should strongly consider walking as one good way to get aerobic activity. Walking has manyhealth benefits, and it has a low risk of injury. It can be done year round and in many settings.Table 5-1. Examples of Physical Activities for Older AdultsAerobic Activities• Walking or hiking• Dancing• Swimming• Water aerobics• Jogging or running• Aerobic exercise classes• Some forms of yoga• Bicycle riding (stationary or outdoors)• Some yard work, such as raking and pushinga lawn mower• Sports like tennis or basketball• Walking as part of golfMuscle-Strengthening Activities• Strengthening exercises using exercise bands,weight machines, or hand-held weights• Body-weight exercises (push-ups, pull-ups,planks, squats, lunges)• Digging, lifting, and carrying as part of gardening• Carrying groceries• Some yoga postures• Some forms of tai chiNote: The intensity of these activities can be either relatively moderate or relatively vigorous, depending upon an older adult’s level of fitness.Yoga and Tai ChiYoga and tai chi are increasingly popular forms of physical activity.Many different forms of yoga exist, and they range in intensity level from more meditative Hatha yoga topower yoga. For this reason, yoga may include time that can be characterized as light-intensity physicalactivity or as moderate-intensity physical activity. Yoga may also be considered both aerobic and musclestrengthening, depending on the type and the postures practiced.Tai chi is typically classified as a light-intensity physical activity but may be relatively moderate intensityfor older adults. Some forms of tai chi may be muscle strengthening. Research is currently exploring theeffects that tai chi may have on balance and physical function in older adults.70 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans
How Many Days a Week and for How Long?Aerobic physical activity preferably should be spread throughout the week. Research studies consistently showthat activity performed on at least 3 days a week produces health benefits. Spreading physical activity acrossat least 3 days a week may help to reduce the risk of injury and prevent excessive fatigue.All amounts of aerobic activity count toward meeting the key guidelines if they are performed at moderateor vigorous intensity. Episodes of physical activity can be divided throughout the day or week, depending onpersonal preference.How Intense?The intensity of aerobic activity can be tracked in two ways—absolute intensity and relative intensity. Moststudies on older adults use relative intensity to track aerobic physical activity.• Absolute intensity is the amount of energy expended during the activity without considering a person’scardiorespiratory fitness. The energy expenditure of light-intensity activity, for example, is 1.6 to 2.9times the amount of energy expended when a person is at rest. Moderate-intensity activities expend3.0 to 5.9 times the amount of energy expended at rest. The energy expenditure of vigorous-intensityactivities is 6.0 or more times the energy expended at rest.• Relative intensity is the level of effort required to do an activity. Less fit people generally require ahigher level of effort than more fit people to do the same activity. Relative intensity can be estimatedusing a scale of 0 to 10, where sitting is 0 and the highestlevel of effort possible is 10.When using relative intensity, people pay attention to howphysical activity affects their heart rate and breathing. Asa rule of thumb, a person doing moderate-intensity aerobicactivity can talk, but not sing, during the activity. A persondoing vigorous-intensity activity cannot say more than a fewwords without pausing for a breath.Either absolute or relative intensity can be used to monitorprogress in meeting the key guidelines. Because olderadults expend more energy than younger adults for the sametask, such as walking, and because aerobic capacity declineswith age, relative intensity is a better guide for older adultsthan absolute intensity. Certain activities, such as some typesof yoga or tai chi, that are considered light-intensity on an absolute scale for younger adults may be perceivedas moderate or vigorous intensity for older adults. People who have been very inactive and are working toincrease their physical activity levels can also use relative intensity to help determine their level of effort.Older adults can meet the key guidelines by doing relatively moderate-intensity activity, relatively vigorousintensityactivity, or a combination of both. The relative intensity of aerobic activity is related to a person’slevel of cardiorespiratory fitness.Chapter 5. Active Older Adults 71
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Physical ActivityGuidelines for Ame
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Table of ContentsAcknowledgments ..
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AcknowledgmentsThe Department also
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The primary audience for the Physic
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Key Guidelines for Older AdultsThe
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Implementation of the Physical Acti
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Chapter 1. Introducing the Physical
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Why and How the Physical ActivityGu
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Figure 1-2. Percentage of U.S. High
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