Physical_Activity_Guidelines

Balance Activities
These kinds of activities can improve the ability to resist forces within or outside of the body that cause falls.
Fall prevention programs that include balance training and other exercises to improve activities of daily
living can also significantly reduce the risk of injury, such as bone fractures, if a fall does occur. Studies of fall
prevention programs generally include about three sessions a week. Balance training examples include walking
heel-to-toe, practicing standing from a sitting position, and using a wobble board. Strengthening muscles of
the back, abdomen, and legs also improves balance.
Multicomponent Physical Activity
Doing multicomponent physical activities can help reduce
the risk of injury from falls and improve physical function.
Multicomponent refers to physical activity that includes more
than one type of physical activity, such as aerobic, muscle
strengthening, and balance training. Multicomponent physical
activity can be done at home or in a community setting as
part of a structured program that includes a combination of
balance, muscle-strengthening, and aerobic physical activity,
and may include gait, coordination, and physical function
training. Recreational activities such as dancing, yoga, tai chi,
gardening, or sports can also be considered multicomponent
because they often incorporate multiple types of physical
activity. It is appropriate and recommended that all older
adults do multicomponent physical activities.
What Is Multicomponent
Physical Activity?
For older adults, multicomponent
physical activity is important to improve
physical function and decrease the
risk of falls or injury from a fall. These
activities can be done at home or in a
structured group setting. Many studied
interventions combine all types of
exercise (aerobic, muscle strengthening,
and balance) into one session, and this
has been shown to be effective.
An example of a multicomponent
physical activity program could include
walking (aerobic activity), lifting
weights (muscle strengthening), and
could incorporate balance by walking
Flexibility, Warm-Up, and Cool-Down
backwards or sideways or by standing
Older adults should maintain the flexibility necessary for
on one foot while doing an upper
regular physical activity and activities of daily life. Flexibility body muscle-strengthening activity,
activities enhance the ability of a joint to move through the full such as bicep curls. Ballroom dancing
range of motion. Stretching exercises are effective in increasing also combines aerobic and balance
components.
flexibility, and thereby can allow people to more easily do
activities that require greater flexibility. Although the health
benefits of these activities alone are not known and they
have not been demonstrated to reduce risk of activity-related
injuries, they are an appropriate component of a physical activity program. However, time spent doing flexibility
activities by themselves does not count toward meeting the aerobic or muscle-strengthening key guidelines.
Research studies of effective exercise programs typically include warm-up and cool-down activities. A warmup
before moderate- or vigorous-intensity aerobic activity allows a gradual increase in heart rate and breathing
at the start of the episode of activity. A cool-down after activity allows a gradual heart rate decrease at the
end of the session. Time spent doing warm-up and cool-down activities may count toward meeting the aerobic
activity guidelines if the activity is at least moderate intensity (for example, walking briskly to warm up for a
jog). A warm-up for muscle-strengthening activity commonly involves doing exercises with less weight.
Chapter 5. Active Older Adults 73