Physical_Activity_Guidelines

Meeting the Key Guidelines
Older adults have many options for how to live an active lifestyle that meets the key guidelines. Many factors
influence decisions to be active, such as personal goals, current physical activity habits, and health and safety
considerations. In all cases, older adults should try to move more and sit less each day. In working toward
meeting the key guidelines, older adults are encouraged to do a variety of activities. This approach can make
activity more enjoyable and may reduce the risk of overuse injury. Examples of how to meet the key guidelines
are provided later in this chapter.
Healthy older adults who plan gradual increases in their
weekly amounts of physical activity generally do not need to
consult a health care professional before becoming physically
active. However, health care professionals and physical
activity specialists can help people attain and maintain regular
physical activity by providing advice on appropriate types of
activities and ways to progress at a safe and steady pace.
Learn More
See Chapter 7. Active and Safe
for details on consulting a health care
provider.
Older adults with chronic conditions should talk with their health care professional to determine whether their
conditions limit, in any way, their ability to do regular physical activity. Such a conversation should also help
people learn about appropriate types and amounts of physical activity.
Inactive and Insufficiently Active Older Adults
Some physical activity is better than none. Older adults who do not yet do the equivalent of 150 minutes of
moderate-intensity physical activity a week can gain health benefits by doing small amounts of physical activity.
In addition, swapping out sedentary behavior, such as sitting, for light-intensity physical activity, such as light
housework, may produce some benefits. There are even more benefits to sitting less and doing moderate- or
vigorous-intensity physical activity. As shown in Figure 2-1, which plots the benefits of increasing physical
activity on all-cause mortality, the biggest gain in benefits occurs when going from no physical activity to being
active for just 60 minutes a week.
Older adults should increase their amount of physical activity
gradually. It can take months for those with low fitness to
gradually meet their activity goals. To reduce risk of injury, it is
important to increase the amount of physical activity gradually
over a period of weeks to months. For example, an inactive
person could start with a walking program consisting of 5
minutes of slow walking several times each day, 5 to 6 days a
week. The length of time could then gradually be increased to
10 minutes per session, 3 times a day, and the walking speed
could be increased slowly.
Learn More
See Chapter 7. Active and Safe
for more information on how to increase
physical activity gradually.
Muscle-strengthening activities should also be gradually increased over time. Initially, these activities can be
done just 1 day a week starting at a light or moderate intensity. Over time, the number of days a week can
be increased to 2, and then possibly to more than 2. Each week, the intensity can be increased slightly until it
becomes moderate or greater.
74 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans