Healthy Aging

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Staying Active

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• Additional Resources

You may be saying, "I'm too old to be active. I'm bound to fall and break something." Not true! In fact, regular exercise can help keep you healthy and strong. Regular exercise can even help prevent falls.

When you think of physical activity you may think of playing sports or working out at a gym. If you don't like doing any of those things, you're probably not too excited about getting active. But being physically active doesn't have to mean playing basketball or running marathons. Walking, dancing, gardening, and even housework can be a part of your overall fitness and physical health.

Or, if you have activities you enjoyed when you were younger, such as jogging, swimming, or biking, why not pick them up again? Even if you are slower and don't last as long as when you were younger, you can still have fun. Read on to learn more about staying active.

• Why Should I Be Active?
• How Should I Get Physical Activity?

Additional Resources

Publications

1.   Exercise and Physical Activity — Getting regular exercise is an important part of healthy aging. This booklet will guide you through all the steps of choosing the exercise plan that is right for you.

   http://www.nia.nih.gov/HealthInformation/Publications/ExerciseGuide/

2.   Women: Stay Healthy at Any Age. Checklist for Your Next Checkup (Copyright © AHRQ) — What can you do to stay healthy and prevent disease? You can get certain screening tests, take preventive medicine if you need it, and practice healthy behaviors. This checklist contains suggestions for regular checkups and screenings for every woman.

   http://www.ahrq.gov/ppip/healthywom.htm

3. For the Young at Heart: Exercise Tips for Seniors (Copyright © APTA) — In order to make their later years more healthy this site shows how many older adults are productive, and are adopting a lifestyle promoting total well-being, including eating a healthful diet, engaging in regular exercise, reducing stress, and improving mental health.

   http://www.apta.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home&CONTENTID=20451&TEMPLATE=/CM/HTMLDisplay.cfm...

4. Warm Up, Cool Down and Be Flexible (Copyright ©AAOS) — An effective fitness program is more than aerobic training and strength building. To really reap the benefits of exercise, you need to add flexibility training to the mix. This publication explains how you can work flexibility training into your workout.

   http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00310

Organizations

1.   National Institute on Aging, NIH, HHS
2.   Smallstep.gov
3.   Weight-Control Information Network, NIDDK, NIH, HHS
4. AGS Foundation for Health in Aging
5. American Physical Therapy Association
6. National Center on Physical Activity and Disability

= Indicates Federal Resources

Content last updated March 5, 2009.