Four types of exercise Can Improve Your Health and Physical Ability
Most people tend to focus on one type of exercise or activity and think they’re doing enough. Research has shown that it’s important to get all four types of exercise: endurance, strength, balance, and flexibility. Each one has different benefits. Doing one kind also can improve your ability to do the others, and variety helps reduce boredom and risk of injury. No matter your age, you can find activities that meet your fitness level and needs!
Endurance exercises for older adults
Endurance activities, often referred to as aerobic, increase your breathing and heart rates. These activities help keep you healthy, improve your fitness, and help you perform the tasks you need to do every day. Endurance exercises improve the health of your heart, lungs, and circulatory system. They also can delay or prevent many diseases that are common in older adults such as diabetes, colon and breast cancers, heart disease, and others. Physical activities that build endurance include:
Brisk walking or jogging
Yard work (mowing, raking)
Dancing
Swimming
Biking
Climbing stairs or hills
Playing tennis or basketball
Increase your endurance or "staying power" to help keep up with your grandchildren during a trip to the park, dance to your favorite songs at a family wedding, and rake the yard and bag up leaves. Build up to at least 150 minutes of activity a week that makes you breathe hard. Try to be active throughout your day to reach this goal, and avoid sitting for long periods of time.
Safety tips
Do a little light activity, such as easy walking, before and after your endurance activities to warm up and cool down.
Listen to your body: endurance activities should not cause dizziness, chest pain or pressure, or a feeling like heartburn.
Be sure to drink liquids when doing any activity that makes you sweat. If your doctor has told you to limit your fluids, be sure to check before increasing the amount of fluid you drink while exercising.
If you are going to be exercising outdoors, be aware of your surroundings.
Dress in layers 'so' you can add or remove clothes as needed for hot and cold weather.
To prevent injuries, use safety equipment, such as a helmet when bicycling.
How to increase your activity levels
Anyone can get active 'and' it’s never too late to start. Anything that gets you moving will benefit you, whatever your age.
Choose a reason for becoming more active
Ask yourself why you want to become more active.
Maybe you want to:
feel good or increase your energy
improve strength, muscle tone or flexibility
lose weight
sleep better
Choose an activity that you enjoy
Choose activities you enjoy. It's easier to stay motivated when you do activities that you enjoy.
If you get bored of an activity, try a different one.
It might be hard to get motivated, especially if it’s cold and raining outside. But you can get active anywhere — at home, work or outside.
Try our exercise videos
Indoor exercises, including strength and flexibility exercises
Set goals and chart your progress
Set a realistic goal.
You could:
keep a diary, a chart or use an online app to track your progress
track your steps using a pedometer or a health app on your phone
Enjoy the challenge and remember to progress slowly.
Be kind to yourself
Everyone has bad days when they might not do some or all of an activity. Just get back on track the next day.
Give yourself rewards
When you achieve goals or steps to a goal, give yourself a reward.
Try to do some activity on most days of the week
Most of us lead busy lives and juggle jobs and family duties. Set aside time for activity most days of the week.
If finding time is difficult, think of ways to add activity that suit your daily routine. For example, get off the bus a stop early or go for a short walk on your lunch break. Some movement is better than none.
Get support
Go walking or jogging with friends, colleagues or family to make it more enjoyable and motivate you. Join a club or online community to track your progress.
Starting to get more active
Whatever your age or ability, any activity is better than none.
Keep in mind:
short sessions count - you can reach your 30 minutes per day goal, 10 minutes at a time
choose activities that are right for you - get advice from your GP
spread your activities throughout the day and week
add activities that increase muscular strength and endurance 2 to 3 days a week
Aim for moderate intensity activity. Moderate activity will raise your heart rate and make you breathe faster and feel warmer.
For example:
brisk walking - 1 mile in 15 minutes (4 miles in an hour) or 1 km in 9 minutes (6.4 km in an hour)
water aerobics
cycling slower than 10 miles per hour or 16 km per hour
dancing
general gardening
You can try building up to vigorous levels of activity to double the health benefits. 75 minutes of vigorous activities such as jogging, football and energetic dancing have similar benefits to 150 minutes of moderate exercise.
What is moderate and vigorous activity?
Activity for your age
Aim for certain amounts of activity depending on your age:
children and young people - at least 60 minutes moderate-intensity activity every day
adults - at least 30 minutes moderate-intensity activity 5 days a week
older people - at least 30 minutes moderate-intensity activity 5 days a week
If you are unable to reach these goals, start in small amounts and work your way up to these levels.
Fitness for your lifestyle
Teaching your children to be active
Activity for older adults
Adults aged 65 and older who are fit and have no health conditions that limit their mobility should try to be active daily.
For example:
at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity every week such as walking, dancing or pushing a lawnmower
muscle-strengthening exercises 2 or more days a week - for example, digging, carrying groceries, step aerobics, hand-held weight exercises and yoga
using daily chores such as shopping, cooking or housework to break up periods of sitting
Strength exercises
Balance exercises at least 2 days a week can help if you’re at risk of falls.
Try including any of the following in your daily routine to improve your stability:
yoga, tai chi or Pilates
backwards and sideways walking
walking on heels and toes
standing from a sitting position
standing on one foot
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