How important is exercise once we are over fifty?
The answer is extremely important!
It is so easy for people of any age to fall into a sedentary lifestyle but the wealth of benefits that physical activity offers ― for both mind and body ― should be seriously taken into account. Many people think a lot about starting an exercise routine or taking up some type of physical activity but never seem to get around to actually doing it. However, if and once they do, the majority of them are amazed at how well they start to feel and the amount of energy they have as a result of exercising.
Doing regular physical activity increases your feeling of well-being and provides you with a number of benefits for your health in general. For example, it reduces the risk of developing heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, type-2 diabetes, osteoporosis and even some types of cancer. It also helps to control your weight and alleviate stress.
Some physical activity is obviously better than none but more leads to greater health benefits. Ideally, you should aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise per day, at least five days a week. Those 30 minutes of exercise do not have to necessarily be done all at once in the day, nevertheless, you do need to exercise regularly as the benefits of physical activity cannot be stored up.
Despite the fact that normal activities that form part of our daily routine also count in making up some of the 30 minutes (such as fairly heavy housework, DIY, climbing stairs or gardening), we should not try and convince ourselves that they are enough to keep physically fit because they simply aren’t! Amongst the recommended moderate intensity physical activities are: brisk walking, jogging at a gentle pace, swimming, cycling, dancing, badminton and tennis.
Furthermore, by starting a new exercise routine, you may even discover a new, healthy pastime that you never realised you would enjoy so much.
