Benefits

The Canadian Society for Exercise and Physiology (CSEP) and Health Canada recommend that older adults try to build up to a total of 30-60 minutes of moderate physical activity most days of the week - even 10 minute increments of activity count towards the daily total.^{1, 2}

Why target older adults?

• The greatest health risk for older adults is sedentary living.³
• 60% of older adults are inactive.⁴
• By age 75, approximately one in three men and one in two women engage in no physical activity.⁵
• Physical activity is essential for maintaining the functional abilities needed to carry out daily tasks.^{6, 7, 8, 9}
• 39% of adults in Canada aged 65 years and older are overweight; an additional 13% are considered obese.¹⁰
• The high prevalence of overweight and obesity among older adults in Canada might be due to decreased physical activity and increased sedentariness.¹⁰
• On an annual basis, more than 2 million deaths worldwide are attributable to physical inactivity.¹¹

It's never too late to become active:

• As age increases the amount of benefits from physical activity increases.¹²
• Of any age group, the health benefits of physical activity are most pronounced in older adults.¹²
• Muscle mass decreases by nearly 50% between the ages of 20 and 90.¹³
• Physical inactivity is linked to age-related loss in muscle mass and strength.¹⁴
• Older men and women who are less physically active also have less muscle mass and an increased prevalence of disability than more physically active older adults.³
• In older adults, endurance training leads to the same 10-30% increase in cardiovascular function as seen in young adults.⁹

Benefits of Being Physically Active:

• Continued independent living.⁹
• Better physical and mental health.^{15, 16, 17, 18}
• Improved quality of life.⁵
• Move with fewer aches and pains.¹⁹
• Increased flexibility.⁵
• Better posture and balance.^{6, 7, 8, 9}
• Improved self esteem.¹⁷
• Weight maintenance.⁵
• Stronger muscles and bones.²⁰
• Relaxation and reduced stress.^{18, 21, 22}

Disease Prevention - Regular physical activity can result in:

• 30-40% risk reduction in breast cancer.^{23, 24}
• 30-40% risk reduction in colon cancer.²⁴
• 50% risk reduction in Type 2 diabetes.²⁵
• Risk reductions in heart disease.⁵

"If exercise could be packaged into a pill, it would be the single most widely prescribed and beneficial medicine in the nation." Robert N. Butler, M.D., Former Director, National Institute on Aging

Sources