Exercise. It’s the longest four-letter word we all love to hate.
We know it’s critically important for physical and mental health. It improves brain health, manages weight, reduces risk of disease and so much more.
Yet only 1 in 3 Canadian seniors is getting enough exercise.[1] Perhaps as a result, the leading cause of injury among older Canadians, leading to hospitalization and/or long-term care stays, is falls. Approximately 20-30% will experience at least one fall each year.[2] Another important outcome is the significant number of older Canadians – roughly 30% – whose mental health is suffering.[3]
Official Exercise Recommendations
It goes without saying that the more you take care of your body and exercise properly, the better. But achieving a minimum amount of movement can go a long way toward keeping your physical and mental health strong.
The Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology[4] recommends being physically active for part of every day, limiting sedentary behaviours and getting 7-8 hours of quality sleep.
Physical activity includes:
- 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous aerobic activity each week;
- several hours of light physical activities each day, including standing;
- muscle-strengthening activities 2x each week; and
- balancing activities 1x each week.
Each of these components must be achieved, as each contributes to overall strength and well-being in a different way.
7 Benefits of Physical Activity
There’s no reason to slow down at 60 if you’re expecting to live to 100. And while exercise is beneficial at all ages, it’s even more critical for older Canadians. Here’s why:
1. Improves fitness overall. Not only does exercise reduce the risk for chronic illnesses, but it also strengthens the digestive and immune systems. This keeps you healthier and stronger.
2. Helps manage weight. Although the metabolism naturally slows down with age, exercising regularly can help you maintain your body weight. And a healthy body weight not only is healthier overall, but it also will be easier on your joints.
3. Improves bone health and strength. Regular exercise leads bones to build more cells and become stronger. Not only does this prevents falls from happening in the first place, but it also reduces the risk of breaking a bone if you do fall.
4. Strengthens heart and cardiovascular system. While exercise can’t make your existing heart condition disappear, staying active can help maintain a better quality of life.
5. Reduces hypertension. Regular exercise makes your heart stronger, which means it can pump more blood with less effort. The result is a lower blood pressure. And since hypertension is the leading risk factor for death around the world,[5] it makes sense to do some exercise.
6. Leads to a higher quality of life. Exercising sends more oxygen and other nutrients to different parts of your body and helps your heart and lungs work more efficiently. This gives you more energy to do the things you really want to you, rather than keeping you at home on the couch. This leads to stronger mental health as well.
7. Promotes good sleep. Being too sedentary can make it harder to get to sleep at night. This leads to a vicious cycle in which you don’t have enough energy to do anything during the day.
A healthy lifestyle requires enough movement and proper sleep habits to be able to take advantage of the other hours of the day. The right balance will keep you happy and healthy at any age, including those years approaching 100.
[1] Statistics Canada, “Canadian Health Measures Survey: Activity monitor data, 2018-2019,” September 1, 2021.
[2] Government of Canada, “Seniors’ Falls in Canada,” 2021.
[3] Statistics Canada, “Self-rated mental health decreases after another year of the COVID-19 pandemic,” June 7, 2022.
[4] Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology, “Canadian 24-hour Movement Guidelines for Adults (65+ years),” 2021.
[5] Statistics Canada, “Blood pressure and hypertension,” February 20, 2019.