Information on physical activity and exercise for older people
How much should you do?
Aim to do at least 30 minutes of physical activity most days of the week. This can be a single 30 minute session, or several shorter episodes of activity (eg 3 x 10 minute sessions).
​
Remember, even one 10 minute session is helpful and better than none!
Each week, you should aim to include exercise that challenges your fitness, balance and strength.​
Fitness (cardiovascular) exercise
-
You should feel a little out of breath, but be able
to talk. If you are too out of breath to talk, you are working too hard.
​
Strength exercise
-
You should be able to do each exercise 8-12 times (called the number of repetitions), then rest, and repeat each set of repetitions another 1-2 times. If you are doing 12 repetitions easily it may be time to increase the weight.
-
If you haven’t done an exercise before, start with no weight or a light weight that you can use comfortably.
​
Balance exercise
-
Stay safe! Make sure you have a bench / table / wall close by for support.
-
These exercises work your balance, so you should feel a little unsteady, but still in control.
-
If you feel you might overbalance, the exercise is too challenging. Try an easier version. One way you can make standing balance exercises easier is by having your feet further apart.
​
Many exercises work both strength and balance together. All the three exercise levels provided on the Safe Exercise at Home have strength and balance grouped together.