Exercise - Ages 65+

Exercise - Ages 65+ in United States

United States

Regular exercise is an important aspect of healthy living. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that adults ages 65 and older who are generally fit and have no limiting health conditions get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity and two days of muscle-strengthening activity every week. Adults with limiting health conditions are advised to engage in as much physical activity as their abilities permit and avoid inactivity. 

Routine exercise has been shown to reduce the risk of premature death and many chronic diseases, including obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, hypertension and behavioral health issues, such as depression and anxiety.

The prevalence of exercise is higher among:

• Older men compared with older women.
• Multiracial older adults and older adults who identify as other race compared with Hispanic older adults.
• College graduates, who have a prevalence more than twice that of adults with less than a high school education. The prevalence of exercise increases with each increase in education level. 
• Older adults with an annual household income of $75,000 or more, who have a prevalence almost twice that of adults with an annual household income less than $25,000. The prevalence of exercise increases with each increase in income level. 

Even moderate increases in physical activity can reduce the risk of mortality in older adults and prevent or delay the onset of many chronic diseases. Effective interventions among older adults include:

• The EnhanceFitness program. This is a low-cost program in the United States that aims to improve the fitness levels of older adults. Participants of EnhanceFitness experienced improvements in their physical functioning and mental health. The program has also driven down health costs and reduced unplanned hospitalizations.
• The SilverSneakers program. Offered by select Medicare plans at no additional cost, this program provides access to multiple fitness facilities nationwide. Older adults who participate more frequently in this program report better physical and mental health outcomes and have lower health care costs compared with those who participate minimally. 
• Increasing neighborhood walkability. A growing body of evidence illustrates the importance of the built environment and community design in promoting physical activity, as older adults who live in more walkable neighborhoods engage in more physical activity. 

Muscle strength training combined with protein nutritional supplements has also been shown to be easy to implement and effective at reducing frailty in the elderly. Incorporating both muscle strengthening and aerobic physical activities has been shown to reduce death rates among older adults. 

The CDC offers strategies and tools that public health professionals can use to encourage community-based physical activities for older adults, as well as information on how older Americans can add physical activity to their lives.

Healthy People 2030 has several objectives to improve physical activity, including increasing the proportion of older adults with reduced physical or cognitive function who engage in leisure-time physical activities.

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Kell, Kenneth P., and Elizabeth Y. Rula. 2019. “Increasing Exercise Frequency Is Associated with Health and Quality-of-Life Benefits for Older Adults.” Quality of Life Research 28 (12): 3267–72. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-019-02264-z.

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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 2018. “Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd Edition.” Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://health.gov/sites/default/files/2019-09/Physical_Activity_Guidelines_2nd_edition.pdf.

Webber, Bryant J., Katrina L. Piercy, Eric T. Hyde, and Geoffrey P. Whitfield. 2022. “Association of Muscle-Strengthening and Aerobic Physical Activity With Mortality in US Adults Aged 65 Years or Older.” JAMA Network Open 5 (10): e2236778. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.36778.

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