New Year’s Resolution to Exercise

I made a New Year’s Resolution to exercise – does exercise really help at my age (I am a 69 year old woman)? What kind of exercise should I be doing? How often should I be exercising? I am pretty active, cleaning the house and working in the yard on a regular basis; is that not enough? Thanks.

New year, new me!

Dear New Year’s Resolution to Exercise,

YES! Exercising at any age is helpful and you are never too young (or old) to start. To keep things simple, exercise can be divided into 2 categories: aerobic exercise and muscle building exercise.

Aerobic exercise includes exercises that increase your breathing, heart rate and as a result, circulation. Regular aerobic exercise at any age helps promote good cardiovascular health. Additionally there are multiple studies that show regular aerobic exercise in people older than 65 helps prevent depression and dementia. Examples of aerobic exercise include running, swimming, bicycling and dancing. Aerobic exercises should be done three times a week for 30 minutes a day.

Muscle building exercise helps build muscle. These exercises help increase core strength and balance; muscle strengthening exercises will help with osteoarthritis and prevent falls. As we age, we lose muscle mass and in times of illness muscle loss increases significantly. In the hospital, patients often spend the majority of time laying in bed. 

Studies done in hospitalized patients show that a 65 year old man loses 10% of his total muscle mass in one week of hospitalization. He may not notice this loss because he has a lot of muscle to help him carry out his daily activities, but that is a lot of muscle loss. It takes one month of daily rigorous muscle building exercise to regain this muscle loss.

As a 69 year old woman, you have probably less muscle mass to begin with and maybe a faster rate of loss with illness and aging; thus making muscle building exercise even more important. Examples of muscle building exercises include yoga, pilates, weight lifting. I recommend that muscle building exercises be done one to two times a week for 30 minutes a day. There are some exercises that are both muscle building and aerobic, such as swimming and spinning.

There are many studies that show older people that exercise regularly recover faster after surgery and chemotherapy. There are some disease specific exercises I would also like to mention. Tai chi has been shown to help with balance and fall prevention. Stretching and certain types of yoga have been shown to help with Parkinson’s disease. Lastly, weight bearing exercise helps with osteoporosis.

Many people tell me their exercise routine is walking 10,000 steps every day. Please keep in mind that walking 10,000 steps will help you stay active, burn calories, and maybe even lose weight, but if you are not increasing your heart rate to the intensity required for aerobic exercise, then there is little benefit in walking 10,000 steps. The same can be said for household chores and yard work.

In conclusion, making a New Year’s Resolution to exercise is a good thing. Yes, exercise is beneficial for everyone. Please find an activity that you enjoy and start the new year off with some exercise!

The Doctor

New Year’s Resolution to Exercise