Active Aging: What Are the Best Exercises After 60?

By Genevieve Cunningham

The aging process is tough. No matter how grateful we are for life and every passing year, getting older brings challenges that we never expected. We expect the wrinkles, the age spots, the sudden need for reading glasses. But immobility? The restriction in movement often takes us by surprise. It creates difficulty that we weren’t ready for, and frankly, that we didn’t need. Everyday activities aren’t as easy as they used to be. It can be frustrating to say the least. The good news is that the answer to immobility may be simple. In the world of aging, exercise may be just what you need to maintain your best health.

What Are the Benefits of Exercise for Older Adults?

Some of the benefits of exercise are well-known. It’s widely understood and accepted that exercise helps with weight loss and maintenance, flexibility, and long-term strength. But how, exactly, does that translate into the everyday lives of older adults over age 60? Research shows that some of the benefits of exercise might include:

• Lowers the risk of heart disease - The risk of heart disease is greater every year. Exercise helps counteract this risk by helping you maintain a healthy heart, lower blood pressure, and improve circulation.
• Improves bone health - It’s not often that we think of the health of our bones. Unfortunately, the risk of osteoporosis -- a condition in which bones become weak and brittle -- becomes greater with age. For people over 50, this condition affects 1 in 5 women and 1 in 20 men. Exercise, especially when it involves strength training, can help keep the bones stronger and healthier as you age, which reduces the risk of chronic conditions affecting the bones.
• Improves mental health - The aging process (or maybe it’s just life in general!) can take a toll on mental health. Studies suggest that older adults participating in a regular exercise routine are more likely to see a reduction in mood disorders than their inactive counterparts. Remarkably, active older adults are also 50 percent less likely to show symptoms of cognitive decline. These results make the benefits of exercise seem rather amazing.
• Helps with independent living - Adults want to live on their own terms. Because regular exercise improves balance and helps build strength, it increases the chance for independent living. When you’re able to care for yourself, you can continue to live life the way you want. A simple 30 minutes of exercise every day may significantly impact your long-term wellness and overall living situation.

What’s the Risk of Not Exercising?

Though the benefits of exercise are abundant, it can be easy to dismiss things that we don’t have yet -- things that are discussed in a futuristic way. It’s hard to grasp the potential positive impact that an exercise routine can make on our lives. When this happens, it might be more beneficial to take a look at what can happen if we choose to forgo physical activity.

• Increased risk of disease - Skipping exercise can raise the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and stroke. Since the risk of these diseases rises with age anyway, choosing to ignore physical health makes a big difference.
• Pain - Regular exercise can help fight the pain associated with inflammation, arthritis, and general inactivity. If we skip movement, we run the risk of pain setting in and taking over.
• Reduced quality of life - Exercise helps us maintain independence of both our bodies and our lives. If we don’t exercise, we run the risk of losing this independence. And when we lose our independence, we undoubtedly find a reduced quality of life as a result. Healthy people of all ages have to remain active to keep their best health.

It’s easy to think of benefits and risks in theory, but it’s harder to apply them to our personal lives. Surely that won’t affect me, we think too often. But aging does not discriminate. If you want to avoid the risks and gain the benefits, you have to get up and start moving.

What Are the Best Exercises for Older Adults?

In many instances, the best exercises for seniors are simply the ones you can do. After all, any movement is better than none. Of course, once you’re able to participate in regular exercise, you may be ready to get serious. It’s true that some exercises may be better than others for the aging body, and what’s more, these exercises may be very specific based on age, overall condition, and even gender.

For women, some of the best exercises might include:

• Strength training - Women are at a much higher risk of bone loss as they age. Participating in strength training, either with weights or resistance bands, can help lower your risk of bone weakening and overall loss. If weights feel like too much, start with bodyweight exercises and work your way up from there.
• Water aerobics - This is a great way to improve cardio without pain. Water helps minimize the pain of aching joints and muscles, but still gives you a thorough cardio workout. It’s great for improving muscle tone and stamina - two important factors in graceful aging.
• Yoga - Yoga is for all ages. It’s a wonderful exercise for maintaining strength and balance. If it feels too overwhelming, consider a gentle class aimed specifically at senior health.

Men may benefit from the same exercises as women, but men may also benefit from the following:

• Walking - Men are more likely to suffer from heart disease, which makes cardiovascular exercise extremely important. Walking is a great, low-impact way to improve cardio health as you age.
• Lift free weights - Free weights require strength and balance at the same time. Men, having a naturally larger muscle mass and muscle strength, may benefit from lifting free weights. This can be done in the gym under supervision or at home if your body and mind are confident in your ability to remain safe.
• Swimming - Though men are more than welcome to participate in water aerobics, many find regular swimming to be just as beneficial. Swimming is a wonderful exercise for people of all ages, but especially for people with sore muscles, aching joints, or other types of pain.

Man or woman, it doesn’t matter too much what type of exercise you do as long as you stay safe. If an exercise feels good and keeps you moving, get to it!

What Are Good Exercises When My Health is Already in Decline?

It’s tempting to believe that it’s too late to make changes in our health and lives. This is particularly true if we are already seeing a decline in our health. Perhaps you’re a bit overweight or you’re already immobile. The good news is that the state of your current condition doesn’t matter at all. If you want to be healthy and active, it’s possible.

If you’re immobile, it might be beneficial to participate in exercises such as arm raises, shoulder shrugs, ankle and leg rotations, head turns, and palm squeezes. If you need assistance, reach out to your healthcare provider. They can offer options for physical therapists or personal trainers who specialize in immobile patients and clients. Just remember that it’s not too late! Move what you can, and you will see benefits to your health.

If you’re overweight, the key is to start slowly. In general, people who are overweight can participate in the same activities as those at a healthy weight. Walking, swimming, water aerobics, stretching, and lifting light weights are all great options. The key? Start small. If you can only walk for two minutes, do that. If you can only swim one lap, do that. If you’re worried about exercise or your health in general, contact your doctor to ask for advice. They can let you know what’s safe, what’s not, and help monitor your health and progress as you go.

What Are the Best Exercises After 60?

The best exercises after 60 are the exercises that make you feel good. They are exercises that improve your physical health while helping you feel strong mentally and emotionally. These exercises may be different for every person. Walking, strength training, swimming, yoga -- these are all great places to begin. The aging process does not have to hold you back. Get moving in whatever way you can so that you can start enjoying life right now.

The information, including but not limited to, text, graphics, images and other material contained on this page are for informational purposes only. The purpose of this post is to promote broad consumer understanding and knowledge of various health topics, including but not limited to the benefits of chiropractic care, exercise and nutrition. It is not intended to provide or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your chiropractor, physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment and before undertaking a new health care regimen, and never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this page.