Physical Fitness

 

Regular physical activity is one of the most important things you can do for your health. Breaking a hip have life-changing negative effects, especially if you’re an older adult. Metabolic syndrome is some combination of too much fat around the waist, high blood pressure, low high-density lipoproteins (HDL) cholesterol, high triglycerides, or high blood sugar. Being unable to do everyday activities is called a functional limitation. Include physical activities such as aerobic, muscle strengthening, and balance training. You can reduce your risk even further with more physical activity. Adults who participate in greater amounts of physical activity have reduced risks of developing cancers of the:

Bladder

Breast

Colon (proximal and distal)

Endometrium

Esophagus (adenocarcinoma)

Kidney

Lung

Stomach (cardia and non-cardia adenocarcinoma)

If you are a cancer survivor, getting regular physical activity not only helps give you a better quality of life, but also improves your physical fitness.

Regular Physical Activity Helps Lower Your Cancer Risk

Learn more about Physical Activity and Cancer

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Strengthen Your Bones and Muscles

A woman jogging in a park with her dog.

As you age, it’s important to protect your bones, joints, and muscles – they support your body and help you move. Getting to and staying at a healthy weight requires both regular physical activity and healthy eating.

See more information about:

Getting started with weight loss.

Getting started with physical activity.

Improving your eating patterns.

Benefits of Physical Activity

Learn more about Health Benefits of Physical Activity for Adults and Children

Haven’t Been Active in a While?

See these tips on getting started.

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Reduce Your Health Risk

Afraid of Getting Hurt?

The good news is that moderate physical activity, such as brisk walking, is generally safe for most people.

Cardiovascular Disease

Heart disease and stroke are two leading causes of death in the United States. You gain weight when you consume more calories through eating and drinking than the amount of calories you burn, including those burned during physical activity.

To maintain your weight: Work your way up to 150 minutes a week of moderate physical activity, which could include dancing or yard work. Regular physical activity can also lower your blood pressure and improve your cholesterol levels.

Type 2 Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome

Regular physical activity can reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Only a few lifestyle choices have as large an impact on your health as physical activity.

Everyone can experience the health benefits of physical activity – age, abilities, ethnicity, shape, or size do not matter.

Immediate Benefits

Some benefits of physical activity on brain health [PDF-14.4MB] happen right after a session of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. Regular physical activity can help keep your thinking, learning, and judgment skills sharp as you age. Physically active people have a lower risk of hip fracture than inactive people.

. Benefits include improved thinking or cognition for children 6 to 13 years of age and reduced short-term feelings of anxiety for adults. People start to see benefits at levels from physical activity even without meeting the recommendations for 150 minutes a week of moderate physical activity. This is important for older adults who experience reduced muscle mass and muscle strength with aging. Being physically active can improve your brain health, help manage weight, reduce the risk of disease, strengthen bones and muscles, and improve your ability to do everyday activities.

Adults who sit less and do any amount of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity gain some health benefits. Getting at least 150 minutes a week of moderate physical activity can put you at a lower risk for these diseases. Keeping bones, joints, and muscles healthy can help ensure that you’re able to do your daily activities and be physically active.

Muscle-strengthening activities like lifting weights can help you increase or maintain your muscle mass and strength. Additional amounts of physical activity seem to lower risk even more.

Some Cancers

Being physically active lowers your risk for developing several common cancers. You could achieve the goal of 150 minutes a week with 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week.

People vary greatly in how much physical activity they need for weight management. Physically active middle-aged or older adults have a lower risk of functional limitations than people who are inactive.

For older adults, doing a variety of physical activity improves physical function and decreases the risk of falls or injury from a fall. You may need to be more active than others to reach or maintain a healthy weight.

To lose weight and keep it off: You will need a high amount of physical activity unless you also adjust your eating patterns and reduce the amount of calories you’re eating and drinking. Slowly increasing the amount of weight and number of repetitions you do as part of muscle strengthening activities will give you even more benefits, no matter your age.

Improve Your Ability to do Daily Activities and Prevent Falls

Everyday activities include climbing stairs, grocery shopping, or playing with your grandchildren. Multicomponent physical activity can be done at home or in a community setting as part of a structured program.

Hip fracture is a serious health condition that can result from a fall. It can also reduce your risk of depression and anxiety and help you sleep better.

Weight Management

Both eating patterns and physical activity routines play a critical role in weight management.