The first week in October kicks off ‘Active Aging’ week!  Here at Beacon Physical Therapy, we are deeply invested in helping people to keep doing all of the activities they love to – at any age! Even if you don’t consider yourself in the category of older age (yet), you know and care about people who are. Today we’ll be talking about some of the benefits of building movement into your lifestyle as you age, and we include some suggestions for how to make small changes that will effectively boost your activity level.

Why focus on ‘active aging’?! Well for one, staying active as we age prevents falls. Falls are a major contributor to mortality and morbidity in older adults, and every year, an estimated 30–40% of people over the age of 65 will fall at least once. Falls and the health complications they present are very often preventable!  A dedicated strength and balance program will help to reduce your risk of falling and it is something that we can help to develop with you at Beacon PT. In addition, simply staying more active (i.e., less sedentary) will go a long way toward helping to prevent falls.

In addition to preventing falls, the benefits of activity extend to all systems of the body, with particular relevance for heart and bone health. With that said, staying active can also enhance mental health as we age. There is a large body of literature that supports the association between activity and mood improvement. In addition, some activities are great to do with other people, which has the added benefit of lifting our mood by increasing our social engagement.

With all of these benefits, here are some suggestions for ways to increase activity – at all ages!

Walking

Most of us are aware of a ‘daily recommended goal’ of 10,000 steps. This might not be realistic for all people, especially as we get older, and we should all use caution when interpreting recommendations when fitness needs are so unique to the individual. With that said, recent research shows that 30 minutes of increased heart rate within a given day of walking will provide health benefits over and above the number of steps themselves. Said another way, pick up your pace for 30 minutes, and you will reap more benefit from any number of steps in that walk!

Make it social

Having someone to share exercise with makes a huge difference in how likely we are to both do it, and enjoy it!  Take the dog (or your spouse, neighbor, or friend) around the block and already the distance doesn’t seem as effortful as it might if we were alone. Many of us greatly decreased our overall activity level in the last few years, and if we continued anything in terms of classes, it might have included more videos than in-person exercise. If you are comfortable doing so now, try to get back to doing activities in real time. You will hold yourself accountable when you are seeing people in person, and you are guaranteed to get extra steps just in getting there to take the class!

Have you tried Pilates?

Pilates, a mind-body activity that focuses on a dynamic mix of core strengthening while increasing mobility and flexibility, is one of those exercise modalities that we can’t say enough good about. It helps us to achieve and increase greater spinal mobility (key to keep as we age), aids in identifying and offsetting physical imbalances, and goes a long way toward preventing injuries – and falls too!  We also like Pilates as it can easily be tailored for those who might need to take a more customized approach to exercise – it is an activity you can truly do at all ages, and all fitness levels. If you haven’t tried it, come in to Beacon PT and we can get you started!

At Beacon Physical Therapy, we support our patients in leading a healthy life and establishing a healthy lifestyle. And remember, if you need help getting started with activities, or you’re not sure how to start a movement or health and fitness program, make an appointment today. We’d love to meet you and get you moving and doing what you love.