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Fountain of youth

by Simone McClenaughan | 17 Dec 2012

Think you’re too old to start exercising? Think again.

Sadly, only 10 per cent of Australians over 50 exercise enough to gain any benefit. And yet, according to the Victorian Government’s research into healthy ageing, people over the age of 65 require good fitness levels to help them maintain independence, recover from illnesses and lower their risk factors for a number of diseases.

Professor Robert Newton is head of the School of Exercise, Biomedical and Health Sciences and the Foundation Professor of Exercise and Sports Science Australia (ESSA) at Edith Cowan University, and he specialises in exercise for ageing, strength and conditioning.

“Everyone needs to exercise,” Professor Newton says, “regardless of age. Research has shown that people in their 90s in a high-care aged facility who were introduced to an exercise routine had a 100-150 per cent increase in strength and quality of life.”

Exercise: worth it

One of the reasons that people age is inactivity. Research published on the Victorian Government’s Better Health website shows that a sedentary lifestyle can:

  • Strip away muscle mass, bone density, strength and physical endurance
  • Reduce your coordination and balance
  • Make you less flexible and less mobile
  • Reduce your heart and lung function
  • Increase your body fat and blood pressure
  • Make you more likely to develop mood disorders such as anxiety and depression
  • Increase your risk of developing a variety of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, stroke, type two diabetes and cancer.

“Exercise is the best medicine we have,” says Professor Newton. “Modern medicine is good at keeping us alive. But exercise can help us live.”

The Australian Government’s Physical Activity Guidelines report the obvious: staying active is a great way to negate the harmful effects of a sedentary lifestyle and improve physical function, social interaction and quality of life, as well as build and maintain healthy bones and muscles, and reduce the risk of many chronic diseases.

Exercise keeps you young.

Exercise: A balancing act

There are four different types of exercise that people aged 55 and over need:

  1. Endurance – boost your fitness, and increase your heart rate and breathing levels. They’re also known as cardiovascular or cardio workouts. Exercises such as walking, jogging, swimming, cycling and playing a vigorous game of tennis are all cardio or endurance workouts.
  2. Strength – maintain and increase muscle. Having strong muscles means you are more mobile and can do things like get out of a chair on your own, pick up your grandkids and lift the groceries. Developing strong, stable muscles also helps prevent falls.
  3. Stretching – keep the body mobile and flexible. Flexibility will help while gardening, getting dressed and tending to chores around the home. You can try yoga at a gym or studio, or even buy an instructional DVD and try it in the lounge room. You can also do regular stretches for the legs, arms and back a few minutes each day.
  4. Balance – keeps you stable. Pilates builds strength from the inside out and works on your balance. Or you can try some simple balancing routines such as standing on one foot and then the other without holding onto anything.

Get physical

Whether to get moving or not is a no-brainer in Professor Newton’s opinion. “Sedentary lifestyles are killing us,” he says. “Do anything that will get you out of your armchair.” It might be walking the dog, bowling, cycling or gardening.

Professor Newton offers one last piece of advice: “It is never too late to start and you should never give up. Just get out there and give it a go.” 


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