1. Senior Exercise for Successful Aging Slideshow Pictures
2. Overcoming Sexual Problems as We Age Slideshow Pictures
3. 18 Secrets for a Longer Life Slideshow Pictures

Medical Author:

Siamak T. Nabili, MD, MPH

Siamak T. Nabili, MD, MPH

Dr. Nabili received his undergraduate degree from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), majoring in chemistry and biochemistry. He then completed his graduate degree at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). His graduate training included a specialized fellowship in public health where his research focused on environmental health and health-care delivery and management.

View Full Profile

Medical Editor:

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Dr. Charles "Pat" Davis, MD, PhD, is a board certified Emergency Medicine doctor who currently practices as a consultant and staff member for hospitals. He has a PhD in Microbiology (UT at Austin), and the MD (Univ. Texas Medical Branch, Galveston). He is a Clinical Professor (retired) in the Division of Emergency Medicine, UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, and has been the Chief of Emergency Medicine at UT Medical Branch and at UTHSCSA with over 250 publications.

View Full Profile

Regular physical activity and exercise are known to control or even prevent a variety of health conditions in the elderly. Benefits of exercise in seniors are documented in heart disease, hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes, osteoporosis, muscle weakness, certain cancers, depression, and stroke.

More specifically, regular exercise is shown to be beneficial in:

• Maintaining weight and burning excess calories
• Improving the ratio of good cholesterol to bad cholesterol
• Building up physical endurance
• Optimizing health of the heart, lung, vascular system, bones, and muscles delivering oxygen and nutrients to tissues
• Reducing falls and injuries
• Enhancing mood and sleep quality

Adequate exercise for seniors may consist of a minimum of 30 minutes of exercise which increases the heart rate to about 75% of maximum predicted heart rate, performed 3-5 times per week. A person's maximum heart rate is roughly calculated by subtracting age from the number 220.

These goals can be achieved by such safe and basic exercises as, walking, swimming, and using exercise machines. Balance exercises, flexibility exercises, and resistance exercises (weight lifting) can also be helpful.

If symptoms of chest pain, chest tightness, shortness of breath, fainting, or dizziness occur during or after any exercise, it is important to stop and notify your treating physician promptly.

Must Read Articles Related to Healthy Lifestyles for Seniors

Advance Directives Advance directives center around the principles of your right to die and death with dignity. A living will tells doctors what life-prolonging treatments to perf...learn more >>

Exercise Exercise has been shown to reduce one's risk of heart disease, diabetes, colon and breast cancer, lower blood pressure and cholesterol, and reduce depression an...learn more >>

Nutrition and Diet Nutrition and diet is needed for health. Read dietary guidelines, dietary reference intakes, food guide pyramid, calories, carbohydrates, protein, fats, vitamin...learn more >>

See the Entire Healthy Lifestyles for Seniors Topic Guide »