I am over 60 and have not exercised in years. Where do I start?
Start smaller than pride suggests and sooner than doubt allows. Ten minutes of marching in place, sit-to-stands from a sturdy chair, wall push-ups and heel raises is a real workout at any age, and it rebuilds exactly the strength daily life uses.
Muscle responds to training into the nineties; that is one of the best-replicated findings in exercise science. Balance work matters just as much, because it is what prevents the falls that change lives. A single-leg stand next to the counter, a little each day, measurably lowers fall risk.
Check with your doctor first if you have heart disease, get chest pain or serious breathlessness, or have fallen recently. Otherwise the guidance for older adults is the same as for everyone: move most days, push against something twice a week, and start this week rather than perfectly.
Source: World Health Organization, physical activity fact sheet
See a doctor promptly if
- Unintentional loss of more than 5% of your body weight in 6-12 months, for example 8 lb (3.6 kg) in a 160 lb (73 kg) person
- A fall, or new difficulty rising from a chair without using your arms
- Difficulty swallowing, or food sticking, that is changing what you can eat
- Loss of appetite with nausea, abdominal pain or change in bowel habit
- New weakness on one side of the body, which is an emergency, not a nutrition problem
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Answered by the AskDoc Medical Team · Medically reviewed under our Medical Director, MBBS · How we review
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