We all have heard the old adage – if you don’t use it, you lose it – however, it seems that we also need to be using it at the right intensity and frequency to make a difference. As we age, it is important to maintain as much mobility and range of motion as we can. This not only helps older adults to stay in their own homes as long as possible, it also improves their quality of life by helping to build stamina and endurance levels.
According to the annual Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) 90 per cent of older adults are not participating in activity at the moderate-to-vigorous intensity level.
The survey found that older adults are walking, but not at the right level. Walking continues to be an excellent way to maintain and improve fitness but it’s not about just moving. Working at a moderate-to-vigorous intensity level will cause older adults to sweat and breathe a little harder during the activity. This is the level necessary to challenge the body and see improvements in fitness levels.
The Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines states that all adults should complete at least 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous intensity aerobic physical activity per week to achieve health benefits and improved functional ability. This can be accumulated in bouts of 10 or more minutes over the day and week. The moral of the story is: Walk your dog, briskly, even if you don’t have one.
When trying to determine a moderate-to-vigorous pace, pick a pace that feels purposeful but not like work from the start. It is not until halfway through that the pace we are walking should start to feel like we’re doing something. At this time we should also notice our breathing increase but still be able to communicate with two- to three-word sentences. We should be able to maintain this pace until the end of our walk and not feel exhausted. It may take the first few walks to fine tune this pace for each of us. Be sure to include a few minutes of easy walking before and after the walk.
Another reported finding of the CCHS was that 80% of older adults are not doing any strength training exercises. Not only are these types of exercises important for building and maintaining strength in our muscle, but they also are vital to our bone health.
The Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines states that older adults should add muscle and bone-strengthening activities using major muscle groups at least two days a week.
Finally, a small study done with the University of Ontario Institute for Technology (UOIT) also reported that adults between 60-79 are spending up to 600 minutes sitting over the course of a day. That is to say 70% of their day is spent doing sedentary activity. This is a little frightening, as we know that if we sit for greater than two hours we are increasing our risk for chronic disease, such as heart disease and stroke. The study found this age group was sitting for up to 10 hours a day. Regardless of fitness level, too much sitting is detrimental to health. Be sure to get up and move around regularly during the day. It is important to note some sitting activity is quite good for cognitive brain function, such as crosswords and Sudoku.
Not sure how to get started? There are many community services that can help to reduce our sedentary time or consider booking an appointment with our exercise specialist.
You can find us on facebook (Minto-Mapleton Family Health Team) and follow us on twitter (@MintoMapleton) for healthy living tips and information on upcoming programs and events in the area!
For more information about any of the free services offered by the Minto-Mapleton Family Health Team, visit our website at www.mmfht.ca or call the Drayton office at 519-638-2110 or Clifford office at 519-327-4777.
Sandy Turner is the health promoter for the Minto-Mapleton Family Health Team.
