Older people can promote routines that best promote their physical, mental and immunological abilities. Practicing physical exercise is essential for seniors to have a pleasant and healthy life throughout the year. But what is the right exercise for this stage of life? This is the theme of another episode of SPORTCAST , the Hospital da Luz podcast about sports medicine, with Hugo Pereira , exercise physiologist at the Sports Medicine Center at Hospital da Luz Lisboa. Physical exercise and age. Exercise should always be adjusted to the characteristics of each person , regardless of their age, degree of dependence or limitations. There are 65-year-old people who still do marathons – which involves intense preparation for many months. And others, at the same age, have great difficulty carrying out their daily activities. Exercise and life expectancy. It is possible to demonstrate a slight increase in life expectancy in people who exercise, although there are many variables that can influence this relationship. And this can be equally true in people with chronic illnesses and in healthy people. Longitudinal observational studies, carried out with very different groups of people over many years, suggest that in general, those who exercise more have greater longevity. According to studies by Professor Jeremy Morris with bus workers in London, who compared conductors with drivers, it was found that conductors lived much longer because they were getting on and off, while drivers were always sitting. But be careful: when we refer to longevity we are talking about life expectancy. In Portugal, for example, the average life expectancy at birth is higher than the European average (81 years), but these extra years are not lived with quality. In fact, the health span of the Portuguese - as life expectancy in quality years is now called - is around 60 years. Wait until retirement to start exercising. Any time is a good time to start. After retirement, it is a little late because exercise must be a regular activity and maintained throughout life. A person who starts at age 67 will already be limited to the activities that their body, which their characteristics allow them to do at that moment. Starting earlier will certainly have more obvious benefits and health gains. Be that as it may, regardless of age and whatever exercise interrupts sedentary behavior, it is always useful and beneficial. Before starting, it is important to see your doctor or make an appointment with a sports medicine specialist. At the Hospital da Luz Sports Medicine Center , this consultation can be carried out remotely, through video consultation. It will always be necessary to identify (and adjust the exercise plan) to pre-existing pathologies or those that are diagnosed at this time. And it may also make sense to consult a nutrition and dietetics expert. The relationship between nutrition and exercise in old age should always be considered when preparing an exercise plan, in case it is necessary to adjust your diet. Without any health problems, you can start doing the exercise that gives you the most pleasure. And do it according to the formula ‘start slow and go slow’ - start small and gradually increase the amount and/or intensity of the exercise. Physical exercise and sport for longevity. There are studies that indicate that the sports most associated with longevity and quality of life in adulthood, especially in old age, are crossfit and padel, tennis or squash. Walking or running, swimming, and cycling are also activities that can be considered in an exercise plan for seniors. We are talking about sports that involve decelerations and oculomotor coordination and exercise that develops aerobic fitness, the cardiovascular and respiratory system and general and fine muscular strength. A good mnemonic is to train yourself to get up, stay up, and move . To get up, you must prioritize strength training and muscular endurance. Strength exercises, which work on the ability to push quickly and preserve muscle strength and power, are also important at this stage of life. To stand, you must do neuromotor, balance and coordination training. It is also important to work on your gait or the muscles that are involved in walking when you begin to experience motor difficulties. It is particularly important for older people to undergo neuromotor training, that is, to train several skills at the same time, whether cognitive and motor or several motor skills at the same time; and that they do balance training and proprioceptive training (the ability to feel the position and movement of our body). Finally, once you can stand up and balance on your feet, you can do aerobic exercise because it is also very important. This is with the aim of guaranteeing minimum functionality. You can first start by walking on the treadmill and, after some time practicing this exercise, move onto the street. Care to be taken by older people when exercising. If the person does not have any pathology, they can start exercising without great precautions - or without more precautions than a young adult or adult person. If there are comorbidities, it is necessary to pay attention to the symptoms associated with the disease. Of course, when we exercise, we become accustomed to the acute effects it causes. If, at some point, a certain exercise begins to cause something that we are not used to, it may be a sign that something may be going wrong, and it will always be necessary to stop or reduce the intensity of the exercise and seek help from the attending physician or an exercise physiologist. Individual exercise or group exercise? This depends on what gives each person the most pleasure. But group exercise can help combat the social isolation often experienced at this age . Working out alone has immediate benefits – in your daily mood, quality of sleep, vitality… And you will feel all this long before you notice that you are gaining bone or muscle mass or losing weight. So, it’s important to start! What is the best time of day to exercise? It also depends on preference. There are studies that indicate that exercising at the end of the day brings more metabolic benefits than exercising in the morning, but I think it depends on each person. Author: Hugo Vieira Pereira Meet the Sports Medicine clinical team at the Hospital da Luz network The content published in the Health Guide is intended for the general public and is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It does not replace individual medical assessment, diagnosis, or personalized clinical advice from a qualified healthcare professional. The content is produced or reviewed by physicians and other healthcare professionals at Hospital da Luz and is based on the knowledge available at the time of publication or the most recent update, as indicated at the beginning of each item.
