Physical activity

Sedentary lifestyle, physical inactivity and obesity are associated with higher mortality and different cardiovascular diseases, high blood pressure, diabetes and osteoporosis. Physical inactivity, for various reasons, is an endemic disease in the elderly: 52% of those over 65 years of age declare that they spend most of their day sitting down. Regular physical exercise is recommended for those over 65 years of age, since this has beneficial effects on diabetes, hypertension, falls, level of independence, osteoporosis, cholesterol levels and coronary heart disease, among other pathologies. . Much of the decline seen in elderly people can be attributed to a large extent to the almost absolute lack of exercise, since in the body lacking the movement it needs to be in shape, the muscles atrophy and the joints stiffen preventing its normal operation. In most of the physical education treatises, the case of the arm or leg in a cast due to a break is used as an example to illustrate the inactivity of the organism, which after five or six weeks of absolute rest has lost almost all its strength and musculature is extremely weakened. Inactivity is something completely unnatural for the body and its consequence is bodily deterioration. In addition, sedentary lifestyle favors loneliness in the elderly, while physical exercise favors socialization. The physical exercises that are most recommended for elderly patients are:

• Aerobic exercises: these are regular exercises maintained over time, of also regular intensity, such as walking or cycling. This type of exercise improves cardiovascular function, lowers basal heart rate and blood pressure, and contributes to lowering blood glucose and cholesterol levels. It is recommended to perform it regularly at least five times a week, with a duration of at least twenty to sixty minutes per session, beginning the exercise progressively.
• Flexibility exercises: increase the range of motion of the joints through active or passive stretching, increasing the flexibility of the ligaments and muscles. These exercises are intended to reduce ankylosis and increase joint mobility. It is recommended to perform it more frequently than one day a week, with a duration of thirty to sixty minutes per session and a gradual increase in intensity.
• Balance exercises: they are effective in those elderly with problems to maintain standing. These are slow exercises for maintaining position and precision in ambulation: walking in a straight line, walking with one foot followed by the other, going up or down stairs very slowly, walking on your toes or with your heels, etc. One type of balance exercise that seems to be helpful is regular Tai-Chi exercises. The recommendation is to perform this type of exercise more than two or three times a week, lasting from thirty minutes to an hour for each session and starting gradually.
• Resistance exercises: essential to reduce fragility, enhance muscle mass and strength, standing balance, aerobic capacity, flexibility, walking speed and the ability to climb stairs. They are gentle bodybuilding exercises such as lifting light or moderate weights. It is recommended to perform muscular resistance exercises in the muscles of the lower and upper extremities, regularly two to three times a week. The individualization in the programs and the gradualness of the resistances is essential to avoid injuries.

Any age is good for physical exercise, as long as it is appropriate for the age of the person who practices it. Moderate or low-intensity exercise is a source of health and youth that slows down the aging process and can even reverse it if, at the same time, you lead a way of life that includes a sufficiently balanced diet, with a total absence of tobacco and without excess alcohol.