Moderates progress and reduces symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.
Lowers blood pressure.
Controls weight and lowers cholesterol.
Enhances sleeping experience.
Improves mood, alertness, and reaction time.
Reduces the rate of bone loss associated with osteoporosis.
Maintains strength, flexibility, balance and coordination, which reduces the risk of falls.
Reduces severity of injury if a fall should occur
Improves recovery from a fall-related injury
Components of Fitness
Cardiovascular Endurance
Aerobic activities improve cardiovascular endurance. Aerobic activity is physical activity or exercise that is done at a low intensity and can be performed for long period of time (e.g., 20 minutes or more). At this intensity, the body uses a great deal of oxygen to generate the energy needed for prolonged exercise. This is the typical form of exercise most people participate in. Try brisk walking, low-impact dance, swimming, pool aerobics, cycling, rowing, and cross country skiing.
Muscular Strength and Endurance
Muscle endurance activities increase your muscle's lasting power, that is, how long you can do the same thing over and over, or how long you can hold the same position. Muscle-strengthening activities keep muscles and bones strong and prevent bone loss. They will also improve your balance and posture. Examples of muscle-strengthening activities include doing push-ups and curl-ups, lifting weights, climbing stairs and digging in the garden.
Joint Flexibility
As we grow older, the tissues around our joints tend to thicken and lose pliability. Muscles may grow shorter. Range of motion decreases. Stretching exercises combat these tendencies, thereby helping us to remain active and self-sufficient (Full Life Fitness, 1992). Try swimming, water activities, or a basic stretching program.
Balance and Coordination
Mobility depends on balance, agility, and coordination. Try activities that stimulate your reaction time through different movements and speeds, direction changes, body positions, and the full use of physical space such as tennis, Tai chi, gymnastics, and badminton.
10 Tips to BECOMING Physically Active
1. Get started with some gentle stretching either lying on your bed in the morning or soon after you get up. Consult a physiotherapist, fitness professional or doctor if you don’t know what to do. Build in short walks at every opportunity.
2. Explore what types of community activities are available. Ask friends and family to help you in your search for an activity that you would enjoy. Broaden your interests and try a few new activities. A variety of physical activity choices will provide a range of benefits.
3. Rely on the support of others. Ask a friend to participate in the activity with you so that you can encourage and motivate one another.
4. Don’t be over ambitious, and set realistic goals. Start off slow and easy at 5 to 10 minutes several times a week. Over a number of weeks and months you can gradually work yourself up to doing some activity everyday (150 minutes per week for the best benefits).
5. Each day, pick a time that is convenient for you, and commit to participating in some type of physical activity. Your life depends on it! However, if you are not feeling well, back off for a day or two, or maintain gentle stretches until you feel better.
6. Mark your activity times on a calendar. Chart your participation on a calendar and keep track of your progress. Add it up, everything "physical" counts!
7. Try shorter, more frequent sessions rather than the occasional prolonged session. This will help you fit physical activity into your busy schedule, and be able to use your maximum energy at that time.
8. Make use of everyday movement opportunities. Take the stairs instead of the elevator (leg strength), use a rake rather than a leaf blower (arm strength), walk or bike to the corner store instead of driving, or do stretching exercises during television viewing and commercials.
9. Prepare yourself for a few lapses, but don't give up! Starting, stopping and restarting is quite common, so don’t let it discourage you.
10. You cannot just eat your way to good health. Exercise must go hand-in-hand with good nutrition. Physical activity enhances your metabolism and optimizes the use of the nutrients that you eat. Improve your appetite through active living and choose to eat healthier!
10 Tips to STAYING Physically Active
1. Enjoy yourself! The perfect activity is that which is fun and enjoyable to you, and makes you forget about the fact that you are even exercising. If you are active, but aren’t enjoying it, it’s time to shop around for a more suitable activity.
2. Everyone has good days and bad days. On the days that you feel sluggish, don’t set yourself up to fail. Try a little warm-up activity (stretching) and if you don’t feel any better soon after, leave it for that day. However, move more on the days when you feel great. Take advantage of any little surges of energy that you have and get moving!
3. If winter is getting you down, dress for the weather. Put cleats on your boots, and carry ski poles for security on the snow and ice. Unless the weather is very bad, you will keep quite warm by moving, and the weather is not as bad as it looks once you get out there.
4. If you do get "stuck" indoors, follow an exercise class on television, or make your own routine up to some of your favorite music. Walk "laps" in your residence, even if you feel a bit silly. Going up and down flights of stairs is very good for maintaining your fitness level. March or dance on the spot if you don’t have a lot of room to move in your apartment.
5. Go to the local mall, church or school and walk "laps" indoors.
6. Getting into the habit of exercising is good, but you can get bored from doing the same thing day after day. Try a different activity once in a while – most activity programs will let you try out the first class for free.
7. If you have an arthritis flare-up, or a bad joint acts up, work around it and move all your good parts. There is no point in letting the rest of your body get laid up too!
8. Reward yourself for being active. Set short and long term goals, and plan a "reward" for achieving that goal.
9. Help someone else get started in active living. Ask a neighbour if they would join you for a walk. If all active seniors helped one inactive senior get started, about 80% of all older Canadians would be in great shape!
10. If you have a health set-back, talk to your doctor about alternatives to medication. Perhaps a regular exercise session would be a better place to start addressing the problem (i.e. poor sleep, depression, aches and pains).
Cuts the age decline in half.
Cardiovascular Endurance 
1. Get started with some gentle stretching either lying on your bed in the morning or soon after you get up. Consult a physiotherapist, fitness professional or doctor if you don’t know what to do. Build in short walks at every opportunity.
1. Enjoy yourself! The perfect activity is that which is fun and enjoyable to you, and makes you forget about the fact that you are even exercising. If you are active, but aren’t enjoying it, it’s time to shop around for a more suitable activity.