Advantage of Regular Physical Activities

All levels of activities can improve health, even if only few minutes of activities. The risks caused by sedentary lifestyle on health are far greater than the risks of engaging in minor to intermediate-intensity exercises. It is never too late to start exercise and everyone can find a safe, effective and suitable exercise, in order to improve the endurance, strength, balance, and flexibility. The advantages of regular physical activities include the follow:

• Reduce the risk of falls and the risks of injury due to falls, and help maintain independent living.
• Reduce the risks of Alzheimer's disease or dementia, and maintain brain health.
• Reduce the risks of multiple chronic diseases (such as diabetes, high blood pressure or heart disease) and alleviate the deterioration of illness.
• The risks of reducing multiple cancers.

How to start exercise?

• Simple actions: Try to sit less and move more in one day. Walk to the corner of the street, stretch or climb one floor of stairs will cumulate the effect.
• Exercise with friends: Exercise with partners to encourage each other for lasting routines.
• Health examination: Consult with medical staff before starting any new activities in case of any health concerns. Learn the motions that can strengthen or protect areas with problems.
• Enjoy: Choose favorite activities for lasting habits. Choose the easy ones first, including walking, gardening work, aerobic activities with chair, and Taichi. Different activities yield different benefits.
• Key: Start activities based on current physical condition and use existing resources if possible.

Activity Introduction

(1) Aerobic Activity: The target is 3~5 sessions a week and 30 minutes per session, so the total cumulative intermediate-intensity activity will add to 150 minutes.

• What kind of activities? Any sustained rhythmic activity, including walking, biking, dancing, and aqua fitness exercises.
• How frequent? 3~5 days a week.
• Efforts? From very easy to slightly difficult. 
• How long? Initially just few minutes would be enough. Increment the time eventually to a cumulative 30~60 minute per day. Try to do 5 minutes or 10 minutes of exercise on and off in a day or for 20 ~ 30 minutes consecutively. Activity type and venues unlimited and all activity time can be cumulated.
• Note:
• To assure safety without injury, just do your best. Increment eventually. The warmup before exercise and cool-down after exercise should be carried out in easy and mild speed.
• If you have not exercised for an extended period of time, take it slow at the beginning and do not rush. Increment the activity time or frequency eventually in few weeks to few months of time.
• 150 minutes/week may seem an objective out of your reach but you can slowly increment the frequency. First engage slowly and add more as you get used to them.

(2) Strength training: Such training will make you stronger and boost your health comprehensively. Available devices include the handheld weight device or the resistance band.

• What kind of activities? Handheld weight device, resistance band, muscle training machine, or self-weight (e.g. wall push ups or standing up from siting pose).
• How frequent? At least 2 days per week (arrange for rest days in between two training days).
• Effort? Take easy load at the beginning and gradually increment the load intensity to intermediate or heavy load.
• How much exercise? Repeat 1-~15 times initially (motion for every major muscle group) and gradually increment to heavier loading intensity. Repeat 8~12 times per lap and repeat 1~3 laps.
• Note: Do not feel strained or hold your breath when doing muscle training. Please seek for professional instruction to learn the correction movement techniques and breathing methods, if necessary.

(3) Balance: Balanced activities can boost the physical resistance against external force, and thereby reducing the probability of fall. Muscle strengthening helps balance, particularly the legs, abdomen and back muscles. The sites for balance training should be cleared off miscellaneous items. Use the chair or nearby wall as support, or exercise with the company and protection of others for safety purpose.

• Standing pose stability: Gradually reduce supporting base and suspend each pose for 15~30 seconds：
• Standing pose, legs put together, and arms around the chest.
• Standing pose, one leg front and one leg behind.
• Standing pose, heel and toe switching weight.
• Standing by one foot.
• Active challenge, motions interfering the body weight:
• Walk in straight line, heel to toe walk, tiptoe walking, turn around, or move in different routes.

(4) Other type of body activities

• Hexibility: Stretch each muscle at least 2 days a week. Stretch until you feel tense. Each stretching motion should be suspended for 30~60 seconds, including stretching the calf, back of the leg, and chest expansion.
• Joint Activities: Gently move all joins and try to make complete without forced joint activities. Choose motions including hip joint stretch, wrist rotation, shoulder circulation, and repeat each motion 10 times.
• Combination Activities: The content of combination exercise includes aerobic activities, muscle training and comprehensive balance of training motions. Try yoga, Taichi and pilates which will all help balance, hexibility, and strength.
• Increasing steps of walk: Understand your current walking steps daily through the APP or other physical activity monitoring devices and then gradually add to the objectives with more steps than current steps.

Reminder

Choose the activity types you prefer. The best exercise is one who can engage voluntarily and regularly. Try to choose multiple types of activities that will boost endurance, strengthen, hexibility, and balance.

The biggest risk involving exercise in the beginning is muscle ache in the first few weeks. You pay attention to the signal of your body and take a rest if you feel tired or continue to exercise when feeling energetic. You do not need to feel painful or exhausted to have effective exercise. Many people are reluctant or could not engage in intense exercises. There are many excellence choices such as walking, stretching, Taichi, aquatic water exercise, and outdoor activities.

The key is not doing “which” activity but “moving.” Voluntary activity has significant meaning for senior and can benefit the body with greater effect as they grow older.