Healthy Living | Winter Issue | 2017–2018 33
exercises improve the health of
your heart, lungs, and circulatory
system. These exercises can
make it easier for you to mow
the lawn, climb stairs, and do
other daily activities. Strength
exercises include lifting weights
or using resistance bands. They
can increase muscle strength
to help with activities such as
carrying groceries or lifting
grandchildren. Balance exercises
can help prevent falls—a major
health risk for older adults.
Stretching, or flexibility exercises,
can give you more freedom
of movement for bending to tie
your shoes or looking over your
shoulder as you back out of the
driveway.
“Even if you haven’t been active
previously, it’s important to
get started and stay active,” says
Dr. Richard J. Hodes, director
of NIH’s National Institute on
Aging. “We know that people
want to live independently for
as long as they possibly can. By
exercising regularly and including
more physical activity in
their daily routine, older people
can preserve their physical function,
which is key to doing the
everyday things they want to
do.”
To help you get started and
keep moving, NIH brought
together some of the nation’s
leading experts on aging, exercise,
and motivation. They developed
a guide to exercise for
older adults. The guide serves as
the basis for a national exercise
and physical activity campaign
for people ages 50 and older. It’s
called Go4Life.
“Older adults can exercise
safely, even those who have
physical limitations,” Hodes
says. “Go4Life is based on studies
showing the benefits of exercise
and physical activity for
older people, including those
with chronic health conditions.”
Go4Life exercises are designed
to be done safely at home
without special equipment or
clothing. The free book Exercise
& Physical Activity: Your Everyday
Guide from the National
Institute on Aging is the core resource
for the campaign. Other
free materials, such as tip sheets,
are also available. Workout to
Go, a mini exercise guide, shows
you how you can be active anytime,
anywhere.
To learn more, visit the
Go4Life website at go4life.
nia.nih.gov. You’ll find exercises,
success stories, and tips
to help you stay motivated. Or
call 1-800-222-2225, or e-mail
niaic@nia.nih.gov.