WHO’s Global recommendations on physical activity for health

HO’s Global recommendations on physical activity for health (2010)

Below is an extract from these recommendations for adults 65 years and above:

For adults 65 years and above, physical activity includes recreational or leisure-time physical activity, transportation (e.g., walking or cycling), occupational (if the person is still engaged in work), household chores, play, games, sports or planned exercise, in the context of daily, family, and community activities. In order to improve cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness, bone and functional health, and reduce the risk of  noncommunicable diseases, depression and cognitive decline, the following are recommended:

1.  Adults aged 65 years and above should do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity throughout the week, or do at least 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity throughout the week, or an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity activity.

2.  Aerobic activity should be performed in bouts of at least 10 minutes’ duration.

3.  For additional health benefits, adults aged 65 years and above should increase their moderate- intensity aerobic physical activity to 300 minutes per week, or engage in 150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity per week, or an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity activity.

4.  Adults of this age group with poor mobility should perform physical activity to enhance balance and prevent falls on 3 or more days per week.

5.  Muscle-strengthening activities should be done involving major muscle groups, on 2 or more days per week.

6.  When adults of this age group cannot do the recommended amounts of physical activity due to health conditions, they should be as physically active as their abilities and conditions allow.

7.  Overall, across all the age groups, the benefits of implementing the above recommendations, and of being physically active, outweigh the harms. At the recommended level of 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity activity, musculoskeletal injury rates appear to be uncommon. In a population- based approach, in order to decrease the risks of musculoskeletal injuries, it would be appropriate to encourage a moderate start with gradual progress to higher levels of physical activity.