For adults 65 years and older, the CDC recommends at least 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity exercise; they also recommend regularly engaging in activities that improve your balance and strengthen your muscles. These recommendations can be tailored to your physical abilities and health conditions. Whether you enjoy a walk through the park or gardening, the following benefits elucidate how regular exercise will enhance the quality of your life.

Why Seniors Should Exercise Regularly

1. Prevent Illness

Exercise is proven to reduce your risk of various health conditions, including hypertension, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, obesity, cardiovascular disease, colon cancer, and breast cancer. Exercise also strengthens your immune system, which weakens with age.

Beyond these benefits, regular physical activity helps alleviate mental health issues. When you exercise, your body produces endorphins, a hormone that causes pain relief and a sensation of pleasure.

2. Improve Balance

Falls are the number one cause of fatal and non-fatal injuries amongst older Americans. As a result of injuries sustained from falls, such as broken bones, your physical activity will be limited. This could potentially lead to isolation and further health issues. Exercises that improve your balance—such as yoga and pilates—will decrease the likelihood of such an outcome.

3. Opportunity to Socialize 

Studies have shown that maintaining a social circle as an older adult will improve your overall mental and physical well-being. Exercising is a great opportunity to build connections. Whether you enjoy meeting your walking group in the park for a daily stroll, participating in a gardening club, or group exercise classes, chatting with others will make exercising more enjoyable.

Arkansas’s Jacksonville Parks & Recreation Department has beautiful, well-maintained parks that are the perfect places to fulfill your exercise routine. Now that some COVID-19 restrictions are lifted, you can also enjoy their fitness center, offering a variety of exercise classes for individuals of all ages. If you have questions about their offerings, call (501) 982-4171. For a full list of their parks, visit them online.