US Department of Health and Human Services Exercise Guidelines Overview on Adults over 65

According to the US Government’s new Physical Activity Guidelines, exercise is beneficial for everyone, including older adults.

• Older adults should aim to do at least 150 minutes of moderate‐intensity physical activity a week, or 75 minutes of vigorous‐intensity activity. Older adults can combine moderate‐ and vigorous–intensity activity.
• The relative intensity of aerobic activity depends on a person's level of cardiorespiratory fitness.
• Moderate intensity activity requires a medium level of effort. On a scale of 0 to 10, where sitting is 0 and the greatest effort possible is 10, moderate intensity activity is a 5 or 6 and produces noticeable increases in breathing rate and heart rate.
• Vigorous intensity activity is a 7 or 8 on this scale and produces large increases in a person's breathing and heart rate.
• Older adults should also perform bone and muscle strengthening exercises at least twice per week.

Physical Activity and Safety: Physical Activity Is Safe for Almost Everyone

Most people are not likely to be injured when doing moderate intensity activities in amounts that meet the
Physical Activity Guidelines. However, injuries and other adverse events do sometimes happen. The most
common problems are musculoskeletal injuries. Even so, studies show that only one such injury occurs for every
1,000 hours of walking for exercise, and fewer than four injuries occur for every 1,000 hours of running.

Both physical fitness and total amount of physical activity affect risk of musculoskeletal injuries. People who are
physically fit have a lower risk of injury than people who are not. People who do more activity generally have a
higher risk of injury than people who do less activity. So what should people do if they want to be active and safe?

The best strategies are to:

• Be regularly physically active to increase physical fitness
• Follow general safety guidelines such as especially increasing physical activity gradually over time, wearing
  protective gear, engaging in activities that are appropriate for one’s fitness level, and seeking the advice of a
  professional when lifting weights and trying new machines.

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