Good news on exercise needs for senior women

You might not need as much exercise as you thought

By Matilda Charles
| 7:02 a.m. March 5, 2015

Winter Park - Maitland Observer
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This will be good news for some of us: We might not need as much exercise as we thought. Research from the UK seeks to aim senior women more toward moderate exercise.

This smaller study was part of an ongoing long-term study of 1.1 million women going back to 1998. At that time they were asked about how many hours they spent at various activities, and their health has been followed since then.

The results are promising for those of us who'd rather not run 5 miles a day or work out at the gym with weights. The women who reported moderate amounts of exercise ended up with significantly lower risks of cerebrovascular, venous thromboembolic or coronary heart disease events. In this case, "moderate" means doing something rather than nothing, enough activity to increase the heart rate or cause sweating two or three days a week.

And we don't need equipment or lots of time, contrary to previous studies that said we need to do 30 minutes of exercise five days a week. In this study, more frequent exercise didn't mean lower risks — there was little added benefit seen. One suggested doing some light gardening and then going for a walk.

According to another study, even if we have limited mobility and are in our 80s, we still can benefit from a little physical activity. Slow walking and light housework count as physical activity and can have cardiovascular benefits. The idea is to reduce the time spent sitting and increase the time spent moving.

For more information on moderate physical activity check the fact sheets at womenshealth.gov/publications. Search for “physical activity.”