Key Facts

The benefits of being physically active in later life include:

• Regular lifestyle activity is particularly important for older people for the maintenance of mobility and independent living;
• Strength-training exercises can improve muscle strength, which important for tasks of daily living such as walking or getting up from a chair
• Physical activity, and particularly training to improve strength, balance and coordination has been found to be highly effective in reducing the incidence of falls.

Physical activity levels of older adults:

• According to the accelerometry data collected by the Health Survey for England (2008), women aged 75+ achieve 2 minutes of moderate-vigorous physical activity per day. The figure for men aged 75+ is similar, with 5 minutes spent in moderate-vigorous physical activity per day.
• According to self-report data collected by the Scottish Health Survey (2008), 51% of men and 46% of men aged 65-74 participate in less than 30 minutes of physical activity per week.