Regular exercise is important for keeping your body functioning at its best and it is crucial for good physical and mental health. We can all exercise in some way, regardless of age, so there is no excuse to avoid sport. All you have to do is to adapt the type of exercise to your needs.
What are the benefits of physical activity?
- Improves physical and psychological health.
- Reduces obesity.
- Decreases the risk of cardiovascular disease.
- Prevents the development of some tumors.
- Keeps muscles and bones in good conditions, helping to prevent fractures and limb injuries.
Over the years, our body changes and doing sports should be aligned with this evolution to improve performance and avoid aches and pains. The sooner you start the better, as it will become part of your lifestyle.
Let's see which are the most recommended exercises for each age group:
Childhood. It is recommended to start doing physical exercise at the age of two years. For children, sport is like a game and they do it without even noticing it. Running, walking, swimming… These sports can be done from a very young age and will help to:
- Improve strength, flexibility, and balance.
- Develop social skills.
- Learn the advantages of teamwork.
Adolescence. Adolescence is when the main physical changes occur in our body. Thus, between 6 and 17 years old, it’s important to boost aerobic exercises, muscle and bone strengthening with specific exercises that should be done at least three times in a week.
During this period, sports will help them build strong values such as effort, teamwork, fellowship, self-development, discipline…
Adulthood. Although it is better to reach this age having incorporated physical activity into the daily routine, if not, it is never too late to start exercising.
The World Health Organization points out the benefits of doing moderate aerobic exercise in adulthood for about 150 minutes in a week, or 75 minutes if the exercise is intense. For people that can pull it off, the international organization suggests increasing the time of exercise to 300 minutes a week.
If you are not used to exercising, you can start by:
- Walking to work or at least part of the way.
- Adding 15 minutes of exercise to your daily activity schedule.
- Choosing the sport that you like the most, as this reduces the risk of stopping it.
- And remember, check your health before starting a sports practice.
Seniors. Turning years should not be an excuse to stop doing physical exercise. The most important thing is to adapt the intensity and duration of exercise to your physical fitness. Among the most recommended sports for seniors are swimming, golf, cycling, yoga or Pilates.
Exercising after age 65 is the key to healthy aging, as it helps to:
- Increase flexibility and balance.
- Improve autonomy and confidence.
- Strengthen social relationships.
- Keep your heart and lungs healthy.
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