Exercise as we age

Yes, we can live a healthy strong life well into our nineties, but we need a strategy...

Research into how participation in fitness and wellbeing activities benefit us as we age has increased since 2023, and current thinking is now hitting both social and mainstream media.

These platforms tend to present buzz words and headline hitting statements without showing:

• where the research is from,

• were there other findings from the studies,

• what barriers are there to participation and how do we overcome them.

This blog is here to support you in your personal research.

Where is the research from and what does it show?

The most recent surveys come from the University of Birmingham (UOB, April 2025) and the University of Cambridge (UOC, July 2023)

The UOB study was a comparison betweem older adults who live an active life and those who live a sedentary life, through both physical and cognitive testing. They found that those who lived in an active life showed greater performance in both physical and cognitive tests. Evidence suggested that an increase in simple but effective exercise at a later age can starve off negative effects on mental fatigue. Lead Professor at UoB, Professor Christopher Ring stated 'For older adults in particular regular exercise represents a simple but effective means to stave off the effects of age in a host of areas'.

The University of Cambridge study differed in that research investigated disease resilliance, hospitalisation, and mood. Using a scoring system for the trials, people who did 24 minutes of exercise a day or more scored better than people who were sedentary. People who exercised for an hour a day doubled their quality-of-live score compared to sedentary. Through the study, active participants showed greater resilience to disease, improved strength to reduce fall risk, and less traits connected to anxiety and depression.

In my opinion, the two most important points to take away are:

Firstly, it's never too late to start, you can start exercising at a later age and still see real benefits.

Secondly, even 24 minutes a day can improve how you feel at a later age.

One barrier to participation is a feeling that the true benefits to exercise have passed them by, and a perceived incompetence to exercise. The UoC study slighted that the best forms of exercise in older adults include a 20-minute walk, dancing, and gardening. With 24 minutes being shown to increase your quality-of-life score, the benefit is open to all levels of confidence, and studies like the above should assist in removing perceived incompetence as a barrier.

Barriers to participation and how to overcome them.

Various sources reference the top three barriers to participation in older adults are:

1. fear of injury,

2. perceived incompetence

3. accessibility.

Connection and support are fundamental elements to confidence for participation in exercise. Connecting with other people in a group or 1to1 exercise under the guidence of a health professional will address any limitations in your knowledge. Health professionals will guide you to work at an appropriate pace and intensity level to match your ability which will reduce the risk of injury through mistakes due to poor technique and over exertion.

There is a misconcpetion that gyms are for a young audience, whereas in reality, the over 50s demographic is increasing in participation in fitness classes and groups, with 1 million more people being invovled since 2015. You are more likely to find support in gyms and like-minded communities now than ever before.

Looking at the economic view, there are concerns in the older populations that a barrier to fitness was the expense of gyms. An interesting view from both the UoC and UoB studies is that they were conducted outside of gyms, looking into home workouts and daily activity as opposed to gym admissions. This shows how simple exercise can still reap significant benefits.

In a world full of overcomplicated advice, scientific research brings us back to the reality of the basics; they work, the longevity strategy couldn't be more accessible.

As we age, our relationshp with our health takes twists and turns, and our goals are ever changing with the various challenges that you may face. Whether you have to face genetic disease, mental health issues or expected physical trauma, one fundamental truth remains.

The one biggest predictor in improving health, in terms of strength for day to day activities, heart health and brain health is simple exercise. A sound consistent routine integrated into your lifestyle will delay the restrictive effects of aging and reduce your chance of hospitalisation.

The barriers to participation for older adults are reducing, now has never been a better time to start.

At ACE, we have developed a 13 week program designed for beginners to exercise or those returning from injury or chronic health considitions, designed specifically to get you back onto the path of proactive strength, movement and routine in a supportive and inclusive community.

Click here for more details.

https://www.acecorporatefitness.co.uk/online-training