Indoor exercises for older people

Anyone can get active, it’s never too late to start. Anything that gets you moving is physical activity and it benefits you whatever your age. Start slowly and set realistic goals.

It might be hard to get motivated, especially if it’s cold and raining outside. But you can exercise and get active anywhere - at home or outside in your garden.

Activity for older people

All older people should be as active as they can be every day. Focus on aerobic activity, muscle-strengthening and balance.

For example:

• At least 30 minutes a day of moderate activity on 5 days a week - such as walking, dancing or pushing a lawnmower.
• Muscle-strengthening exercises 2 or more days a week - for example, digging, step aerobics, hand-held weight exercises and yoga.
• Daily chores such as cooking or housework to break up periods of sitting.

Get up, get dressed, get moving (PDF, 12 pages, 3.3 MB)

Preventing falls

Older people are at risk of falling.

Try these exercise routines to improve your stability:

• balance exercises
• strength exercises
• flexibility exercises
• sitting exercises