Get Help with Your Home Exercise Program

We know, as we get older, that we should be walking and exercising more. Easier said than done! There are plenty of distractions, even excuses, which make it quite difficult to follow a regular activity program. However, a study of male veterans yields results that suggest getting help is possible, and it can be quite effective.

The findings were reported in the Archives of Internal Medicine. Over 220 veterans aged 60 to 85 were allocated randomly to have either 3 sessions of exercise counseling regarding home-based walking and strength exercise, or health education on topics selected by the participants themselves.

After 5 and 10 months, both groups reported increased duration and frequency of walking for exercise, but with greater increases in the exercise-counseled patients. Time spent on strength exercises and their frequency increased only in the exercise-counseled group. The use of accelerometers showed that, after 10 months, more exercise-counseled patients accumulated at least 30 minutes of moderate-plus intense physical activity over a 3-day period. And those who participated in strength training showed greater improvement in physical performance measures and perceived quality-of-life.

So the answer is, seek help from an experienced counselor – a fitness expert or, better still, a physical therapist.