Women 60+

Physical activity and exercise can help you stay healthy, energetic and independent as you get older.

Adults aged 65 and over spend on average 10 hours or more each day sitting or lying down. This makes them the most sedentary age group.

They're paying a high price for their inactivity, with higher rates of falls, obesity, heart disease and early death compared with the general population.

As you get older, it's even more important that you remain active if you want to stay healthy and maintain your independence.

If you stop moving, all the things you’ve always enjoyed doing and taken for granted start to become that little bit harder.

You may struggle to pursue simple pleasures, such as playing with the grandchildren, walking to the shops, leisure activities and meeting up with friends.

You might start to get aches and pains that you never had before, and have less energy to go out. You may also be more vulnerable to falling. 

This can all lead to being less able to look after yourself and do the things you enjoy.

Strong evidence

There's strong scientific evidence that people who are active have a lower risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, some cancers, depression and dementia.

If you want to stay pain-free, reduce your risk of mental illness, and be able to go out and stay independent well into old age, you need to keep moving.

It’s that simple. There are lots of ways you can get active, and it’s not just about exercising.

“As people get older and their bodies decline in function, physical activity helps to slow that decline,” says Dr Nick Cavill, a health promotion consultant. “It’s important they remain active or even increase their activity as they get older.”

Most people as they get older want to keep in touch with society – their community, friends and neighbours – and being active is a way to ensure that they can keep doing that.

What is physical activity?

Physical activity is anything that gets your body moving. It can include anything from walking to recreational sport.

The first thing to bear in mind as you get older is to keep moving. On a basic level, that means making sure you don’t spend hours on end sitting down during the day.

This means avoiding long periods of TV viewing, computer use, driving, and sitting to read, talk or listen to music. 

While some activity is better than none at all, to get the maximum health benefit, you should aim to do at least 150 minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes) of moderate-intensity aerobic activity every week.

Aim to do something every day, preferably in bouts of 10 minutes of activity or more. The more you do, the greater the health gains.

One way of achieving your weekly physical activity target is to do 30 minutes on at least five days a week.

On at least two days a week, activities should include those that strengthen muscles and bones, such as weight training, carrying heavy loads and heavy gardening.

Examples of moderate-intensity aerobic activities include:

• walking fast
• doing water aerobics
• riding a bike on level ground or with few hills
• playing doubles tennis
• pushing a lawn mower

Daily chores such as shopping, cooking or housework don't count towards your 150 minutes because the effort isn’t hard enough to raise your heart rate.

Find out more about how much activity older adults need to do to keep healthy.

Getting started

What you do will depend on your own circumstances, but as a guiding principle you should always do activities that you enjoy.

If you're already active, you may find it useful to know that you can reap the same health benefits from 75 minutes (1 hour and 15 minutes) of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity, such as running or singles tennis.

As a rule of thumb, 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity can give similar health benefits as 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity.

Research shows that it’s never too late to adopt and reap the health benefits from a more active lifestyle. For example, older adults who are active will reduce their risk of heart disease and stroke to a similar level as younger people who are active.

If you've been inactive for a while, you don't have to rush into exercising. It's important to build up activity gradually to reach recommended levels.

You will still be improving your health in the process, and you'll reduce your risk of falls and other ailments.

“The biggest benefits come to those who start from scratch,” says Dr Cavill. “It’s moving from a sedentary lifestyle to a moderately active one that makes the biggest difference to your health. The more you do, the greater the health benefits.”

Click on the links below for more ideas on raising your activity levels:

• Exercises for older people
• Easy exercises
• Walking for health
• Walk your way to health
• Nordic walking
• Dancing for fitness
• Swimming for fitness
• Cycling for beginners
• A guide to yoga
• A guide to tai chi
• A guide to pilates 

In 2008, more than 17,900 women were diagnosed with lung cancer in the UK, making it the third most common cancer in women after breast cancer and bowel cancer.

Lung cancer is declining among men, but the rate among women remains high. Between 1993 and 2008, cases of lung cancer in men fell by almost a third, while cases in women increased by 11%. 

In the 1950s, for every case of lung cancer in women, there were six in men. That ratio is now three cases in women for every four in men, according to Cancer Research UK.

Women smoke more than men

The difference is due to smoking. Over the past few decades, men have increasingly quit smoking and their risk of lung cancer has dropped accordingly.

But women haven’t given up smoking at the same rates as men. In fact, more young women smoke now than young men. One study found that there has been a 5% increase in smoking since 1992 among women aged 16-25.

Young girls, especially, are increasingly taking up the habit.

One in four 16-year-old girls smokes compared with one in five boys of the same age. And 16% of 15-year-old girls are regular smokers compared to 14% of boys.

The number of under-16 girl smokers increased from 28% in 1992 to 37% in 2009. Among men, this proportion remained at around 40% over the same period, according to Cancer Research UK statistics.

Smoking is only part of the story, however. A high proportion of lung cancers in women occur in those who have never smoked (about one in six). There are other important differences between the sexes that make women more vulnerable than men. 

Women’s lungs are more vulnerable

Several studies have indicated that women are more susceptible to developing lung cancer than men. Female smokers are twice as likely to develop lung cancer than male smokers, even when they smoke fewer cigarettes over a shorter period of time. Even among non-smokers, the risk of developing lung cancer is higher among women than men.  

The reason isn’t clear, but it could be genetic. Scientists have discovered that a gene that speeds up lung cancer growth is more active in women. Studies have also suggested that the female hormone, oestrogen, may play a part in the development of lung cancer among women.

Women are more addicted to smoking

Women tend to find it harder to give up smoking than men. They have a higher rate of relapse and are much less likely to succeed using nicotine replacement products such as gum. 

Scientists think this is because women are less physically dependent on nicotine than men but more behaviourally addicted, which is a more difficult type of addiction to kick. 

A useful fact for women trying to give up smoking is that you’re twice as likely to succeed if you stop in the second half of your menstrual cycle. The high levels of the hormone progesterone in your bloodstream at this point in your cycle can help to move nicotine out of your system more quickly, therefore reducing withdrawal symptoms.

The good news

It’s not all bad news for women. On the positive side: 

• Evidence suggests that when women quit smoking, their lungs recover more quickly than men's.
• Women with lung cancer usually live longer than men with the disease. 

Find lots of advice and practical tips for stopping smoking.

Betty Shaw, 93, from Hessle, East Yorkshire, has attended the same fitness class for over 30 years. She says exercise has been the key to helping her to continue living independently.

How active are you?
I consider myself quite active for my age. I live on my own and can do all the usual daily chores of cooking, cleaning and laundry by myself. I can walk to the local shops although I have just started using a walker when I'm on my own – more for confidence than necessity.

Describe the exercise that you do each week.
I have been attending the same weekly “shape-up” class, in a local village hall, for over 30 years – since I was about 60. The class starts with a weight check followed by exercise to music, including line dancing and the occasional floor exercise. The class lasts for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, of which the actual exercise session is no more than 45 minutes. This is continuous exercise, starting with a warm-up and finishing with a relaxing cool down. The exercises are gentle, consisting of bending, stretching, rotating all parts of the body to music.

What do you enjoy about exercise?
Going to the class each week and exercising makes me feel more lively and invigorated. The members of the group are mostly of retirement age and upwards – I'm the eldest and one of the longest serving members. We’ve all become friends over the years and are growing old together, although we do have new members coming and going all the time.

There are about 25 ladies in the group, and any funds generated are given a local charity annually. We have a weekly raffle – the prize being something healthy like fruit packs, yoghurt or healthy drinks. We all go out for a meal and theatre visit once a year, which I enjoy very much and always look forward to.

Are you aware of the importance of being active as you get older?
I am, and I intend to keep going to my weekly class until I'm 100 at least! I try to walk as much as possible and use the stairs whenever I can rather than the lift. I always feel better for having had my weekly shape-up session and I look forward to going.

Have you always been an active person?
In my teenage years I used to regularly walk, cycle and dance. I also played a little tennis. Later, after my family had grown up, I started to play a bit of golf with my husband. We also took walking holidays together. When my oldest grandson was very young we helped to look after him during school holidays and initiated him into the golf as well. We would also play other ball games with him in the park.

What keeps you motivated to exercise?
The main motivation is the enjoyment of exercising. It makes me feel better generally and lifts my spirits. I always feel more flexible for having exercised. I can still touch my toes. The social aspect also motivates me to attend the weekly sessions.

Is being independent important to you?
Yes it is. I'm still able to live on my own and look after myself. My daughters are there for me and help with any more arduous tasks. I live in an apartment block for the over-55s with a 24-hour emergency pull cord “care line” facility. We also have a part-time house manager who organises various activities and keeps an eye on us all without being intrusive.

Do you watch a lot of TV?
I do try to avoid sitting for a long time as it can often lead to me having swollen ankles or cramp. When sat down, I often rotate my feet or put them up on a stool. I go to bed by 11pm and get up about 7-7.30am. I rarely lie down during the day – but may put my feet up now and again.

Apart from exercise, what else do you do to stay healthy?
I try to ensure I eat healthily and follow the 5 a day regime. I have three meals a day, my main meal being at lunchtime. I take daily food supplements and medication for my blood pressure. But that doesn’t stop me from enjoying the occasional glass of wine or gin and tonic. I also like to keep my brain active by doing cryptic and general knowledge crosswords and other puzzles.

What would be your advice to someone who is thinking about getting more active?
I would suggest they take a walk, or do some form of exercise every day, use stairs rather than a lift, join a local class for social activities or exercise. And keep moving as much as possible throughout the day. If they're not too good on their feet using a walking stick or walker will give added confidence.