Exercise:
All patients should seek physician advice prior to any rigorous exercise. The primary care physician may recommend safe exercise for patients according to the individual demographics and medical history. For basic guidelines on recommending safe exercise for patients, look here. According to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the American Heart Association (AHA), older adults need moderate-intensity (between 5-6 on a 10-point scale) aerobic endurance activity for a minimum of 30 min which can be achieved in short 10 minute sessions on five days each week or vigorous-intensity aerobic, (rated a 7-8 on a 10-point scale) activity for a minimum of 20 min on 3 days each week. Adults should also perform muscle-training exercises 2-3 days each week using a variety of exercises (8-10 exercises involving the major muscle groups). For each exercise, 10-15 repetitions are recommended to improve strength. Additionally, older adults at risk of falling should do flexibility exercises at least 2 or 3 days each week to maintain or improve balance (3). For more information on Aerobic Exercise and Resistance Training benefits, see these sections in Preventive Health Advisor.