As we age, our endurance level begins to decline. Many of us may find it difficult to keep up stamina even for simple day-to-day activities such as walking upstairs, grocery shopping, and household chores. Although this is just part of getting older, there’s a lot we can do to maintain or even increase our stamina while we grow old.

Many studies have shown that exercises can improve stamina and endurance in older adults, reduce their depressive symptoms, enhance mobility, and cut down the risk of heart disease and diabetes. With increased endurance, seniors can perform daily tasks on their own, so they won’t be physically dependent on others.

In this article, you will learn about endurance training, its benefits, examples of exercises for older adults to improve their endurance, and how much and how often they should do it.

What Are Endurance Exercises?

Endurance exercises include any activity that increases your heart rate and breathing for an extended period of time. Examples are walking, jogging, swimming, raking, sweeping, dancing, and playing tennis.

Benefits Of Endurance Training For Seniors

Elderly exercises make it easier for them:

(i) to walk farther, faster, or uphill.

(ii) to carry on everyday activities such as gardening, shopping, or playing a sport.

In a nutshell, endurance exercises increase endurance and energy levels, improve fat metabolism, and prevent heart diseases.

Examples of Endurance Activities

Moderate Endurance Exercises

You have the following options that are considered moderate for the average older adult:

(i) Walking briskly on a level surface

(ii) Bicycling

(iii) Cycling on a stationary bicycle

(iv) Gardening (mowing, raking)

(v) Mopping or scrubbing floor

(vi) Dancing

(vii) Swimming

(viii) Golf, without a cart

(ix) Tennis (doubles)

(x) Volleyball

(xi) Rowing

 Vigorous Endurance Exercises

You have the following options that are Vigorous for the average older adult:

(i) Climbing stairs or hills

(ii) Brisk bicycling up hills

(iii) Jogging

(iv) Hiking

(v) Digging holes

(vi) Swimming laps

(vii) Tennis (singles)

(viii) Cross-country skiing

(ix) Downhill skiing

What To Do In Bad Weather?

If you can’t go outdoors due to bad weather, here are some examples of exercising indoors:

(i) Going to a gym or fitness center and using the treadmill, elliptical machine, stationary bike, or rowing machine

(ii) Dancing or performing martial arts

(iii) Bowling

(iv) Swimming laps

(v) Joining a water aerobics class

(vi) Gardening

(vii) Heavy housework

(viii) Sweeping

(ix) Raking

(x) Shoveling snow

See this video to learn endurance exercises for older adults:

Sports

Sports are a great way to inspire yourself to remain active. Competition and teamwork can motivate you to work harder and sustain your interest in exercise. The following are the options:

(i) Badminton

(ii) Tennis

(iii) Hockey

(iv) Football, Beach ball

(v) Squash

How Much And How Often?

Endeavor to build up your endurance gradually. If you haven’t been active for a long time, start out with as little as 5 minutes of endurance activities at a time and work your way up over time. It may take months to go from a very long-standing sedentary lifestyle to doing some of the activities suggested above.

You should strive to work your way up eventually to a moderate-to-vigorous level that increases your breathing and heart rate. It should feel somewhat hard to you.

Once you reach your goal, you may divide your exercise routine into sessions of moderate-intensity endurance activities for no less than 10 minutes at a time (if you want to), as long as they add up to a total of a minimum of 30 minutes at the end of the day. Doing less than 10 minutes at a time won’t give you the desired heart and lung benefits (The exception to this rule is when you are just beginning to do endurance activities).

Useful Related Post: Getting Fit After 60

Safety Tips

(i) Do a little light activity before and after your endurance activities to warm up and cool down. For example, slow walking before and after brisk walking.

(ii) Make sure that endurance activities do not make you breathe so hard that you can’t talk. Moreover, they should not lead to dizziness, chest pain or pressure, or a feeling like that of heartburn.

(iii) Stretch after your endurance activities when your muscles are still warm.

(iv) As you grow older, your body may become less likely to set off the urge to drink when you need water. That means you may need water, but you won’t feel thirsty. Make sure to drink liquids when you are doing any activity that makes you sweat. In fact, by the time you feel you are thirsty, you are already dehydrated to some degree (low on fluid). This thumb rule holds true throughout the year but is particularly more so in hot weather when dehydration is more likely to occur.

Note: If your doctor has advised you to control your fluid intake, make sure to consult him or her before increasing the amount of fluid you drink while exercising.

(v) Dress appropriately for heat and cold. This guideline is especially applicable to older adults. They are more affected by heat and cold than other young adults. In most cases, exposure to too much heat can lead to heat stroke, and exposure to very cold temperatures can result in hypothermia (a dangerous drop in body temperature).

Tip: If you are exercising outdoors, dress in layers so you can add or remove clothes as necessary.

(vi) To prevent injuries, use safety equipment such as helmets for biking and protective equipment for activities like skiing and skating.

(vii) If you walk or jog, wear proper shoes made specifically for that purpose.

 (viii) When you’re out for brisk walking or jogging, watch out for low-hanging branches and uneven sidewalks.

Going Forward

Try to build up to do at least 30 minutes of endurance exercise on most or all days of the week. More often is better, and if you can do it every day is best.

Going further, try to increase the amount of time you spend doing endurance activities first, then increase the difficulty of your activities. For example, walk longer distances and then walk more briskly or up steeper hills.

Are you an older adult? Please share what exercises you do with us.

About the Author: Renu Bakshi, AKA Fitness Buffhq, is an ISSA-certified Elite Trainer. He passed the Personal Fitness Trainer Course, Nutrition Health Coach course, and Specialist Exercise Therapy course from ISSA, USA, obtaining +97 % marks. He shares his experience and knowledge about nutrition and effective workouts to get you in the best shape of your life, no matter how old you may be. The author says, “For me, age is just a number!”