What is the best exercise for 60 year olds?

As we age, regular exercise becomes increasingly important for maintaining health and wellbeing. For 60 year olds specifically, the right types and amounts of physical activity can help improve strength, balance, flexibility, heart health, and weight management. But with so many options, what are truly the best exercises for 60 year olds?

Table of Contents

Best Cardio Exercises

Cardiovascular exercise that raises your heart rate is key for older adults. It improves heart and lung function, circulatory health, blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar control. For 60 year olds, low-impact cardio activities are gentler on aging joints while still providing these benefits.

Some top choices include:

Walking – A daily walk, either outside or on a treadmill, helps improve cardiovascular fitness. Start with shorter distances and durations and work up to 30-60 minutes per session.
Stationary biking – Cycling on a stationary bike is a joint-friendly cardio option. Vary your pace and resistance for an effective workout.
Water aerobics – Doing aerobics in a pool lets you exercise without impact on your joints. Water provides natural resistance too.

Low-impact aerobics – Aerobics routines can be modified to be lower impact, such as reducing jumps and high intensity moves.
Elliptical training – Using an elliptical machine to mimic a walking or running motion limits the impact on your hips, knees, and ankles compared to actual running.
Rowing machine – Rowers work your heart and lungs without taxing your joints. Adjust the resistance to make it easier or harder.

Aim for 150 minutes of moderate cardio or 75 minutes of vigorous cardio per week, along with doing strength training at least 2 days per week.

Best Strength Training Exercises

Along with cardio, strength or resistance training is vitally important for 60 year olds. Building muscle strength protects your joints, bones, and mobility as you age. It also helps increase metabolism and promote weight loss or maintenance.

Some great strength training options include:

Bodyweight exercises – Pushups, squats, planks and other moves use your body weight as resistance. Modify exercises to your current fitness level.
Free weights – Light dumbbells and hand weights help tone muscles and improve strength. Start with 1-3 lb weights.
Weight machines – Gym machines provide resistance to safely work all major muscle groups. Go for 8-12 repetitions.

Resistance bands – Bands come in varying resistance levels and are extremely portable and joint-friendly.
Functional fitness – Exercises that mimic daily activities, like standing up from a chair, stepping up stairs, or carrying groceries.

Focus on working all major muscle groups 2-3 days per week. Allow at least one day of rest between sessions for muscles to recover. Proper form is very important to avoid injury – consider working with a personal trainer when starting strength training.

Best Balance Exercises

Balance often diminishes with age, raising risk of falls and fractures. Fortunately, balance can be improved at any age through appropriate exercises that strengthen leg muscles, enhance proprioception, and challenge your equilibrium.

Some excellent balance training choices include:

Tai Chi – This traditional Chinese martial art improves balance through slow, focused movements and controlled breathing.

Standing yoga poses – Tree pose, warrior poses, and standing balances like eagle pose make you stabilize as you hold positions.
Wobble board – Standing on an unstable surface forces you to engage core and leg muscles to stay balanced.
Heel-toe walking – Walking by touching heel first then toe works coordination and stability.

Standing on one foot – Simply standing on one leg engages stabilizer muscles, first with support, then without.

Start with just a few minutes of easier balance exercises, and gradually increase duration and challenge. Practice balance training 3 days per week if possible, but be sure to hold onto support at first to avoid falls.

Best Flexibility Exercises

Flexibility tends to decrease with age, contributing to stiffness, limited mobility, and higher injury risk. Stretching, yoga, and targeted flexibility training can help improve range of motion and prevent muscle shortening. This keeps you moving smoothly through daily activities.

Recommended flexibility exercises include:

Yoga – Poses like child’s pose, downward dog, and cat-cow provide a full-body stretch.
Static stretching – Gently stretch quadriceps, hamstrings, hips, shoulders and other major muscle groups. Hold for 30 seconds.

Pilates – Controlled Pilates movements enhance core strength, stability, and flexibility.
Foam rolling – Using a foam roller helps massage tight muscles and release myofascial trigger points.
Dynamic stretching – Move joints through full range of motion to warm up before exercise.

Try to do some flexibility training every day, or at least 2-3 times per week. Move slowly and stop if you feel any pain. Being more flexible aids mobility, reduces pain, and prevents injury.

Best Low-Impact Exercises

For some 60 year olds, high-impact exercises like running may need to be avoided due to arthritis, prior injuries, or joint replacement. But many options provide an excellent workout without the pounding of high-impact activity.

Recommended low-impact exercise choices are:

Swimming – Doing laps in a pool gives you a complete cardio and strength workout without stressing joints.
recumbent bike – The reclined position places less strain on the lower back than upright bikes.
Elliptical trainer – Gliding motions mimic running with minimal impact.

Chair exercises – Seated strength training uses dumbbells, resistance bands, and bodyweight moves without standing impact.
Water aerobics – Vertical water exercises takes pressure off hips, knees and ankles.

Focus on maintaining good posture and alignment during low-impact activities. Reduce risk of muscle imbalance or overuse injuries by exercising muscle groups equally.

Best Exercises for Weight Loss

Exercise plays an important role in weight management for 60 year olds. The right mix of physical activity can help burn calories to aid fat loss and combat the slow metabolism associated with aging.

Some of the most effective exercises for weight loss include:

Interval training – Alternate bursts of intense cardio with recovery periods for increased calorie and fat burn.

Jogging – Jogging on a track or treadmill helps burn significant calories.
Hiking – Getting out on the trails provides an excellent calorie-burning cardio workout.
High-intensity classes – Options like high-intensity interval training (HIIT), bootcamps, and spin provide intense, calorie-blasting workouts.

Strength training – Building lean muscle mass boosts your resting metabolism.

For optimal fat loss, experts recommend getting at least 200-300 minutes of moderate cardio per week plus at least 2 strength sessions. Distributing exercise throughout the week aids consistent calorie burn.

Best Exercises for Bone Health

Weight-bearing and muscle-strengthening exercises help prevent bone loss and osteoporosis in older adults.The pull of muscles on bone stimulates bone-building cells and maintains bone density.

Some excellent osteoporosis-fighting exercise choices are:

Walking – Any weight-bearing cardio like walking, hiking or low-impact aerobics helps strengthen bones.
Jogging – Higher impact activities like jogging provide greater forces for bone stimulation.

Strength training – Lifting weights 2-3 times per week triggers new bone formation.
Jump training – Low-impact jumps, hops, and plyometrics improve bone density.
Yoga – Even gentler yoga engages muscles that pull on bones.

Aim for a combination of weight-bearing cardio, muscle-strengthening moves, and balance training 4-5 days per week. This provides optimal osteogenic stimulation for stronger bones.

Best Overall Exercise Routine

For 60 year olds looking to stay active and healthy, the ideal exercise routine includes:

Moderate cardio – 30-60 minutes daily of low-impact cardio like brisk walking, elliptical training, stationary biking, or swimming.

Strength training – 2-3 days per week of lifting weights, bodyweight exercises, and resistance moves.
Flexibility exercises – Daily stretching, yoga, Tai Chi, or Pilates.
Balance training – 10-15 minutes, 2-3 days per week of balances poses, wobble board, heel-toe walking.

This well-rounded program incorporates the major types of exercise – aerobic, strength, balance, and flexibility training. Supporting your exercise with proper nutrition, hydration, rest, and recovery optimizes the benefits.

Consider working with a certified trainer, at least initially, to learn proper technique and avoid injury. Appropriate exercise selection and progression is key to safely achieving results as you age.

Exercise Precautions for 60 Year Olds

While regular exercise provides undeniable health perks, it’s important for 60 year olds to take some precautions to exercise safely:

Get medical clearance – Consult your doctor about any health concerns before starting an exercise program.
Start slowly – Allow time to build up duration and intensity to avoid overdoing it.
Listen to your body – Don’t exercise through joint pain or excessive fatigue.

Stay hydrated – Drink plenty of fluids before, during and after exercise.
Use proper form – Learn and maintain correct technique to prevent injury.
Choose proper footwear – Cushioned athletic shoes provide support and absorb impact.

Know your limits – Don’t overexert yourself – take breaks as needed.

Starting slowly and gradually increasing your fitness allows your body to adapt safely to the increased demands of exercise.

The Takeaway

There is no one size fits all answer to the best exercise for 60 year olds. The right routine depends on your current fitness level, health status, joint health, and personal preferences. Any exercise is better than none – the key is choosing activities you enjoy and will stick with long-term.

A combination of aerobic exercise, strength training, flexibility, and balance work provides optimal health benefits. Focus on low-impact options to avoid wear and tear on aging joints. Taking precautions and tailoring exercise to your abilities allows you to safely gain the multitude of physical and mental perks.

With your doctor’s okay, make exercise a regular part of your life. Staying active provides anti-aging effects to keep you vibrant, energetic and healthy during your 60s and beyond!