Physical activity helps you to:

• Stay healthy in both your body and mind
• Prevent falls
•  Keep your ability to do daily tasks

Move as often as you can

• Even short periods of not moving can lead to loss of muscle and strength. 
• Try not to sit or stay still for long periods. 

If you are caring for someone, encourage them to do as much as they can on their own. This helps them stay active and maintain their abilities.

For most people, including those with disabilities, the benefits of being active are greater than the risks. Many people who use wheelchairs or have physical disabilities can still exercise. Examples include:

• Chair yoga
• Resistance band exercises
• Adaptive cycling or rowing
• Passive range-of-motion exercises for parts of the body that cannot move on their own

Physical activity and exercise can help you stay fit

Physical activity is any movement of your body. This includes housework, climbing stairs, and gardening.

Exercise is planned physical activity that helps improve fitness. Examples include walking, swimming, and lifting weights.

Benefits of Regular Physical Activity

Aerobic activity (activity that makes you breathe faster) can lower your risk of disability. You can still benefit from physical activity even if:

• You smoke. Increasing physical activity can improve your health, even if you continue to smoke.
• You do not lose weight. Physical activity helps your health even without weight loss.

Regular physical activity on most days of the week can improve health in many ways:

• Improves mental health by lowering depression and anxiety and helping keep the mind sharp, which may reduce the risk of dementia
• Builds strength by keeping bones, muscles, and joints healthy and lowering the risk of falls
• Keeps bones strong by maintaining bone density and lowering the risk of fractures and osteoporosis
• Helps maintain a healthy weight and reduces muscle and bone loss 
• Reduces arthritis symptoms by lowering pain and improving flexibility
• Supports heart health by helping the heart work more efficiently
• Improves blood sugar control and lowers the risk of diabetes complications
• Lowers the risk of many diseases, including diabetes, stroke, heart attack, high blood pressure, breast cancer, colon cancer, high cholesterol, osteoporosis, and depression
• Helps manage symptoms of many health conditions
• Helps people stay independent by supporting daily activities like cooking
• May help people live longer

Recommended Types and Amounts of Physical Activity

The benefits of physical activity depend on how hard you exercise and your fitness level when you start.

Physical activity can range from low to high intensity. Higher-intensity activity can improve fitness more, but it should be done safely and within your limits.

Examples of Moderate Aerobic Activity

• Gardening
• Wheeling yourself in a wheelchair
• Walking at a brisk pace
• Climbing stairs

Examples of Vigorous (High-Intensity) Activity 

• Jogging 
• Playing tennis
• Walking uphill

Last Reviewed and Updated: May 2026
By: AGS/HiAF Public Education Committee, HealthinAging.org Content Reviewers