ABSTRACT

This chapter demonstrates a typical exercise class, designed to achieve and maintain fitness and health as a key feature of an active lifestyle. It outlines the demographic rationale for exercise in the older population and the benefits of an active lifestyle. These include economic factors and the maintenance of independence designed to enhance longevity and the quality of life. The chapter discusses the principal effects of ageing on the body systems, and the outcomes of exercise. Exercise can contribute to health, extending functional independence by up to ten years. Many researchers and writers have pointed to the benefits that older people derive from regular exercise. Individuals who participate in lifelong regular exercise thus have improved quality of life and less illness, and also an estimated average of ten additional years of functional independence. Physical activity, including breathing exercises, maintains lung function, and so the oxygen supply necessary for exercise.