Fitness

Physical decline is common as we age. These exercises can help mitigate the effects | CNN

Published

1 year ago

January 29, 2025

Physical decline is common as we age. These exercises can help mitigate the effects | CNN

Editor’s note: Dana Santas, known as the “Mobility Maker,” is a certified strength and conditioning specialist and mind-body coach in professional sports, and is the author of the book “Practical Solutions for Back Pain Relief.”

CNN
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As you age, your body undergoes changes that can significantly affect your ability to move. Among the most impactful are muscle loss, joint deterioration and decreased bone density — issues that can lead to reduced mobility, chronic pain and an increased risk of fractures.

These challenges are particularly pronounced in menopausal and postmenopausal women, but they also affect aging men, especially those leading sedentary lifestyles.

That’s the bad news about getting older.

But the good news is that by incorporating specific types of exercise into a consistent workout routine, you can proactively counter these age-related declines and maintain an active lifestyle and higher quality of life well into your later years.

Sarcopenia: As you get older, your muscles naturally begin to lose mass and strength in a process known as sarcopenia. This decline typically starts around the age of 30 and accelerates after the age of 60. The loss of muscle mass can make daily activities more challenging and increase the risk of falls and injuries. Maintaining muscle strength is essential for mobility, balance and overall functional independence.

“After the age of 50, women lose 8% of their muscle mass yearly,” said Dr. Stephanie Faubion, coauthor of a December 2024 study published in the journal Menopause and medical director of Mayo Clinic’s Center for Women’s Health. “And because muscles burn calories, the loss of muscle contributes to weight gain as women age and don’t necessarily adjust their caloric intake or exercise regimen.”

Joint deterioration: Aging also takes a toll on our joints. Over time, the cartilage that cushions our joints can wear down, leading to pain and immobility. Maintaining joint health is crucial for preserving range of motion and preventing discomfort that can limit activity.

“Joint aches are one of the biggest complaints of menopausal women,” Faubion noted. “It seems to be related to the loss of estrogen, contributing to muscle loss.”

Bone density loss: Bone density naturally decreases with age, increasing the risk of fractures and osteoporosis, especially in women after menopause due to the drop in estrogen levels. Osteoporosis, a condition characterized by weak and brittle bones, becomes a significant concern for both women and men, particularly those leading sedentary lifestyles.

A common misconception is that bone density preservation is only tied to lifting weights, according to Faubion. She pointed to how astronauts lost bone density due to the loss of gravity, saying, “it’s weight-bearing exercises, not weight-lifting exercises, that are most effective at building bone density.”

To maintain physical fitness, aging adults need to meet the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity weekly and two days per week of muscle-strengthening activities of moderate intensity that involve all of the major muscle groups. To counteract age-related changes effectively, those minutes need to include a variety of exercises that build strength, enhance mobility, improve balance and increase cardiovascular health.

Incorporate these types of exercise into your routine:

1. Resistance training: Resistance training is the key to combating muscle loss. It can include weight lifting, resistance band exercises and body-weight exercises such as push-ups and squats. Include strength training exercises at least two to three times a week, focusing on all major muscle groups. Start with less resistance and gradually increase as you build strength.

2. Mobility work: Maintaining muscle health is essential for preventing stiffness, supporting functional range of motion in your joints and reducing soft-tissue injury risk. Aim to take your body through its full range of primary movements in all planes of motion during every workout. Incorporating mobility-focused forms of exercise such as yoga and Pilates into your weekly routine can also help keep your muscles and joints healthy and mobile.

3. Balance exercises: “Falls are of big concern and the largest cause of morbidity as we age,” Faubion said. “This is why balance training is an important consideration.” In addition to traditional single-leg balance training, exercises that rely on an unstable surface, such as a stability ball or even a paper plate sliding on the floor to create instability, can help improve your balance, core strength and coordination. Integrating these exercises into your routine can significantly reduce the risk of falls and help you stay steady on your feet.

4. Cardiovascular fitness: Cardiovascular exercises are vital for maintaining heart health, improving circulation, increasing caloric burn and boosting overall endurance. Lower-impact activities such as walking, swimming or indoor cycling are good choices for older adults. In addition to the heart-health benefits, Faubion said: “Walking is a great weight-bearing exercise for building bone density as we age.”

Women should put less emphasis on cardio and more on resistance-training exercises, according to Faubion. “Of the 150 minutes of recommended weekly exercises, at least 20 minutes two times per week should be resistance training,” she said. “For menopausal women this should be viewed as a minimum.”

Before starting any new exercise program, be sure to consult with your health care provider to ensure it’s safe and appropriate for your individual needs.

Consistency is key when it comes to reaping the benefits of exercise as you age. That’s why Faubion said she always tells her patients that “the best exercise is the one that you will actually do!” She recommends focusing on what you like and are willing and wanting to do regularly.

Here are some other tips to help you create a safe, sustainable exercise routine:

• Start slow: If you’re new to exercise or returning after a break, start with low-intensity activities and gradually increase the intensity and duration as your fitness improves.

• Mix it up: Incorporate a variety of exercises to keep your routine interesting and work different muscle groups. Doing so can also help prevent overuse injuries.

• Listen to your body: Pay attention to how your body feels during and after exercise. If you experience pain or discomfort, modify the exercise or take a break.

• Stay consistent: Prioritize exercising regularly, even if it’s just a short session. Consistency over time is more important than length or intensity.

• Recover properly: Don’t skip recovery. Cool down after workouts, take adequate breaks between training sessions and get enough sleep.

• Consult a professional: Consider working with a personal trainer or physical therapist to create a tailored exercise plan that meets your needs and goals.

Aging is inevitable, but how you age is largely within your control. By following the guidelines above, you can take charge of the aging process to preserve your health, independence and quality of life for years to come.

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Fitness

Higher fitness levels linked to lower risk of depression, dementia – Harvard Health

Published

10 hours ago

April 21, 2026

Press Room

Higher fitness levels linked to lower risk of depression, dementia – Harvard Health

research review

People with high cardiorespiratory fitness were 36% less likely to experience depression and 39% less likely to develop dementia than those with low cardiorespiratory fitness. Even small improvements in fitness were linked to a lower risk. Experts believe that exercise’s ability to boost blood flow to the brain, reduce bodywide inflammation, and improve stress regulation may explain the connection.

Fitness

These 20-Minute Burpee Workouts Replaced His Entire Gym Routine – and Transformed His Physique

Published

22 hours ago

April 21, 2026

Press Room

These 20-Minute Burpee Workouts Replaced His Entire Gym Routine – and Transformed His Physique

While many swear by them, most people see burpees as a form of punishment – usually dished out drill sergeant-style by overzealous bootcamp PTs. Often the final blow in an already brutal workout, burpees are designed to test cardiovascular fitness, muscular endurance and mental grit. Love them or loathe them, they deliver every time.

For Max Edwards – aka Busy Dad Training on YouTube – they became a simple but highly effective way to stay fit and lean during lockdown. Once a committed powerlifter, spending upwards of 80 minutes a day in the gym, he was forced to overhaul his approach due to fatherhood, lockdown and a schedule that no longer allowed for long, structured lifting sessions.

‘Even though I was putting in hours and hours into the gym and even though my physique was pretty good, I wasn’t becoming truly excellent at any physical discipline,’ he explained in a YouTube video.

‘I loved the intentionality of training,’ says Edwards. ‘The fact that every session has a point, every rep in every set is helping you get towards a training goal, and I loved that there was a clear way of gauging progression – feeling like I was developing competence and moving towards mastery.’

Why He Walked Away From Powerlifting

Despite that structure, Edwards began to question whether powerlifting was sustainable long-term.

‘My sessions were very taxing on my central nervous system. I was exhausted between sessions. It felt as if I needed at least nine hours of sleep each night just to function.’

He also noted that his appetite was consistently high.

But the biggest drawback was time.

‘I could not justify taking 80 minutes a day away from my family for what felt like a self-centred pursuit,’ he says.

A Simpler Approach That Stuck

‘Over the course of that year I fixed my relationship with alcohol and I developed, for the first time in my adult life, a relationship with physical training,’ says Edwards.

With limited time and no access to equipment, he turned to burpees. Just two variations, four times a week, with each session lasting 20 minutes.

‘My approach in each workout was very simple. On a six-count training day I would do as many six-counts as I possibly could within 20 minutes. On a Navy Seal training day I would do as many Navy Seal burpees as I could within 20 minutes – then in the next workout I would simply try to beat the number I had managed previously.’

This style of training is known as AMRAP – as many reps (or rounds) as possible.

The Results

Edwards initially saw the routine as nothing more than a six-month stopgap to stay in shape. But that quickly changed.

‘I remember catching sight of myself in the mirror one morning and I was utterly baffled by the man I saw looking back at me.’

He found himself in the best shape of his life. His energy levels improved, his resting heart rate dropped and his physique changed in ways that powerlifting hadn’t quite delivered.

‘It has been five years since I have set foot in a gym,’ he says. ‘That six-month training practice has become the defining training practice of my life – and for five years I have trained for no more than 80 minutes per week.’

The Burpee Workouts

1/ 6-Count Burpees

20-minute AMRAP, twice a week

How to do them:

Start standing, feet shoulder-width apart
Crouch down and place your hands on the floor (count 1)
Jump your feet back into a high plank (count 2)
Lower into the bottom of a push-up (count 3)
Push back up to plank (count 4)
Jump your feet forward to your hands (count 5)
Stand up straight (count 6)

20-minute AMRAP, twice a week

How to do them:

Start standing, feet shoulder-width apart
Crouch down and place your hands on the floor
Jump your feet back into a high plank
Perform a push-up (chest to floor)
At the top, bring your right knee to your right elbow, then return
Perform another push-up
Bring your left knee to your left elbow, then return
Perform a third push-up
Jump your feet forward
Stand or jump to finish

Kate is a fitness writer for Men’s Health UK where she contributes regular workouts, training tips and nutrition guides. She has a post graduate diploma in Sports Performance Nutrition and before joining Men’s Health she was a nutritionist, fitness writer and personal trainer with over 5k hours coaching on the gym floor. Kate has a keen interest in volunteering for animal shelters and when she isn’t lifting weights in her garden, she can be found walking her rescue dog.

Fitness

Six ways your smartwatch is lying to you, according to science

Published

1 day ago

April 20, 2026

Press Room

Six ways your smartwatch is lying to you, according to science

You check your smartwatch after a run. Your fitness score has dropped. You’ve burnt hardly any calories. Your recovery score is really low. It’s telling you to take the next 72 hours off exercise.

The worst bit? The whole run felt amazing.

So why is your watch telling you the opposite?

Ultimately, it’s because smartwatches and other fitness trackers aren’t always accurate.

Smartwatches can shape how you exercise

Using wearable fitness technology, such as smartwatches, has been one of the top fitness trends for close to a decade. Millions of people around the world use them daily.

These devices shape how people think about health and exercise. For example, they provide data about how many calories you’ve burnt, how fit you are, how recovered you are after exercise, and whether you’re ready to exercise again.

But your smartwatch doesn’t measure most of these metrics directly. Instead, many common metrics are estimates. In other words, they’re not as accurate as you might think.

1. Calories burned

Calorie tracking is one of the most popular features on smartwatches. However, the accuracy leaves a lot to be desired.

Wearable devices can under- or overestimate energy expenditure (often expressed as calories burned) by more than 20 per cent. These errors also vary between activities. For example, strength training, cycling and high-intensity interval training can lead to even larger errors.

This matters because people often use these numbers to guide how much they eat.

For example, if your watch overestimates calories burned, you might think you need to eat more food than you really need, which could result in weight gain. Conversely, if your watch underestimates calories burned, it could lead you to under-eat, negatively impacting your exercise performance.

2. Step counts

Step counts are a great way to measure general physical activity, but wearables don’t capture them perfectly.

Smartwatches can under-count steps by about 10 per cent under normal exercise conditions. Activities such as pushing a pram, carrying weights, or walking with limited arm swing likely make step counts less accurate, as smartwatches rely on arm movement to register steps.

For most people, this isn’t a major problem, and step counts are still useful for tracking general activity levels. But view them as a guide, rather than a precise measure.

3. Heart rate

Smartwatches estimate your heart rate using sensors that measure changes in blood flow through the veins in your wrist.

This method is accurate at rest or low intensities, but gets less accurate as you increase exercise intensity.

Arm movement, sweat, skin tone and how tightly you wear the watch can also impact the heart rate measure it spits out. This means the accuracy can vary between people.

This can be problematic for people who use heart rate zones to guide their training, as small errors can lead to training at the wrong intensity.

4. Sleep tracking

Almost every smartwatch on the market gives you a “sleep score” and breaks your night into stages of light, deep and REM sleep.

The gold standard for measuring sleep is polysomnography. This is a lab-based test that records brain activity. But smartwatches estimate sleep using movement and heart rate.

This means they can detect when you’re asleep or awake reasonably well. But they are much less accurate at identifying sleep stages.

So even if your watch says you had “poor deep sleep”, this may not be the case.

5. Recovery scores

Most smartwatches track heart rate variability and use this, with your sleep score, to create a “readiness” or “recovery” score.

Heart rate variability reflects how your body responds to stress. In the lab it is measured using an electrocardiogram. But smartwatches estimate it using wrist-based sensors, which are much more prone to measurement errors.

This means most recovery metrics are based on two inaccurate measures (heart rate variability and sleep quality). This results in a metric that may not meaningfully reflect your recovery.

As a result, if your watch says you’re not recovered, you might skip training — even if you feel good (and are actually good to go).

6. VO₂max

Most devices estimate your VO₂max — which indicates your maximal fitness. It’s the maximum amount of oxygen your body can use during exercise.

The best way to measure VO₂max involves wearing a mask to analyse the amount of oxygen you breathe in and out, to determine how much oxygen you’re using to create energy.

But your watch cannot measure oxygen use. It estimates it based on your heart rate and movement.

But smartwatches tend to overestimate VO₂max in less active people and underestimate VO₂max in fitter ones.

This means the number on your watch may not reflect your true fitness.

What should you do?

While the data from your smartwatch is prone to errors, that doesn’t mean it is completely worthless.

These devices still offer a way to help you track general trends over time, but you should not pay attention to daily fluctuations or specific numbers.

It’s also important you pay attention to how you feel, how you perform and how you recover. This is likely to give you even more insight than what your smartwatch says.

Hunter Bennett is a lecturer in exercise science at Adelaide University. This piece first appeared on The Conversation.