Title: Physical activity guidelines 2008: How much exercise do you need? | The Nutrition Source | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Headings: Physical activity guidelines 2008: How much exercise do you need?
Physical activity guidelines 2008: How much exercise do you need?
Strength training for all ages
Flexibility training
References

Content: Physical activity can help people manage chronic conditions, as long as the activities that individuals choose match their fitness level and abilities. Even just an hour a week of activity has health benefits. Older adults who are at risk of falling should include activities that promote balance. ( 37)
Strength training for all ages
Studies have shown strength training to increase lean body mass, decrease fat mass, and increase resting metabolic rate (a measurement of the amount of calories burned per day) in adults. ( 59, 60) While strength training on its own typically does not lead to weight loss, ( 61) its beneficial effects on body composition may make it easier to manage one’s weight and ultimately reduce the risk of disease, by slowing the gain of fat—especially abdominal fat. ( 62)
Muscle is metabolically active tissue; it utilizes calories to work, repair, and refuel itself. Fat, on the other hand, doesn’t use as much energy. We slowly lose muscle as part of the natural aging process, which means that the amount of calories we need each day starts to decrease, and it becomes easier to gain weight. Strength training regularly helps preserve lean muscle tissue and can even rebuild some that has been lost already.