One step at a time

We all know that physical activity is good for us. But as we get older, staying active is even more important.

Working with Sport England and the Richmond Group of charities, Age UK has explored how best to help people become more active in later life.

Why activity matters

Many older people are 'physically inactive' according to the Government definition, which means they do less than 30 minutes per week of moderate intensity activity.

As we get older, our activity levels often decrease. That may be due to a long-term health condition, or practical, financial or emotional reasons – for example, not being able to get to an exercise class or worrying about falling.

However, with the normal ageing process causing loss of muscle mass and bone density, which affects strength, balance and posture, it's one of the most important times in life to try to keep moving.

Encouraging inactive older people to take up some physical activity is an urgent and important issue. It could not only enhance wellbeing and enjoyment of life, but also reduce the risk of illness for older people, and save money for public services such as the NHS.

Our research

We undertook a qualitative research project to understand the experiences, attitudes and opinions of inactive older people so we could improve how we support them to be more physically active. This involved interviewing over 80 inactive older people in four locations across England.

We found that the older people we spoke to tended to fall into four groups, based on how healthy they were and how much they enjoyed being active:

1. Capable and motivated: people who enjoy physical activity and are in good health.
2. Capable but not motivated: people who don't enjoy physical activity but are in good health.
3. Not as capable but motivated: people who enjoy physical activity but have health problems.
4. Not as capable and not motivated: people who don't enjoy physical activity and have health problems.

How do older people respond to different messages about activity?

Health benefits alone aren't enough

Generally, the inactive older people in our project accepted that doing more exercise would probably be better for their health, but good health by itself was not enough for them to take up or maintain lifestyle changes.

Some older men find medical advice hard to swallow

We also found that men – particularly those from lower socioeconomic groups – were more likely to be cynical or defensive about medical advice and guidelines.

Independence is motivating, symptom management less so

Messaging about the link between physical activity, mobility and independence was more helpful and seen to be more credible than links to disease prevention or symptom management.

It's common to worry about making things worse

People living with health problems were anxious about exercise making their condition worse, or increasing risk of injury.

Marketing needs to be nuanced 

While most people we spoke to didn't like to think of themselves as 'old' so didn't respond well to the idea of 'classes for older people', many were nervous of joining in universal exercise or activity programmes in case they feel embarrassed or the activity is inappropriate.

Lighter activities feel more achievable

Inactive older people would consider doing more gentle activities – like yoga, swimming, and bowls – but not vigorous ones, which were seen as unsuitable and a health risk in older age.

Activity needs to be fun!

There was a strong preference for combining physical activities with socialising and other interesting, fun or enjoyable things, like playing with grandchildren. This worked especially well for people who didn't like the idea of being active.

Top tips for encouraging people to be more active in later life

1. Understand how they feel about activity.
2. Make being active fun and social.
3. Take small steps to start with.
4. Talk about the link to staying independent.
5. Tailor activities to match people's abilities and conditions.