The science is clear: resistance training is crucial to ageing well. Lifting weights (or doing bodyweight exercises like lunges, squats or push-ups) can help you live independently for longer, make your bones stronger, reduce your risk of diseases such as diabetes, and may even improve your sleep and mental health . But not everyone loves the gym.
Perhaps you feel you’re not a “gym person” and never will be, or you’re too old to start. Being a gym-goer can be expensive and time-consuming, and some people report feeling unwelcome or awkward at the gym. The good news is you don’t need the gym, or lots of free time, to get the health benefits resistance training can offer.
You can try “exercise snacking” instead. Exercise snacking involves doing multiple shorter bouts (as little as 20 seconds) of exercise throughout the day – often with minimal or no equipment. It’s OK to have several hours of rest between.
You could do simple bodyweight exercises such as: chair sit-to-stand (squats) lunges box step-ups calf raises push-ups. Exercise snacking like this can help improve muscle mass, strength and physical function. It’s OK to hold onto a nearby object for balance, if you need.
And doing these exercises regularly will also improve your balance. That, in turn, reduces your risk of falls and fractures. Great! You can also try using resistance bands or dumbbells to do the previously mentioned five exercises as well as some of the following exercises: seated rows ch.
