Bringing movement into everyday life

Start small

The older you get, the more difficult it is to be active. This is especially true if you have been ill or have to live with a long-term impairment of mobility following an illness or accident. The important thing is to do what you can do. Start small and try to improve. Start by incorporating movement into your daily routine. As you get fitter, you can slowly increase the effort. Start with low exertion, then increase to medium exertion and then to higher exertion. You can also increase the duration of the exercise. Every movement counts.

Exercise regularly

To promote good health, it is important that older adults also exercise regularly. This helps them to stay fit and live independently for a long time.

To do this, you often have to change your habits. In particular, switching from "no exercise at all" to "a little exercise" is an important first step. Do as much exercise as you can and choose an effort that suits you. If you have health problems, consult a doctor to find out which types of exercise are suitable for you.

The following exercise recommendations apply to adults aged 65 and over who have no health problems - even if they have a physical or mental disability:

Brochure on recommended exercise from the age of 65 - Fonds Gesundes Österreich

Get plenty of exercise

Fitness involves various things: endurance, strength, coordination and flexibility. You can strengthen these factors through various exercises and activities.

When you get your cardiovascular system going, you are primarily doing something for the health of your heart, lungs and brain. The activities and sports listed below will improve your endurance and do something for your cardiovascular system:

Good for endurance and the cardiovascular system

  • Swimming
  • brisk walking
  • Nordic Walking
  • Hiking
  • Dancing
  • Cycling
  • Tennis
  • Gardening

The older you get, the more muscle mass you lose. For this reason, you should make sure that you also train your muscles. The large muscle groups are particularly important. These are the leg, hip, chest, back, abdominal, shoulder and arm muscles.

The following sports will help you to strengthen your muscles and keep them healthy:

  • Training with your own body weight such as push-ups, squats, lunges and arm or forearm support exercises
  • Lifting weights
  • Dumbbell training
  • Climbing stairs
  • Pilates
  • Yoga
  • Training with elastic bands
  • Water gymnastics

Videos "Fit & active at home"

Under the following link you will find a video series of the Vienna Social Fund with simple instructions for strengthening, mobilization, coordination and more flexibility.

Video series "Fit & aktiv daheim" - Vienna Social Fund

Videos on exercise recommendations for all ages

You can find more detailed information on the exercise recommendations of the Fonds Gesundes Österreich by clicking on the following video links:

Last update: August 7, 2025