Stay active

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Regular physical activity helps to:

• Maintain a healthy weight
• Prevent or manage chronic health conditions (e.g., high blood pressure, diabetes and colon cancer)
• Improve one's mood
• Relieve arthritis pain
• Improve brain function
• Reduce the risk of falling

You don’t have to go to a fitness center or buy expensive equipment to be active. Housework and gardening help maintain strength. They require stretching, which keeps your body flexible. Walking is ideal for the heart, lungs, muscles and joints. Dancing and tai chi aid balance and help prevent falls. There are many ways to be physically active.

Choose activities you enjoy. And remember it's never too late to start. If you are starting new exercises and activity, discuss them with your health care provider. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offers guidelines for physical activity

More resources for staying active

• Older adults can get physical activity guidelines from the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
• People with any disability can get information about physical activity from the the National Center on Physical Activity and Disability.

Preventing falls

Research shows that being physically active is the single most important way to reduce your risk for falling. Find information about things you can do to prevent falls:

• Washington State Senior Fall Prevention Coalition
• Washington State Department of Health - Older Adult Falls