Top tips to get active
- Walking is an excellent form of exercise for seniors, since it is low impact, free and high in health benefits.
- Consider joining a walking group or consider starting up a group of your own with friends and neighbours.
- Use this website to find an activity for you. Our calendar includes all Gold Coast City Council’s Active and Healthy GC activities for seniors. Join in the fun of group fitness classes, yoga, the Dr Cornish walking program and more.
- Make sure you exercise safely. See your doctor for a medical check-up before embarking on any new fitness program, drink water, warm up/down and use the correct equipment.
- Try the 10,000 steps program. It’s a great way to improve your health and wellbeing by simply ‘moving more’ and striving towards 10,000 steps per day.
- Check out parks and walkways in your suburb. Remember to consider access, terrain and the number of park benches.
- Get up and stretch or walk across the room every hour or two. Sitting or lying for long periods is a serious health risk.
- Try your hand at gardening. You could enter the Gold Coast City Council’s Garden Competition.
- Try a new activity. Have you tried:
- Tai Chi, Yoga or Pilates in the park
- swimming or aqua aerobics
- a new sport such as tennis, lawn bowls, croquet or table tennis
- learning a new dance style or dancing to your own music
- joining a fitness centre
- healthy cooking classes
- Find an activity here
Click here for even more information on how easy it can be to stay fit and healthy as you get older. The booklet “Choose Health: Be Active” includes tips on exercises that can be integrated into everyday living. It can help you to find an activity to suit you, get started, overcome setbacks and exercise with chronic health problems. It also has a handy activity planner.
If you have a chronic health problem, there are probably still many ways for you to increase your physical activity. Check with your doctor, nurse, physiotherapist, podiatrist or local fitness centre about the type and amount of activity you can do. See the suggestions for being physically active with chronic health problems and staying safe.
