Patricia Clark
National Executive Director, Active Aging Canada
According to Active Aging Canada, the importance of staying socially connected and of having a sense of belonging in your community is vital to aging well.
As we age, our opportunities to socialize and our social networks often decrease due to our living arrangements, retirement, our ability to get around, our health concerns, and the good old Canadian winters. Even more so now, in this current time of physical distancing and social isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic, keeping well both mentally and physically can be challenging.
The Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology recently released the Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines. It’s vitally important that you get some light physical activity (including standing) for several hours each day, get seven to eight hours of good-quality sleep, and limit sedentary time to eight hours or less. For those who are currently active, it recommends 150 minutes per week of moderate to vigorous activity.
An option to keep active during these winter months while still keeping your distance from others is to follow an online exercise video designed specifically for older adults. Active Aging Canada developed a list of evidence-based, safe exercise programs that you can do in the safety of your own home, entitled Active Aging at Home. To age well, it’s important to stay connected, stay active, and stay safe.
