For sedentary older adults, replace sitting with standing and light activity

the Oncology Nurse Advisor take:

According to a paper published in the British Medical Journal, health experts in the United States and Australia argue that the recommendation that adults should moderately exercise for 150 minutes per week may be too much for middle-aged and older adults.

Although all adults should try to exercise for 150 minutes per week, the authors suggest that that recommendation may be too ambitious for some adults who have physical limitations or are often inactive. Lead author and professor emeritus in the School of Applied Physics at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Phillip Sparling, said that only about one in 10 adults aged 40 years and older in the United States is exercising a sufficient amount of time per week.

For any person, particularly those who lead a sedentary lifestyle, any increase in physical activity will be beneficial for that person and a slow transition from inactivity to increased activity may be the best approach to improve health.

The authors' main recommendation is that sedentary individuals should replace sitting, a leading risk factor for death, with light activity and standing. The goal should still be 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week, but light activity should not be avoided if the 150 minute goal cannot be attained.