Exercise is medicine: Here's the science, 'no time' is a lame excuse

They say a dog is man’s best friend — but research shows it’s really physical activity (PA) that never lets you down.

Exercise keeps hearts beating stronger, bones sturdier, and minds sharper, helping people live longer and lead healthier lives.

A whole body of research shows physical activity is considered a "protective factor".

More specifically, evidence has emerged that it offers protection against noncommunicable diseases, i.e. cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes, and even some types of cancer.

Moreover, physical activity is also associated with improved mental health, delay in the onset of dementia, and improved quality of life and wellbeing.

Sports medicine is, finally, getting its due in caring for older adults.

The evidence? Read on:

Yet, many physical therapists still underplay inactivity, leaving seniors at higher risk of falls, frailty, and faster decline.

That’s why new research matters.

A 2025 study led by Wingood and colleagues tested a Physical Activity (PA) pathway designed to give therapists step-by-step tools to assess and boost activity among older patients.

Barriers were real — think lack of time, training, and clunky electronic health records.

But here’s the kicker: over 88% of therapists found the pathway not only doable but helpful, showing that structured guidance can bridge the gap between exercise science and everyday practice.

And the science backing exercise in aging?

Rock-solid. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes that regular physical activity in older adults reduces the risk of falls, lowers chronic disease burden, and even slashes mortality rates.

Meanwhile, the Exercise Is Medicine (EIM) Active Aging initiative is pushing for exercise to be prescribed as routinely as medication—training clinicians to use tools like the Physical Activity Vital Sign (PAVS) to screen seniors and catch inactivity before it spirals.

Older adults don’t just need check-ups — they need get-ups.

When physical therapists team up with exercise professionals, seniors can swap sedentary lifestyles for active independence.

In Dubai, the programme known as "Dubai will remain young,” covers citizens over the age of 60.

The aim: enhance their quality of life by ensuring their inclusion and active involvement in social events through the expansion of Thukhor Social Club model, one of the projects of Dubai's Supreme Committee for Development and Citizenship.

Since it opened on May 30, 2023, the initial site is the Thukhor Social Club located in Al Safa Park, which has so far signed up hundreds of members, both male and female.

The new clubs will be placed in key areas of the emirate. There are 11,000 elderly residents in Dubai, according to the emirates' statistics.

The expansion of this social club will promote intergenerational connection, and give elderly adults access to a welcoming environment where their experience and talents are acknowledged.

The move will also benefit the senior citizens’ overall quality of life.

On June 25, 2025, the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging convened a pivotal hearing titled “Lessons from the Field: How Sports Medicine Can Improve Health Outcomes for Seniors.”

As the Senate highlighted in its June 2025 hearings, programmes like EIM Active Aging are shaping a future where sweat equity is the best investment for health in later life.

This special session brought together prominent figures, including former NFL quarterback Matt Hasselbeck and Dr. Lyle Cain Jr., an orthopedic surgeon and team physician at the University of Alabama.

Dr. Cain highlighted the Exercise is Medicine (EIM) Active Aging initiative, drawing attention to its impactful role in educating the aging population about exercise benefits, muscle mass improvement, and fall prevention.

The hearing underscored how sports medicine principles and structured exercise interventions can significantly enhance health outcomes in older adults.

The EIM Active Aging initiative is designed to integrate exercise as a fundamental component of health care for seniors. It emphasizes not only the importance of physical activity for muscle strength and fall prevention but also provides healthcare providers and exercise professionals with practical tools to promote physical activity in clinical and community settings.

One of the highlighted resources is the updated Physical Activity Vital Sign (PAVS) tool, a brief, patient-administered questionnaire that assesses physical activity levels within about 30 seconds.

The PAVS, now aligned with efforts by the Physical Activity Alliance and integrated into electronic health record (EHR) systems like EPIC, helps clinicians quickly evaluate patients' exercise habits and guide interventions.

Its ease of use facilitates broader implementation in routine care, making physical activity assessment as routine as other vital signs.

Numerous studies show the importance of physical activity exercise among older people.

In general, higher levels and greater frequency of PA are associated with reduced risk and improved health in a number of key areas.

“PA (physical activity) is a protective factor for noncommunicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes, and some types of cancer and PA is associated with improved mental health, delay in the onset of dementia], and improved quality of life and wellbeing," wrote Birgitta Langhammer of the Oslo Metropolitan University’s Faculty of Health Sciences and Sunnaas Rehabilitation Hospital, who published her team's work in the journal BioMed Research in 2018.

Researcher led by Catherine Sherrington, who published their work in the British Journal of Sports Medicine (2017), also recommends that in order to attain a high level of cardiorespiratory fitness, it's necessary "to be physically active for 6 months or longer".

"These recommendations may also be applied to balance exercises in order to reduce falls,” Sherrington's team wrote.

They also cited the fact that many elderly people also need support in doing physical activity.

Among those aged 75 and above, a two year-study led by T. Adachi (“Predicting the Future Need of Walking Device or Assistance by Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity), concluded: “Many elderly individuals are incapable of sustaining activities for this long on their own. Successful maintenance of PA typically requires substantial support and supervision. Even then, a high percentage of people drop out due to difficulties negotiating everyday costs of activity participation like scheduling conflicts and competing sedentary activities or health issues.”

While many physical therapists do not adequately address the inactivity issues in older adults, which increases risks for falls and frailty, sports medicine has increasingly become recognised for its benefits in caring for this age group.

It turns out physical activity is man's best friend. The health benefits of PA are well documented.