Did you know that you can affect your biological age?

We cannot change our actual age. But our biological age depends on our state of health, and that we can improve. If you are in good physical shape, your body may be biologically younger than your actual age.

Your body undergoes natural biological changes as you age. We gradually lose both muscle mass and strength, as well as bone mass. This process is much faster if you are inactive. There is also a physiological change in your pulmonary and cardiovascular circulation, which will affect your fitness.

Fortunately, you can do a lot yourself to improve your biological age. A strong and healthy body contributes to a higher level of function, better quality of life and the ability to remain self-reliant in everyday life.

Exercise and movement make the body stronger and counteract the effects of age. This helps both muscles and bones. In addition to being active, it is also good to avoid smoking, eat healthily and sleep well.

Although the body changes with age, it is never too late to start a healthier lifestyle with exercise in focus.

Below you will find advice on physical activity that will be appropriate for you.

Getting started with 60+ age

You should be physically active doing high intensity exercise. This means that you should be out of breath at least twice a week.

Cardio training stimulates your circulation, heart, lungs and muscles. You can train your fitness through running and cycling, but also through everyday activities such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator. This requires you to be so out of breath that you can only say words, but not whole sentences.

Research shows that simple jumps are of great importance for strengthening your bone mass - through this activity you can combine both cardio training and training your bone mass. This can be done, for example, by jumping rope.

If you prefer walking, you can see if you can reach a minimum of 10,000 steps a day.

Train strength at least 2 times a week.
Strength training is essential for maintaining your functional ability – it helps to maintain that you can still take the stairs without difficulty, get up from a chair and lift heavy shopping bags.

More and more evidence points to the fact that optimal strength training should be high-intensity, i.e. you should train with weights that generally give you fatigue after 8-12 repetitions. Train all the large muscle groups in the legs, arms and abdomen/back, as a rule 2-3 rounds.

You can benefit from the exercises without weights, but as described above, it gives optimal effect with dumbbells included in the exercises

Squat with shoulder press

Reps: 3x 8-12 reps.

How to do it: Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand and placing them on your shoulders. Bend your knees to about 90 degrees and press yourself up to the starting position. Then press your arms up toward the ceiling until they are straight. Slowly lower back down.

Squat with dumbbell

Reps: 3x 8-12 reps

How to do it: Stand with your legs together, a dumbbell in each hand and your arms at your sides. Lift one leg and take a long step forward. When your foot hits the floor, bend your knees slightly towards the floor. Push off with your foot and return to the starting position.

Single-Legged Dumbbell Forward Bend

Reps: 3x 8-12 reps

How to do it: Stand tall with feet hip-width apart. Hold dumbbells with arms straight. Stand on one leg with a slight bend in the knee as your torso leans forward. Keep opposite legs straight and in line with your torso. Return to starting position and repeat. If you feel unsteady on one leg, you can stand against a wall.

Reps: 2-3x 8-12 reps

How to do it: Sit on a mat with your hips and knees bent and a dumbbell in both hands in front of you. Lean your upper body back slightly and rotate your upper body slowly to each side, looking for the weight.

Standing Extended Lateral Raise with Both Arms

Repetitions: 2-3x 8-12 reps

How to do it: Stand with your arms down by your sides and your elbows slightly bent. Raise your arms out and up with your elbows and little fingers facing up. Raise the dumbbells to just above horizontal.