Stiffness, sore joints, creaky knees, weak muscles, a dodgy back – these ailments become more common after 60, but they aren’t inevitable.
Most people know that factoring in some form of strength training helps to keep muscles strong as we age. Yet, we often neglect the habits that keep our body nimble and our joints pain-free, and in the UK, roughly 20 to 50 per cent of those aged 50 and over experience episodes of back or knee pain.
We asked experts for the microhabits that will give you the best chance of avoiding these aches, and help you to remain independent and resilient into later years.
Practise getting up from the floor every single day
“This is one of the best tests of how well you’re ageing, and most people stop doing it in midlife without noticing,” says Will Harlow, specialist physiotherapist for the over-50s and author of Independence for Life. “It uses almost everything at once: hip, knee and ankle range of motion, leg strength, balance and co-ordination. Stop doing it, and you lose it. That’s when people start dreading a fall, because they know they can’t get back up.
“Research backs this up. In a study of over 2,000 adults aged 51–80, people who could sit down on the floor and stand back up with little or no help from their hands or knees had significantly lower mortality over the following years.”
The habit: “Three times a day, get down to the floor and back up. Use a sofa or sturdy chair for support at first, then use it less over time. Try different routes: kneel down one knee at a time, sit cross-legged or come up through a half-kneel. Pair it with something you already do, like picking up the post, playing with the grandchildren, or sitting on the floor for the first five minutes of the evening news.”
Train power, not just strength
When strength training, we should focus on the six fundamental movements for everyday activities – squat, hinge, push, pull, carry and single-leg work. Ideally, this should be done two to three times a week, while gradually increasing the resistance as you get stronger.
But it’s not all about strength. David Vrettos, injury rehab and pain specialist at Rehab PT, stresses the importance of movements that preserve power, too. “Muscle power is our ability to produce force quickly, and it declines more rapidly than strength as we age,” he explains. “It’s what allows us to catch ourselves when we stumble, accelerate across a road, jump over a puddle or rise quickly from a chair.”
The exercise to practice: “Start by standing up from a chair as quickly as you comfortably can, then lowering yourself slowly. Progress to fast step-ups, small two-footed jumps (pogos) and eventually hopping or jumping sideways,” says Vrettos. “The key is to develop speed alongside strength, gradually introducing impact as your body becomes capable of tolerating it.”
Take ‘balance snacks’
“Balance isn’t something you either have or don’t have,” Harlow says. “Like any skill, it gets worse when you don’t use it and better when you practice. What matters most is how often you practice, not how long each session lasts.”
The exercise: “Stand on one leg every time you brush your teeth, one minute per leg, holding the sink lightly if you need to. Once 30 seconds is easy, make it harder in stages: let go of the sink, then turn your head slowly side to side, then close your eyes (with something to grab nearby). Do the same while the kettle boils. That’s six minutes a day of balance training without adding anything new to your routine.”
Bend your spine daily
“Your spine is designed to bend,” Vrettos says. “We’re often told to keep our backs straight when lifting, but spinal flexion [the bending of the spine forward] is a healthy part of everyday movement. Avoiding it unnecessarily may reduce our physical confidence and range of movement.”
The habit: “Practise gently bending and straightening your spine (rounding your spine as you roll down towards your toes). Progress to doing this with a weight if appropriate but those with vertebral osteoporosis should avoid.”
Don’t neglect your feet and calves
“Balance starts where your body meets the ground,” Harlow explains. “The small muscles in your feet grip and steady you with every step. Weak toe muscles have been linked to falls in older adults. Your calves also produce much of the push-off power when you walk, and ankle power is one of the first things to decline with age.”
The exercise: “Calf raises on the bottom stairs: rise up onto your toes, then take three slow seconds to lower your heels below the step. Do two sets of 10 to 15 daily, holding the banister. Each time you go upstairs is a good reminder.”
“For toe exercises: press your big toe into the floor while lifting the other four, then swap. Then spread your toes as wide as you can. Do 10 of each, barefoot, while sitting at the table or watching TV.”
Move little and often
“Joint cartilage has no blood supply of its own. It gets its nutrients through movement and loading, a bit like a sponge being squeezed and released,” Harlow explains. “Long periods of sitting are what make joints stiff.”
The habit: “Get up every 30 to 45 minutes when you’re sitting,” he advises. “Stand, do 10 calf raises [rising onto your toes] and walk to the kitchen for water. Aim for around 7,000–8,000 steps a day. For over-60s, the research suggests most of the benefit levels off around there, so you don’t need to hit 10,000.”
Vrettos recommends breaking up sedentary patterns with short bursts of 10 squats, a few standing spinal rotations (gently twisting your upper body from side to side, allowing your arms to swing naturally) or cat-cow (on all fours, slowly round your entire spine upwards, then reverse the movement into a comfortable arch, initiating each movement from your pelvis and gradually working up through your spine).
Strengthen your thighs and hips properly
“If I could choose one muscle group to [work on to] protect your knees, it would be your quadriceps,” Harlow says. “Weak thigh muscles are a well-established risk factor for developing painful knee arthritis, and strengthening them is one of the most effective treatments for knee pain. Your outer hip muscles (gluteus medius) keep your pelvis level every time you stand on one leg, which you do with every step. When they’re weak, the knees, hips and lower back take the extra load.”
The exercise: Rise from a chair without using your hands, then take three seconds to lower back down. Do three sets of eight to 12. Once that’s easy, hold a weight or use a lower chair. Do this every time you get up from a chair to add dozens of extra reps a day without any extra time.
Split squats: stand in a staggered stance, holding a worktop for support if needed, and lower your back knee towards the floor. Do three sets of eight per leg.
Side-lying leg raises: lie on your side and lift your top leg slightly behind you, leading with the heel. Do three sets of 12–15 per side.
Don’t let fear of pain stop you moving
“Stress, poor sleep, fear and previous experiences can all influence how much pain we feel,” Vrettos says. “An ache doesn’t automatically mean we’re causing harm. Understanding this can help people remain active rather than unnecessarily avoiding movement. Although new, progressive or concerning symptoms should always be assessed.”