A new report from the Commons Health and Social Care Committee warns that exercise is just as important as medicines for keeping older people healthy, yet too little is being done to encourage it. Low levels of physical activity are a 'major driver' of ill health in later life and explain why many elderly Britons are riddled with disease, the committee said.
A lack of exercise is linked to an array of health conditions, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cancer. In the UK, lack of activity is associated with one in six deaths and is estimated to cost £7.4 billion a year.
The report states: 'Increasing movement – especially among the least active – can prevent many of the leading causes of death, prevent the onset of frailty, dementia and disability and help narrow the unacceptable 20-year gap in healthy life expectancy between the most and least deprived areas of the country.'
The MPs called for action from the Government and the NHS, saying routine conversations with patients about exercise should be 'embedded' in clinical practice. They added: 'Health professionals are a trusted source of advice, but too many people report never being encouraged to be active.'
The report said doctors and health staff should consider the importance of exercise in making people better. 'Physical activity can be more effective than drugs in preventing, treating and managing many long-term conditions,' it said. 'Health and care professionals have an important role in encouraging and supporting people to include physical activity in the management of their health.'
It calls for more 'social prescribing', with doctors urged to send patients to the likes of yoga and swimming lessons, and the removal of 'barriers' that have 'led to inactivity being designed into daily life'. 'This includes local action to remedy poorly paved streets, unsafe crossings and a lack of toilets and seating, combined with national transport and planning decisions that make moving easier.'
The Care Quality Commission should also be charged with checking that exercise programmes are being provided to residents in care homes, the report said.
In the UK, chief medical officers recommend older people should aim to accumulate 150 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic activity a week and do activities aimed at improving or maintaining muscle strength, balance and flexibility at least twice a week. Figures suggest that 44 per cent of people aged 75 and over are doing less than 30 minutes of moderate physical activity per week.
The MPs said a greater focus on exercise will be fundamental to the Government's objective of switching the NHS's focus from treating illness to preventing it.
Jane Buckels, 68, took up exercise in older age to look after her body and brain. Following her early-onset dementia diagnosis at 57, Jane retired, did little exercise and started to put on weight. A wake up call for her was hearing a doctor on the radio say that the elderly make themselves infirm because they lose muscle mass – that got her standing up and doing simple exercises. This then led to short walks, turning into longer walks and eventually a trek to Annapurna Base Camp in 2017. Jane Buckels is training to run the Great North Run in support of Alzheimer's Society. She got back from Nepal invigorated by the altitude and signed up for the Bath Half in 14 weeks' time. Fast-forward to 2026 and Jane continues to work out at her local gym regularly and is training to run the AJ Bell Great North Run on 13 September.
Jane, from Abergavenny, said: 'From the day of my dementia diagnosis, I realised l had to remain physically active to look after my body and brain. I started small, just short walks, but before long, I was trekking in the Himalayas and completing the Merthyr Half Marathon at 61. When l retired, I did little exercise and started to put on weight. A wake up call for me was hearing a doctor on the radio say that the elderly make themselves infirm because they lose muscle mass – that got me standing up and doing simple exercises. I prioritise exercise because running helps me manage my dementia symptoms and gives me a social routine. I spend most mornings doing a run, hill walk or gym class. Everyone at my gym knows that I have dementia and they couldn't be more supportive. I joined Alzheimer's Society's Dementia Run Club as a chance to show the world that you can still embrace new challenges while living with dementia.'
Layla Moran, chair of the Health and Social Care Committee, said assumptions that elderly people are left to fade away quietly lead to harmful behaviours that cause unnecessary suffering. She said: 'Healthcare experts and the Government are all agreed that staying physically active can help older people to live not just longer, but healthier, happier, more sociable lives. Promoting active lifestyles among older people would also tackle two policy objectives at once – shifting the NHS's focus to prevention, and bringing services closer to home, not the nearest hospital. Experts told us that exercise can be more effective than medication, and these changes would also cut the NHS's vast expenditure on drugs. It's a win-win, and this report sets out how the Government can make it happen. We have set out practical recommendations for ministers to rethink how the NHS and social care services help older people, from training for GPs to help individuals make their own healthy choices, to greater accountability in care homes and making our public spaces more accessible. As a growing proportion of society becomes older, we need to have a national conversation and a generational change in attitudes towards ageing. Assumptions that elderly people are left to fade away quietly lead to harmful behaviours that cause unnecessary suffering for individuals and their families. These retrograde ideas must be upended.'
Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, said: 'This excellent new report should be a wake-up call for us all about how being physically active can help us to age well. We hope the report also jogs national and local policymakers into recognising that there is a lot more they can and should be doing to make it easier for older people to keep moving, as a natural part of their daily lives. As the committee rightly observes, the benefits of this for individuals and for our society are abundantly clear, so it's high time that encouraging physical activity among people of all ages, including older people, was viewed as a top public health priority.'
Separately, Age UK published research suggesting a lack of confidence and self-perception are holding many 50 to 65-year-olds back from group activities and team sports. Only a quarter (23 per cent) of people over 50 said that their GP had spoken to them about exercise.
