• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Go to Expat Living Hong Kong
Get our Newsletter

Lifestyle Guide To Moving To & Living in Singapore - Expat Living HomepageLifestyle Guide To Moving To & Living in Singapore - Expat Living

Moving to Singapore and not sure where to start? Expat Living is the essential lifestyle guide to living in Singapore.

Login Pelcro Shop

Menu
  • Living in Singapore
      • Living here
      • Neighbourhood Guides
      • Schools
      • Property
      • Work & Finance
      • For Guys
      • Environment
      • Readers’ Choice Awards
        • Hari Raya Puasa bazaarHari Raya Puasa 2023 – how is it celebrated?
        • By Fable Farewell Gifts copyFarewell gifts for colleagues and friends in Singapore
        • Adopting a dog in Singapore – or a cute cat or rabbit!
        • Artificial Intelligence sendhelper and property guruUse of Artificial Intelligence to Improve Women’s Lives
      • View all
    Close
  • Things To Do
      • Things to do
      • EL Events
      • Calendar
      • Competitions
      • Noticeboard
        • Hari Raya Puasa bazaarHari Raya Puasa 2023 – how is it celebrated?
        • Elke & man k9 empawer walkWhat’s on this week and beyond
        • 10 places for teenagers to hang out in Singapore
        • What to watch (or not!) on Netflix, TV and Movies
      • View all
    Close
  • Kids
      • Enrichment
      • Kids Things To Do
      • Mums & Babies
      • Schools
      • Tots & Toddlers
      • Tweens & Teens
        • 10 places for teenagers to hang out in Singapore
        • Mental health support for toddlers to teens
        • Fun obstacle course in Singapore for kids and adultsHomeTeamNS challenges you to the ultimate obstacle course!
        • education system in Singapore Astor international schoolAstor: Small Singapore school with big impact
      • View all
    Close
  • Homes
      • Home Decor
      • Readers’ Homes
      • Furniture
        • Beautiful interior design by Arete CultureNeed decorators, home stylists or an interior designer?
        • Bedrooms: Bed frames, bedding & bedside tables!
        • Affordable art in SingaporeBuying affordable art in Singapore – it is possible!
        • Where to buy a really good bed and mattress in Singapore
      • View all
    Close
  • Travel
      • Asia
      • Australia & New Zealand
      • Rest Of World
      • News
      • Travel Offers
        • property in sydneyBuying property in Sydney
        • international health insurance for singapore expatsHealth insurance for Singapore expats
        • Travel News & Hotel Deals
        • Chloe from E&A InteriorsBuilding a holiday villa in Sri Lanka from start to finish!
      • View all
    Close
  • Wine & Dine
      • Asian Cuisine
      • Western Cuisine
      • Bars & Clubs
      • Groceries & Speciality Services
      • Recipes & Classes
        • All you need to know about Crab Bee Hoon in Singapore
        • local desserts in singapore - Rainbow ice cream breadMust-try local desserts in Singapore
        • work gatherings and parties venueEvent venues perfect for work gatherings and parties
        • Best Restaurants in Singapore – Where to eat for foodies!
      • View all
    Close
  • Style & Beauty
      • Fashion
      • Hair & Beauty
      • Beauty Offers
        • Niessing gold jewellery in SingaporeI discovered a 150-year-old jeweller in Singapore!
        • slimming facial massage review facial ginzaWe review a Japanese slimming facial massage!
        • yun nam hair care abd scalp treatmentYun Nam Hair Care Reviews DIY Treatments
        • weight gainLondon Weight Management reviews dangers of weight gain
      • View all
    Close
  • Health & Fitness
      • Dental
      • Fitness
      • Medical
      • Wellness
        • weight gainLondon Weight Management reviews dangers of weight gain
        • Here’s why sleep is so important
        • core exercises in singapore7 Singapore Pilates studios for core exercises & more!
        • at-home personal training yoga in singaporeYoga classes in Singapore, and the benefits!
      • View all
    Close
  • Shop
    • PRINT MAGAZINE
    • DIGITAL MAGAZINE
    • Close

What type of exercise is good for each age group?

10th February 2021 by Amy Greenburg 2 Min Read

https://expatliving.sg/what-type-of-exercise-by-age-group/

Exercising is an important part of healthy living – it can improve cardiovascular fitness and muscle tone, and help prevent chronic diseases such as heart disease or diabetes. But what kind of exercises should we be doing at our particular age? Senior Consultant Orthopaedic Specialist DR ANG CHIA LIANG runs through some of the best options for exercise by age group.

Children and adolescents

Children and adolescents are generally able to commence all forms of standard exercise, such as swimming, running, racket sports and team sports. However, there are a few conditions parents should keep in mind. Flat feet is very common, and while many cases will autocorrect as the child grows, it may still cause pain over the feet; if so, excessive running and jumping activities should be avoided. The same goes for children with knock knees. Adolescents who frequently feel aches and pains after exercise or who frequently sprain their joints may have a condition called Generalised Ligamentous Laxity; they should undertake more muscle-strengthening exercises. Scoliosis is a curved spine condition that can cause back pain; adolescents with this condition should do stretching exercises and avoid gym lifting exercises.

exercise by age group

Young adults (Age group 20 to 40 years old)

They should be at the peak of their body condition, and suited to undertake any form of exercise in this age group, as long as they don’t experience any pain. This can include strenuous activities such as HIIT, long-distance running, racket sports, rock climbing and more. A common concern is whether excessive strenuous exercises may cause your body to wear out sooner – for example, marathon running or long hours of racket sports. While this is still up for debate, there is some evidence that marathon running may place excessive stress on the knees for many people, and this can turn out to have future negative effects on the knees.

Middle-aged adults (Age group 40 to 65 years old)

Middle-aged adults would typically have developed some wear-and-tear in their joints already, so they should consider less impactful exercises, such as swimming, yoga, Pilates, cycling and a reduced amount of running. They should also be more vigilant to pain or symptoms of discomfort. For example, knee pain felt during or after running may indicate damage in the knee cartilage. An episodic sharp shoulder pain in certain positions of the arm may indicate a condition called impingement of the tendons.

Mature adults (Age group above 65 years old)

Mature adults should focus on exercises such as general body and joint stretching and static muscle strengthening. To do stretching, it’s important to hold your joint in the stretched position for 5 to 10 seconds each time to maintain the stretch, and repeat it 10 to 20 times. An elastic band is helpful, especially for reaching the feet. You could also use a light dumbbell (1kg, for example) for shoulder muscle strengthening, and do half-squat exercises for lower limb muscle strengthening. Walking, swimming and tai chi are also suitable for this age group.

As always, if you’re commencing a new exercise, ease into it by starting at a lower intensity and then gradually increasing the intensity. If you experience joint pain or aches that persist beyond a few days, or that are recurrent, do seek a medical opinion.

– Dr Ang Chia Liang Senior Consultant Orthopaedic Specialist

Centurion Orthopaedic Centre
38 Irrawaddy Road, Mt Elizabeth Novena Specialist Centre, #08-35
6970 5835 | contact@coc.sg coc.sg

Like this? See our Health & Fitness section

This article first appeared in the February 2021 edition of Expat Living. You can purchase the latest issue or subscribe, so you never miss a copy!

Get the latest events, stories and special offers sent to your inbox
Get the latest events, stories and special offers sent to your inbox

Categories: Fitness Health & Fitness Tags: Centurion Orthopaedic Centre Fitness

Amy Greenburg

Originally from Los Angeles, Amy is passionate about Netflix, sipping rosé at rooftop bars, travelling, and all things health and wellness-related. She enjoys learning about different health topics through her writing, particularly critical health conditions, food allergies, alternative therapies, and pregnancy and postpartum-related issues

You May Also Like

Here’s what inspires a top urologist in Singapore

breast reduction or change of breast size

Not happy with your breast size?

Here’s why sleep is so important

Primary Sidebar

  • Competitions
  • Noticeboard
  • Subscribe
  • About
  • advertise
  • Contact
  • Privacy

© 2023 Expat Living Singapore, All Rights Reserved.