Team up: find a movement buddy

Support from the people around you matters. A systematic review of studies in adults over 60 found that people with more support for physical activity, especially from family members, were more likely to be active in their leisure time. A 2021 review of exercise adherence research also listed social support among the key factors that help people stick with exercise.

Canada's Get Active Questionnaire even suggests taking a walk with a friend as an easy way to build activity into your day.

Try this today: Ask one person to join you at a set time this week. Make it specific: "Thursday, 10 a.m., 20-minute walk." Then:

• Put it in both calendars.
• Agree on a backup if the weather turns, like a mall walk, a video-call workout or a seated routine together.
• Celebrate showing up, not who did more.

Your buddy doesn't need to be at your fitness level. Walk at a pace that lets you both talk, or do the same routine in different versions, one standing and one seated.

Safety note: Go at the pace of whoever needs it easier, and either of you should stop if something hurts.

Sources

• Lindsay Smith et al. (2017), Social support and physical activity in older adults: a systematic review, Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act (opens in a new tab)
• Collado-Mateo et al. (2021), Key factors associated with adherence to physical exercise: an umbrella review, Int J Environ Res Public Health (opens in a new tab)
• CSEP Get Active Questionnaire (opens in a new tab)