Fifties
This can be a decade of unfamiliar aches and pains. Even someone with previously healthy blood pressure may notice their readings creeping up, as ageing arteries stiffen.
But exercise can help. Studies from the American Heart Association show that regular physical activity (30 minutes most days of the week) can cut high blood pressure risk by a fifth compared with people who exercise for less than one hour a week.
Challenge: Sit/rise test
Stand in front of a mirror in comfortable clothes with your shoes off. Simply lower yourself into a cross-legged sitting position on the floor without using your hands for support or kneeling on the way down, then return to a standing position without using your hands, knees or arms for support.
Score your efforts out of ten, subtracting one point every time you have to use a hand or knee for support, and half a point every time you lose balance or wobble. Aim to score eight or above.
In a study in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology last year, researchers found that people aged between 50 and 80 who scored less than eight were twice as likely to die within the next six years compared with people with perfect scores.
In fact, they found every point increase in the test is linked to a 21 per cent decrease in mortality from all causes. Be warned - this test may take practice, and is not recommended for anyone with arthritic knees.
Weight-bearing exercise (performed standing up) will help reduce bone loss as you age, as well as increasing your metabolism
Your exercise aim: Aim to achieve the recommended two-and-a-half hours' activity a week in any way you can. Consider investing in a pedometer and reaching at least 10,000 steps per day.
You don't have to join a gym. Studies show exercise such as cycling, swimming, dancing and even mowing the lawn can be as effective at lowering blood pressure as medication.
'Weight-bearing exercise (performed standing up) will help reduce bone loss as you age, as well as increasing your metabolism,' says Sammy Margo.
The National Osteoporosis Society recommends short exercise sessions which 'jolt' the skeleton - e.g., running or jumping - to strengthen bones. A recent study in the Journal of Sport and Health Science found that women burned more calories during the dance-fitness class Zumba compared with salsa dancing, though both offer a great boost to cardiovascular fitness and psychological well-being.
Sixties
In your 60s, wear and tear on your joints may become more apparent. Studies show one in three people over 60 suffer a fall each year, and, according to Sammy Margo, muscle weakness and impaired balance are factors.
Challenge: Chair test
Sit comfortably on a dining room chair, your feet firmly on the ground. Set a stopwatch, or use the secondhand on your watch, and simply stand without using your hands or arms for support, then sit again gently as many times as you can in 30 seconds. Healthy women in their 60s should be able to achieve at least 12 and men 14.
If you find this easy, progress to a softer, lower easy-chair which demands greater strength and balance to get up from and down without support, and see how many times you can get up and down out of the chair in 30 seconds. The targets are the same as above.
Your exercise aim: Adapting a workout routine for the 60s may mean curtailing aerobic exercise that jars and stresses the joints. So replace long runs with shorter jogging stints, cycling or power-walking and swimming. Strength training is still important, as are stretching and balance. If you are new to exercise ask at your local health centre about age-specific classes; aquarobics is an excellent gentle workout.
Aim to practise the test once every day and watch your score improve. Being able to perform regular squats like this - i.e. rising up and down from a chair without using your hands - keeps the muscles of the thighs and buttocks strong and is the key to maintaining independence in older age.
'Lose this ability, and you won't be able to get on and off the loo by yourself,' Sammy Margo warns.
'If you are a keen gardener, don't underestimate how fantastic the activity is for the strength of your arms, legs and overall stamina.'
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