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Moving Enough After 65: What the Guidelines Actually Ask For

The numbers are smaller than most people expect, and the balance part is the one everyone skips.

By Ruth Callahan · Health editor · September 2026 · 4 min read

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention puts the weekly target for adults 65 and older in three parts: at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, which can be 30 minutes a day on five days; at least two days of activities that strengthen muscles; and activities that improve balance, such as walking heel-to-toe or standing up from a chair without using your hands.¹

What moderate means

Moderate intensity is a brisk walk: you can talk, but you could not sing. Gardening with digging, cycling on flat ground and water aerobics all count. The CDC's own framing is that some physical activity is better than none, and that people should do what their abilities and conditions allow.¹

Why balance gets its own line

Falls are the injury most associated with later life, and balance training is the part of the guideline written specifically to reduce them. Two minutes a day of standing on one foot near a counter, or a weekly tai chi class, satisfies it. Hearing belongs in this conversation too: hearing loss is associated with a higher likelihood of falls among older adults,² which is one more reason to keep it checked.

A week that meets the target

• Monday, Wednesday, Friday: 30-minute brisk walk.
• Tuesday, Thursday: 20 minutes of strength work with bands or light weights, then the balance drill.
• Saturday: 30 minutes of something you enjoy, a bike ride, a swim, a long walk with company.
• Sunday: rest, or a gentle walk.