For the first time these guidelines provided recommendations for the amount of physical activity people over 65 should be doing to benefit their health. The guidelines were designed for use by practitioners so these BHFNC interpretation booklets have been designed to help translate these into messages appropriate for older people.
There are three booklets designed to reflect the differences among the older population:
Active older adults
Those who are already active either through daily walking, an active job and/or who are engaging in regular recreational or sporting activity.
Older adults in transition
Older people whose function is declining due to low levels of activity and too much sedentary time, who may have lost muscle strength and / or are overweight, but otherwise remain reasonably healthy.
Frailer, older adults
Those who are identified as being frail or have very low physical or cognitive function, perhaps as a result of chronic disease such as arthritis, dementia or advanced old age itself.
The books can be downloaded below and more information about these resources and the BHF National Centre Physical activity and Health can be found at