Challenges
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Quick Win
Alternating between quick sprints of running and slow jogs for 25 minutes — a form of interval training from Sweden known as fartlek — can improve your strength and endurance.
Try This Today
- Warm up. Jog or march in place or do other gentle movements for five to 10 minutes.
- Set a goal. When you are running outside, find a visual marker that will take you about 30 seconds to get to at a fast pace, then go. After reaching that marker, transition to either an intermediate or a slow pace.
- Pick a new goal and repeat. When you’re ready, set your sights on another visual marker and change your speed again. Repeat the cycle for 15 minutes. Listen to your body, and if you start to feel strain or pain during the fast intervals, slow down or stop to avoid injury.
- Finish by cooling down with five to 10 minutes of gentle movement.
Why
Fartlek is a type of interval training that mixes high and low-intensity workouts, and is generally well-tolerated by adults aged 65 and older, according to a review of 69 studies published in 2021 in Sports Medicine-Open. Fartlek, the research suggests, may provide more health benefits — including increased aerobic fitness and lower risk of cognitive decline — than traditional endurance exercise.
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