As we get older, everyday tasks—squatting to weed your garden, reaching for a book on a high shelf—can become harder to do without pain or discomfort. It doesn’t have to be this way. Workouts that focus on “functional fitness” can help you slow and even turn back some of these changes so you can enjoy greater strength, power, flexibility, and mobility in everyday movements. 

That’s why Harvard Medical School created the report, Discovering Functional Fitness, to keep you active as you age, make everyday tasks easier, and even improve your game.

Now you might wonder…

What is functional fitness? 

Functional fitness improves your ability to carry out daily activities more easily and more confidently. This is the kind of exercise you need to stay active and independent, on your own terms, doing what you love to do. And the benefits go beyond muscle strength and mobility…

When you follow the workouts and exercises in Discovering Functional Fitness, you can look forward to better sleep, a lighter mood, lower stress, and the lower disease risk linked to regular exercise.   

Discovering Functional Fitness can help you:

• Lower your risk of falls and injuries because you’ll be steadier on your feet…
• Ease joint and back discomfort by strengthening muscles and increasing circulation…
• Reduce your risk of frailty, so you’re more likely to keep living on your own, in your own home, as you get older…
• Feel more confident and self-assured with improved balance.

Functional fitness targets multiple muscle groups at once—and specific body parts—for a whole-body approach. 

Think about the everyday moves that could get easier. These workouts help you get out of bed…get in and out of your car…get down on the floor to play with your grandkids and get back up without holding onto something…pick up a jug of milk…lift a suitcase…walk up the steps…even sit on the toilet more easily and without struggling. 

Is it FUN? YES! What’s more, it’s not highly taxing or hard on your body. 

With these exercises you can help correct muscle imbalances, move in multiple planes of motion more easily, and gain greater range of motion. These exercises engage your core, which is involved in almost everything you do from climbing stairs, to dancing the night away, or to turning to put your seatbelt on—and you don’t need to do a single sit-up or crunch. 

It’s easy to get started…whether you’re new to exercise or have been doing it for years.

Start with the foundational workout and work up to task-specific routines that target functions such as carrying grocery bags, washing your hair, or putting away dishes. Love to play sports? Then the “Up Your Game” workout is a great option for you. 

As always, your safety is of the highest priority, which is why the report includes a full chapter on safety. You’ll also discover when you need to talk to a doctor before you start or ramp up any exercise program—especially if you have the health conditions on page 13.

Find out if there are exercises you should avoid… and the optimal time of day to work out, especially if you have arthritis and want to reduce pain and inflammation. Plus, all exercises include safety tips and form pointers. 

Every workout series tells you what you need such as dumbbells, a chair, a mat or bands...how to perform the exercise…how to make it easier or harder…as well as tips and techniques for maintaining the proper form and getting the most benefit from the exercise.

Get moving! Improve your strength, power, agility, flexibility, and more through functional fitness—and take on everyday activities and movements with new confidence.