Doctors Recommend That Older People Exercise Regularly. However, Many of Them Do Not Exercise Enough. What Are the Causes? What Can Be Done to Encourage Them to Exercise?

Lilie King
Written by Lilie

7.5 in Academic Writing

Improved by Gregory

Born and Raised in Canada

June 5, 2023

Doctors recommend that older people exercise regularly. However, many of them do not exercise enough. What are the causes? What can be done to encourage them to exercise?

This IELTS Writing Task 2 question was reported in June 2023. Click here to read more questions reported in 2023.

Sample Essay

Doctors recommend regular exercise for older individuals, yet a significant number of them do not engage in sufficient physical activity. In my opinion, health problems and social isolation are two key factors contributing to their physical inactivity. To address this issue, it is crucial to create exercise programs specifically tailored to their needs and conditions.

Older people may have underlying health conditions or physical limitations that discourage them from participating in regular physical activity. For instance, those with heart diseases may be hesitant to engage in cardio exercises due to the fear of triggering a heart attack. 

Additionally, social isolation can greatly impact the motivation of elderly people to exercise. Retirement and health issues may make it challenging for them to find exercise partners. Without a supportive network or companions to exercise with, their motivation to engage in regular physical activity diminishes.

To encourage older individuals to exercise more, local governments can offer group classes in community centers exclusively designed for them. These classes should take into account their specific health conditions, limitations, and abilities. By customizing exercises to meet their needs, their confidence in participating in physical activities can be boosted. Moreover, participating in group classes at community centers provides an excellent opportunity for seniors to connect with peers facing similar health challenges. They can support and motivate each other, fostering a sense of camaraderie (Use friendship if you feel camaraderie is too advanced) and increasing their commitment to regular exercise.

In conclusion, the lack of physical activity among older adults can be attributed to health problems and social isolation. To empower them to lead healthier and more active lives, it is important to develop exercise programs that cater to their specific needs and circumstances. (277 Words)

3-Day Writing Task 2 Challenge

10 CommentsLeave A Comment

  1. Despite doctors suggestion, many elderly people do not engage in physical activities on a daily basis. I think there are many reasons for this, perhaps, they are nervous about it, or they are busy babysitting their grandkids. Telling them about the benefits of a healthy body will surely motivate them to exercise.

    Many seniors are quite anxious about putting stress on their frail bodies which continue to get weaker as they age. Weaker bodies do not have the strength, stamina or bone density like the younger ones. As a result, the elderly do not feel very comfortable exercising, fearing that it might cause irreversible damage to their bodies should even a minor incident occur. For instance, older people often fracture their bones, or hurt their joints while they exercise or when they get into minor accidents.

    On the other hand, some old people have to allocate a significant amount of their time taking care of their grandkids while their own kids are at work. In this day and age, babysitters in general are not very trustworthy, and it also costs a lot of money to hire them. That’s why many youngsters turn to their parents to look after their children. Unfortunately, this causes them to completely neglect their own well-being because they are afraid of looking away from their grandchildren even for a second.

    The best way to encourage them, I believe, is to tell them about the potential benefits of exercising. Many seniors do not even know the importance of physical exercises and the effect that it has on their body. Talking to them regularly about these things will surely increase their desire to exercise.

    In conclusion, fear and babysitting are two possible reasons why many of the elderly do not exercise. To encourage them, they need to be informed and made aware of the benefits of exercising.

  2. Hi Lilie, this question task doesn’t state “what do you think..”, so is it necessary to write your opinion throughout the essay?

  3. The conclusion part, I think this sentence should be ” the lack of physical activity among older adults can contribute to health problems and social isolation” Or ” Health problems and social isolation can be attributed to the lack of …” Could you explain to me how do you use this structure in this context?

    1. Both “contribute to” and “be attributed to” can be used in that sentence. “Be attributed to” means to credit or assign a particular cause, reason, or source to something. For instance, if success in a project is attributed to hard work and teamwork, it means that these factors are recognized as the reasons behind the project’s success. Hope this helps.

  4. hi Lilie
    aren’t you going to provide more essays on recent topics?
    please do so I find them very helpful!

  5. Thank you Lilie and Gregory. I loved your writing Lilie and wish you luck with your studying and work. keep up please.

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