It makes you stronger and can even add years to your life.
It’s natural for your exercise routine to change over time. If it didn’t, we’d all still be doing Tae Bo or Jazzercise—not that those workouts don’t hold up. There are certain times in your life when you may be drawn to high-intensity workouts. Other times, your body may crave more gentle movement, like yoga or Pilates. What’s most important is consistently doing something.
“Exercise is medicine. It is highly underestimated, yet one of the most effective tools for staying independent and mobile as we age, minimizing risks for various chronic diseases, therefore improving quality of life,” Dr.Veena Chawla, MD, an internal medicine and sports medicine physician with Kaiser Permanente in Virginia, tells Parade.
Related: This 1 Common Health Habit May Actually Accelerate Aging, According to a Longevity Doctor and MD
Dr. Chawla emphasizes that it’s never too late to start exercising either. In fact, regular exercise is key to supporting your body as you age. “Exercise in general benefits people of all ages, including older adults, and may decrease the incidence or slow the worsening of chronic diseases and increase longevity,” says Dr. Faith D. Atai, MD, a geriatrician with UTHealth Houston.
While all forms of exercise are beneficial, there’s one exercise move that can be especially helpful when it comes to aging well.
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The ‘Miracle’ Movement: Why 5 Doctors and 2 Personal Trainers Say Squats Can Support Healthy Aging
Parade talked to five doctors and two personal trainers about how to exercise in a way that supports aging. All seven experts said that, ideally, one’s exercise routine includes a mix of aerobic exercise and strength training.
Dr. Stephanie Rogers, MD, a geriatrician and professor of medicine at the University of California San Francisco, points out that the body naturally loses muscle and bone density with age. “As we age, falling hormone levels, low-grade inflammation, aging cells, moving less and not eating enough protein all push our bodies to break down muscle and bone faster than we rebuild them. Because muscle and bone work as a team, losing one speeds the loss of the other, but staying active and lifting weights can help protect both,” she says.
Dr. Atai agrees. “We begin to lose muscle between our 30s and 40s. This accelerates with time, especially if there is lack of activity. Muscle fibers shrink over time, partly due to reduced stimulation from the nerves that incite muscle movement. This can be translated as the nerves getting weaker and sending weaker impulses to the muscles, which in turn causes the muscles to get weaker,” she says.
One specific strength exercise that has myriad benefits, all seven experts agree, is squats, which can be done with weights or with bodyweight, depending on one’s individual health and fitness level.Squats strengthen the entire body with one move, improve joint flexibility (particularly in the hips, knees and ankles) and help keep bones strong.
In one scientific study, doing squats regularly helped older adults preserve the strength needed for everyday activities and physical independence. Doing squats proved to help with hip, knee and ankle flexibility. Another study found that regularly doing squats improved lower-body strength in older adults, which made everyday movements easier.
Reasons Why Squats Are the Ultimate Longevity Exercise
Doing squats regularly can even add years to your life. “Research suggests that people who engage in any amount of strength training have a lower risk of dying from all causes, including cancer and heart disease, compared to people who don’t strength train at all,” says Dr. Simran Malhotra MD, the founder of Wellness By LifestyleMD in Maryland.
Dr. Nneoma Oparaji, MD, an internal medicine doctor based in Texas, agrees. “Strength training can support longevity by decreasing the risk of premature death, improving metabolic health and preserving the independence for people as they age. This has been demonstrated in research that associated strength training with a lower risk of death,” she says. The research that Dr. Oparaji highlights shows that strength training helps improve blood pressure, insulin sensitivity and body composition.
Why squats in particular? As previously explained, this one powerful move works the entire body, helping to keep both bones and muscles strong.
“The more bone mineral density you have, the less likely your bones will break during a fall. The more strength you have, the easier it is to go about your daily life and keep independence and increased quality of life,” says personal trainerAllison Goldsmith, CPT.This is especially pertinent considering that falls are the leading cause of injury-related death and hospital admissions for adults 65 and older.
How To Do a Squat Safely
Before you start integrating squats into your exercise routine, it’s important to know how to do them correctly and safely. Here are the step-by-step instructions for how to do a squat safely, according to Marilynn Larkin, CPT, an ACE-certified personal trainer and group fitness instructor based in New York City:
Stand with feet about hip-width apart, toes facing forward or slightly turned out. You may want to start near a countertop or wall in case you need it for balance.
Push your hips back, as if you are about to sit in a chair. Don’t push into your knees; your knees will bend naturally when you sit back.
Lower down only as far as you can while staying in control.
Press through both feet to stand, squeezing your glutes as you do so to help keep your core engaged. Remember to breathe. Inhale as you sit back.
Return to a standing position, exhaling as you do so.
If you don’t currently do any form of strength training, Goldsmith says to try squats using just your bodyweight to start. Then, as you get more comfortable, you can incorporate dumbbells or a kettlebell. “You can hold a dumbbell or kettlebell at your chest or hold one weight in each hand, placing them outside of your hips or in rack position at your shoulders. If you don’t like weights, you can add a resistance band around your thighs. Try 10 to 12 reps for two to four rounds,” she tells Parade.
In terms of how heavy your weight should be, Larkin recommends choosing a weight you can lift with good form for 8 to 12 reps. “The last two reps should feel a bit challenging, but doable,” she says. She recommends choosing heavier weights over time, every couple of weeks or so.
Modifications: How To Adjust the Exercise for Bad Knees or Back Pain
If you want to avoid putting too much pressure on your knees or back, you can modify this exercise move. First, if your knees or back are bothering you, Larkin says it’s important to check with your doctor or a physical therapist to make sure it’s safe for you to do squats, particularly if the pain is sharp, new or accompanied by swelling. “The root cause should be dealt with before anything else,” she explains.
If you’ve been given the green light, Larkin says that doing modified squats can be helpful for strengthening the muscles around the knees, specifically the quads and hamstrings. As a modification, both Larkin and Goldsmith recommend squatting into a higher-set chair or couch. “Sit in a chair, both feet planted and try not to use your hands to stand up. Then, come back down to sit with control,” Goldsmith instructs. She adds that if you need to use your hands to get up, that’s completely fine.
“If you want to use weights, keep them light and remember to keep your torso erect during the movement,” Larkin shares.
How Often Should You Do This Exercise?
In terms of how often you should do squats, all of the experts recommend incorporating them into a strength training routine two or three days a week. “At least two days a week is the minimum, and three days per week is optimal for adults age 50 and older, with muscle-strengthening exercises targeting all major muscle groups and separated by at least 48 hours of recovery,” Dr. Rogers tells Parade.
Dr. Oparaji adds to this, saying that it’s not necessary to lift weights or do squats every day, but strength training at least two days a week is important. “Consistency and gradually increasing the number of weights lifted are the keys to success,” she says.
Squats certainly aren’t the only form of movement you should do, and all seven experts say that it’s important to do a mix of aerobic-based exercises and strength training. But in terms of a functional exercise that’s packed with benefits, it’s hard to beat them.
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Sources
Dr. Veena Chawla, MD, internal medicine and sports medicine physician with Kaiser Permanente in Virginia.
Lafleur, B., Montero-Odasso, M. and Huang, S. (2025). Falls in older adults.Canadian Medical Association Journal. 197(10):E271.
Marilynn Larkin, CPT, ACE-certified personal trainer and group fitness instructor based in New York City.
This story was originally published by Parade on Oct 12, 2026, where it first appeared in the Health & Wellness section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.