How to maintain strong muscles and healthy joints as you age

Published July 2025 | 5 min read
Expert contributor: Katie Morris, exercise physiologist and HCF Health Coach
Words by Jo Hartley

Living an active life is important for your mental and physical wellbeing. Here’s how to look after your joints and muscles during your senior years.

Australians have one of the highest life expectancies in the world, living an average of 83.2 years (males and females combined).

By 2050, it’s estimated Australia will have 50,000 centenarians. Worldwide, that number may reach 3.7 million.

Staying active is one of the best ways for seniors to remain healthy and independent. Exercise can reduce the risk of chronic disease, support mental wellbeing and reduce the chance of falls. And looking after your muscles and joints is an important part of that.

Why are muscles important?

Muscles do more than help us lift heavy objects. They’re essential for keeping us strong and healthy – supporting digestion, balancing our metabolism and protecting our organs. But things change as we age.

From around age 30, we naturally start to lose muscle mass and strength in a process called sarcopenia. Muscle mass decreases by around 3 to 8% each decade; after 60, that rate of decline increases even further.

An estimated one in five Australians aged over 60 has sarcopenia, and while the ageing process is part of it, an inactive lifestyle can speed it up.

What do joints do?

Joints keep us moving. Whether it’s bending to grab your keys or reaching for the top shelf, they help us stay flexible and active.

As we get older, our joints can start to feel a bit creaky and stiff – often due to thinning cartilage and less natural lubrication. This can cause joint pain and inflammation, and, over time, arthritis may begin to develop.

There are a few different types of arthritis.

• Osteoarthritis: This is more common in older people, causing hip, finger joint and/or knee pain.
• Rheumatoid arthritis: An autoimmune condition where the immune system attacks and inflames the lining of the joints.
• Gout: A type of inflammatory arthritis that’s caused by a build-up of uric acid in your bloodstream, leading to the formation of needle-shaped urate crystals inside your joints.
• Psoriatic arthritis: An autoimmune form of inflammatory arthritis that affects people with psoriasis.

If you’re experiencing joint pain or stiffness, we offer a range of joint health programs to help you reduce and manage pain, strengthen and improve mobility and prevent, delay or prepare for surgery.

How much exercise do you need?

Australian guidelines recommend adults aged over 65 aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity like walking or swimming on most days.

If 30 minutes seems like a challenge, start off gently, with just 10 minutes of physical activity once or twice a day. As you start to feel stronger, you can gently increase to 15 minutes twice a day.

How to avoid injury when exercising

Building muscle and protecting your joints matters but understanding how to avoid injury is just as important. Warming up properly is the best place to start.

“A 5- to 10-minute warm-up is enough to boost blood flow, activate your muscles and help improve your range of motion,” says Katie Morris, exercise physiologist and HCF Health Coach.

Warming up with some low-intensity aerobic exercise is a good option. Head for the treadmill, stationary bike or rowing machine to get your blood pumping, or get out in the fresh air and enjoy a brisk walk.

“Make sure you know how to use equipment correctly, including weights, and make sure your technique is right,” says Katie.

“If possible, have an accredited exercise physiologist or personal trainer to guide you through your first session, and always ask any questions if you’re unsure.”

It's also worth remembering that if your medical practitioner or allied health professional has recommended an exercise or gym program to treat a specific medical condition like arthritis or osteoporosis, you may be able to claim towards the cost. Ask your doctor, physio or other allied health provider to fill in the exercise and gym benefits form.

Just like warming up, stretching after a fitness session or exercise is important to help your body recover and reduce the risk of muscle injury. But the benefits of stretching don’t stop there.

“It helps ease soreness and boosts blood flow to reduce lactic acid,” says Katie. “Over time, it makes you more flexible with better range of motion.”

Katie recommends stretching out all the major muscle groups after a workout, including quadriceps, hamstrings, chest, back and arms.

And last but not least, don’t forget to wear appropriate shoes.

“A good pair of well-fitting runners can really boost your comfort and support,” says Katie. “Take the guesswork out by visiting a shop to get fitted properly and find the perfect pair for your needs.”

Top tips for exercising your joints

Here, Katie shares key points to consider when creating an exercise plan to strengthen your joints and muscles.

• Make sure to seek medical guidance before starting a new exercise program.
• Seek expert advice if you’re unsure where to start. Book an appointment with an accredited exercise physiologist, who can tailor a program to suit your needs.
• If you can, try to incorporate a few sessions of strength training into your week. Strength training is vital to preserve muscle mass and bone strength. It can also help to maintain flexibility and balance, and prevent falls. 
• To protect your joints, it’s important the muscles surrounding them are strong, so include weight-bearing exercise like walking, dancing, climbing stairs and resistance training in your workouts.

Exercises for protecting your joints and building muscle strength

• Sit-to-stands from a chair (arms crossed across chest) is a great exercise to help maintain leg strength and flexibility through the hips and knees.
• Step-ups onto a small step are great for leg and knee strengthening and hip/knee mobility.
• Seated leg extensions strengthen the quadriceps and stabilise the knee joints. Sit in a chair and target one leg at a time – lift the lower leg until the leg is straight, pause, then lower.
• Wall push-ups for upper body strength.
• Seated row with a resistance band for back strength.

Where can you go for guidance and support?

• Make an appointment with an accredited exercise physiologist – see the Exercise & Sports Science Australia website to find one near you.
• Exercise Right offers fact sheets and other resources for active ageing.
• The HCF Healthful app gives you access to a personalised Health Score, evidence-based health programs, real-time health and wellbeing tracking, goal setting and a 24/7 digital coach^*.
• Get no-gap knee osteoarthritis^{^} support through the GLA:D^® Member Feedback Program for knee osteoarthritis.
• Need surgery for your hips or knees? Our No-Gap Joints program provides eligible members peace of mind with no out-of-pocket costs from hospital admission through to discharge and post-surgery rehab for primary hip and knee replacements, with participating private hospitals and clinicians in NSW and Vic⁺.

Support for managing knee osteoarthritis

Living with knee osteoarthritis? The HCF Knee Osteoarthritis Program aims to help eligible members^# improve their symptoms and quality of life. Delivered online or over the phone, the program gives you access to a dedicated online HCF Health Coach, who’ll provide personalised nutritional, exercise and lifestyle guidance.