In older adults, regular exercise provides numerous health benefits that include improvements in blood pressure, coronary artery disease,diabetes, lipid profile, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, mood,neurocognitive function, and overall morbidity and mortality. This article discusses the benefits of exercise in the elderly and how physicians can help such patients overcome barriers to exercise (eg,sedentary lifestyle, lack of education, coexisting morbidities), and offers some practical exercise prescriptions for both healthy and compromised elderly patients.