Strength training at 80? In San Antonio, the experts say absolutely. San Antonio geriatric doctors and aging researchers have built a body of local work showing that walking, balance and strength exercises help older adults stay steady, independent and out of the hospital.
If you’re caring for a parent in Bexar County and wondering, is it safe for seniors to start exercising? Here’s what the local experts say, and why it matters so much in our city.
Why San Antonio Needs Senior Fitness Now
Our senior population is large and growing. About 14.3% of Bexar County’s 2.16 million residents are 65 or older, roughly 309,000 people, and the county grew 7.5% between 2020 and 2025 (U.S. Census Bureau).
We’re Military City, USA. Bexar County is home to about 144,000 veterans (Axios San Antonio), the largest veteran population in Texas and the fourth largest in the nation (Texas Public Radio). Local leaders report that veteran nursing home placements jumped from about 120 a month in 2019 to 400 a month in 2025 (Community Impact). Staying strong helps older veterans stay home longer.
We’re a proudly Hispanic city. About 60.7% of Bexar County residents are Hispanic or Latino (U.S. Census Bureau). Local researchers have studied how frailty develops in Mexican American older adults, and how culturally tailored exercise can help.
We have places to move. The Mission Reach offers miles of riverside trail, the Howard W. Peak Greenways wind across the city, and 12 comprehensive senior centers offer fitness classes. San Antonio geriatric doctors see both the opportunity and the need every day.
What San Antonio Geriatric Doctors Recommend
Here’s what San Antonio geriatric doctors and researchers have said and studied, with links so you can read more.
Neela K. Patel, MD, MPH
Dr. Patel is chief of the Division of Geriatrics and Supportive Care at UT Health San Antonio and a Fellow of the American Geriatrics Society. Her team connects patients to community resources, including “senior centers for exercise” (UT Health San Antonio).
She also co-authored FITxOlder, a 12-week qigong program for low-income, mostly Latino older adults at a San Antonio senior center. Attendance averaged 95%, and researchers found the program feasible and well received (JMIR Formative Research).
Sara E. Espinoza, MD
Dr. Espinoza is a geriatrician and frailty researcher with UT Health San Antonio and the San Antonio VA’s Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center. She helped launch a Geriatrics Walking Clinic for older veterans. Just six weeks of low-intensity walking improved gait speed and Timed Up-and-Go scores (Journal of Frailty & Aging).
Her team’s paper notes that “even the most frail older adults can have significant improvements in strength” with exercise. Her San Antonio Longitudinal Study of Aging research also found that “prefrail” older adults may be the best target for intervention, which means it pays to start early.
Angelica Davila, MD
Dr. Davila is a UT Health San Antonio geriatrician board-certified in geriatrics and hospice and palliative medicine. Her listed areas of expertise include fall prevention, mobility and balance concerns, and functional decline assessment (UT Health San Antonio).
Nicolas Musi, MD
Dr. Musi led aging research at UT Health San Antonio’s Barshop Institute and the San Antonio VA’s geriatrics research center. He received a $4.5 million National Institutes of Health grant to study how exercise changes the body at the molecular level (UT Health San Antonio).
UT Health San Antonio Division of Geriatrics
San Antonio’s academic geriatrics division, founded in 1989, specializes in common conditions of aging, including falls and immobility, arthritis, osteoporosis and diabetes (UT Health San Antonio). Exercise plays a role in managing every one of them, and the division’s fellowship has trained San Antonio geriatric doctors since 1990.
Gerofit at the San Antonio VA
San Antonio is one of the VA sites offering Gerofit, a supervised exercise and health program for older veterans (VA). If your parent is a veteran, ask their VA care team about it.
Getting Started Safely in Bexar County
So, is it safe for seniors to start exercising for San Antonio seniors? Geriatric doctors offer a reassuring answer. In Dr. Espinoza’s walking clinic, a geriatrician screened each veteran before the first step, using a short National Institute on Aging checklist. Families can borrow that approach. Good geriatrician advice on exercise begins with that kind of screening, and exercise with chronic conditions for seniors is usually possible with a plan.
If your parents are suffering from diabetes, heart disease, arthritis or osteoporosis, book a visit before starting. Request medical clearance for exercise for seniors in writing, including any movements to skip, and pass it along to whoever will lead the workouts.
Bring these to the appointment:
- Which activities fit my parent’s health right now?
- Are there limits on lifting, bending or heart rate?
- What symptoms should make us pause?
- Will you note these guidelines for a trainer?
Turning Local Expertise Into a Weekly Habit
San Antonio geriatric doctors can write the prescription, but someone has to show up for the workouts. Families should look for personal trainers who can come directly to the homes of seniors in San Antonio, whether they live Stone Oak, Alamo Heights or Shavano Park. Trainers build each program around the physician’s guidelines, and families receive notes, photos and progress updates after every visit.
Check out our tips on starting a fitness plan for seniors in San Antonio.
Moving Forward Together
Study after study, San Antonio geriatric doctors have shown that older adults in our city can get stronger. Whether your mom walks the Mission Reach or your dad trains in his living room, progress starts with a single session.
This article was sourced from online research and is intended as educational content only, not medical advice. Please consult your parent’s physician before beginning any new exercise routine. Physicians, programs and institutions named here have no affiliation with SFHSA.