Exercise Habits in Older Adults: A Scoping Review

Exercise habits may support long-term exercise maintenance in older adults, yet the construct has been inconsistently defined and measured. This scoping review examined how exercise habits were conceptualized and operationalized, health-related evidence, and factors reported in relation to exercise initiation and maintenance. PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, EBSCOhost, and the Cochrane Library were searched from inception to July 2025 following PRISMA-ScR guidance, and methodological quality was appraised using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. Of 12,539 records, 25 studies were included. Most studies defined exercise habit through frequency, duration, continuity, participation, or adherence, and none directly assessed cue-dependent automaticity using a validated habit-specific measure. Reported health-related associations were heterogeneous and were based mainly on observational studies and self-reported measures. Recurring factors related to exercise initiation and maintenance were synthesized into a provisional framework comprising initial engagement, routine establishment, and possible habit internalization. By distinguishing behavioral regularity, contextual stability, and automaticity, this review provides a clearer conceptual basis for studying exercise habit formation in older adults. Future longitudinal and intervention studies should assess these components separately and test how cue-based, social, environmental, and program-related supports facilitate exercise habit formation and maintenance in everyday life.