Exercise Benefits for Older People

Posted by: Curt | Under: 40's/fit, 50's/fit, Diet and Weight Loss, General Fitness, Health, Ladies/fit, Seniors/fit | (0) Comments

This really goes in the “they spend money to do studies like this?” category, but it is worth reporting simply because there are a lot of people who think that once you are older and in poor shape that there is nothing you can do. Exercise at any age has positive benefits. There is one important consideration though- check with you doctor and make sure you are cleared for certain levels of activity before starting if you have serious health problems such as asthma, heart disease, etc. Even still, a certain level of exercise can be very helpful in restoring health. My Mom, who is in her 70’s goes to the YWCA each week for water aerobics with other seniors and loves it. In addition to the physical benefits, there are emotional and social benefits to group exercise classes- new friends and relationships. So if you are older or have a family member who is older, this info is worth paying attention to…

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“It’s not too late to start.”

The researchers put the volunteers into low, medium and high activity groups. About half the men reported a high level of exercise, corresponding to at least three hours of sport or heavy gardening each week.

About a third said they exercised moderately, such as taking walks and cycling, while the rest did little or no exercise, the researchers reported in the British Medical Journal.

Not surprisingly, death rates were highest among the sedentary group and lowest among the most active volunteers in the first five years of the study. But after 10 years people who began exercising at 50 had similar death rates to people in the high activity group.

The impact was similar to giving up smoking and the findings suggest further research to see what amount of physical activity makes a difference on health, the researchers said.