Middle age and old age or at least our image of them, are not what they used to be. More often than not it is factors extrinsic to aging that bring on “middle age spread”, brittle bones, forgetfulness, loss of muscle strength. When “maturity” includes an openness to healthful life style changes, many of the physical and mental ills once blamed completely on aging can be alleviated or postponed.

One of the most important factors is exercise. A new report from the Medical College of Pennsylvania cites “growing evidence” that older people can start on an exercise program at almost any age and have short term physiological benefits as well as a reduced incidence of chronic disease. In light of this report and a host of other studies. It seems clear that a long term exercise program can make a substantial difference for both body and mind.

When aging is accompanied by inactivity, it can result in declines on the following scale:

By middle age blood vessels typically narrow by 29% Between the ages of 25 and 60 the circulation of blood from arms to legs slows down by as much as 60%.

Muscle fiber is lost at the rate of 3 to 5% a decade after age 30, leading to a 30% loss of muscle power by the age of 60.

The speed at which messages travel from brain to nerve endings decreases 10to 15% by the age of 70.

Regular exercise has been shown to inhibit, arrest, or even reverse most such declines. Some experts estimate that half the functional losses that set in between the ages of 30 and 70 are in fact attributable to lack of exercise. Just consider: researchers have found that three weeks of complete inactivity (total bed rest) can result in the kind of physical decline typically seen after 30 years of sedentary aging. Fortunately as you turn 40, 50, 60 or for that matter 70 or 80 there is always something you can do to slow down or reverse this decline. A long term regimen of three or four brisk 30 minute walks each week for instance, may not only add years to your life, but also life to your years.

It’s never too late to start exercising improvements in health don’t depend on having trained vigorously in youth. Here are a few areas particularly sensitive to the rejuvenating effects of exercise.

Carbohydrate metabolism: Aging has been linked to increased difficulty in metabolizing glucose and thus to the onset of diabetes. But such glucose or carbohydrate intolerance isn’t necessarily caused by biological aging. Studies suggest that improved diet and exercise habits can substantially increase tolerance.

Osteoporosis: Aging is associated in both men and women with a severe decline in bone density and if bones become too light and porous they’re likely to break, However studies have shown that inactivity can play a large part in promoting bone loss. Weight bearing exercise such as walking on lifting light weights, is vital in slowing the loss. Other steps you can take include abandoning habits that reduce bone density, such as smoking low calcium intake, and high alcohol consumption.

 

Brain function: The Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging and other studies have found that many mental capacities are actually surprisingly stable with age. Comparisons of the mental agility of younger people and healthy older individuals who exercise at about the same level show that the elders react about as fast as their juniors and significantly faster than their sedentary peers. Memory does change with age, though these changes don’t necessarily constitute a decline. Regular aerobic exercise seems not only to help preserve neurological functioning into old age, but also potentially to enhance it in older people who have been sedentary.

“There is no drug in current or prospective use that holds as much promise for sustained health as a lifetime program of physical exercise.” That statement appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 1982 and its likely to hold true for many years to come.

Article extracted from this publication >>  June 2, 1989