Benefits
Of Exercise
Longevity
and Aging:
Exercise,
even after age 50, can add healthy and active years
to one's life. Studies continue to show that it
is never too late to start exercising and that even
small improvements in physical fitness can significantly
lower the risk of death. Simply walking regularly
can prolong life in the elderly. Moderately fit
people, even if they smoke or have high blood pressure,
have a lower mortality rate than the least fit.
Resistance
training is important for the elderly, because it
is the only form of exercise that can slow and even
reverse the decline in muscle mass, bone density,
and strength. Adding workouts that focus on speed
and agility may be even more protective for older
people. Flexibility exercises help reduce the stiffness
and loss of balance that accompanies aging.
Cardiovascular
Health (Heart Disease and Stroke):
General
Guidelines. Inactivity is one of the four major
risk factors for heart disease, on par with smoking,
unhealthy cholesterol, and even high blood pressure.
Like all muscles, the heart becomes stronger and
larger as a result of exercise so it can pump more
blood through the body with every beat. Exercise
does not increase the maximum heart rate, but a
fit heart can pump more blood at this maximum level
and can sustain it longer with less strain.
The resting heart rate of those who exercise is
also slower, because less effort is needed to pump
blood. For preventing heart disease frequency of
exercises may be more important than duration. Exercise
even helps reverse some of the effects of smoking.
Children should be especially encouraged to exercise
every day to prevent heart disease later in life.
High
Blood Pressure:
Studies
indicate that regular exercise helps keep arteries
elastic, even in older people, which in turn keeps
blood flowing and blood pressure low. Sedentary
people have a 35% greater risk of developing hypertension
than athletes do. No person with high blood pressure
should start an exercise program without consulting
a physician. Studies have shown that high-intensity
exercise may not lower blood pressure as effectively
as moderate intensity exercise.
In
one study, for example, moderate exercise (jogging
two miles a day) controlled hypertension so well
that more than half the patients who had been taking
drugs for high blood pressure were able to discontinue
their medication. Studies have indicated that T'ai
Chi, an ancient Chinese exercise involving slow,
relaxing movements may lower blood pressure almost
as well as moderate-intensity aerobic exercises.
Before exercising, people with hypertension should
avoid caffeinated beverages, which increase heart
rate, the workload of the heart, and blood pressure
during physical activity.
Stroke:
The
benefits of exercise on stroke are uncertain. According
to one analysis, a group of 11,000 men, men who
burned between 2,000 and 3,000 calories a week (about
an hour of brisk walking five days a week) cut their
risk of stroke in half. Groups who burned between
1,000 and 2,000 calories or more than 3,000 calories
per week also gained some protection against stroke
but to a lesser degree. In the same study, exercise
that involved recreation was more protective than
exercise routines consisting simply of walking or
climbing.
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