Research on why exercise is good for us

Middle-aged adults who regularly engage in leisure-time physical activity for more than a decade may enhance their heart health, according to new research

Researchers in Australia weighed how smoking, high blood pressure, physical inactivity and high body mass index contribute to the likelihood of developing heart disease across the lifespan of females.

They analyzed data from more than 32,000 women participating in the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health that’s been tracking the health of those born in the 1920s, 1940s, 1970s and since 1996.

The research shows that physical inactivity is the most important contributor to heart disease at the population level.  The focus of the study is on obesity. The data clearly show that inactivity deserves greater emphasis.

In the British Journal of Sports Medicine, the researchers estimated that in young women up to age 30, smoking is comparatively more important than other risk factors for heart disease. That changes when women reach their 30s as they tend to quit smoking when they become mothers.

The researchers estimate that if every woman between the ages of 30 and 90 were able to reach the recommended level of 150 minutes of at least moderate intensity physical activity — like playing golf or recreational swimming or gardening— then the lives of more than 2,000 middle-aged and older women could be saved each year in Australia alone.

The Australian researchers concluded that national programs to promote physical activity deserve a higher public health priority for women of all ages than they have no.

In Canada, a 2004 study also suggested that a large proportion of heart disease in Canadian adults is directly attributable to low physical activity levels, said Prof. Ian Janssen, who is the Canada Research Chair in physical activity and obesity at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont.

Physical activity should be a focus for public health for children in school right up to seniors in Canada claimed the director of the cardiovascular research program at Women’s College Hospital in Toronto.

In another study, the Harvard researchers compiled a sample group of about 7,200 participants, all of whom were older women of an average age of 70. For a week, the women wore devices that monitored their daily mobility. Data drawn from the accelerometers' measurements indicated that, although women were sedentary for the majority of their total waking hours, they did tend to break up their time sitting still with regular periods of standing or walking. This was not what the scientists had expected. What they expected was that senior women would sit longer than they do and would be at greater risk.

Research on women walking comfortably on a treadmill for 45 minutes showed benefits on blood pressure and the health of blood vessel cells, which are important in reducing heart attack risk. The blood pressure effects are immediate, easy to measure and this is a great motivator.

In Canada, women are less likely to take up exercise and stick with it and they’re more likely to become inactive as they get older while men aren’t doing a great job on the physical activity front either.

This sedentary lifestyle is a real problem for my cohort group. In our workshops for seniors on Health and Wellness, we counsel that walking is a fantastic, underrated exercise and a good way to get started. All you need to do is put your shoes on and make sure you’ve got the correct layers.

Walking around the block is low impact, helps the bones, heart and psyche and at the same time can foster good relationships with neighbours and friends.

Exercise my be good for your longevity

Another study conducted by researchers at London's College University found leisure-time activities can be just as beneficial to senior living as more structured forms of working out.

We all know that exercise is an effective means of keeping older adults healthy; it is no secret, but seniors don't necessarily have to dedicate themselves to a gym to stay active and get the workouts they need

The study investigators examined the exercise habits of more than 4,200 adults with an average age of 49, taking note of how often and for how long the participants engaged in physical activities such as riding a bicycle, doing housework or home maintenance, gardening and walking.

At the beginning, middle and end of the 11-year study, the researchers measured levels of two inflammatory markers. Those who were physically active at the beginning had stable levels throughout the study, compared to participants who did not get as much exercise. Those who were not very physically active at the onset of the study but altered their behaviour to include more exercise in their lives saw marked improvements in inflammatory marker levels.

Leisure-time activities represent moderate intensity exercise that is important to health. It is especially important for older people to be physically active because it contributes to successful ageing.

The improvement of the participants provides evidence that confirms the health benefits of getting enough exercise. The researchers found a number of individuals adopted healthier lifestyles over the course of the study as they neared retirement age.

At the beginning of the research project, roughly 49 percent of the participants claimed to get at least 2.5 hours per week of moderate to vigorous exercise. By the end of the study, that number had grown to 83 percent.

The percentage of exercising participants jumped quite a bit because they were entering their retirement during the last phase of the study, which is interesting as it shows that retirement seems to have a beneficial effect on physical activity levels."

The bottom line is it is never too late to begin exercising and improving one's physical well-being, and working out with a partner or a group can help older adults stay on track. For example, they can start a walking group or a garden club with other members of their retirement communities, which will help them stick to their exercise plan while also reaping the benefits of socializing.

Lack of Exercise might endanger your health

Failing to incorporate a minimum of 25 minutes a day of physical activity into your schedule might endanger your health.

We are not a nation of doers anymore unless we do by sitting. Today we are a nation of sitters. Unfortunately, inactivity tends to become more of a problem as we age. So as we age it is our best interest to know about the dangers of a sedentary lifestyle, If we know and understand the dangers we will begin to undertake and perhaps promote more activity and gain better health.

As a senior, you may hear a lot about the benefits of exercise, especially for older Americans. The benefits range from keeping our joints active to improving our mood, there are lots of reasons for getting up and moving around each day.

For my cohort group, however, getting up and becoming active can sometimes be a challenge. Some of us have age-related symptoms and chronic health conditions that make it difficult to enjoy physical activity. Everyone can be prone to too much sitting, but seniors are particularly vulnerable to what’s been dubbed “the sitting disease.” The sitting disease can lead to a whole host of medical problems, researchers say.

Johns Hopkins Medicine has highlighted some trends of sedentary behaviour as they relate to age and potential side effects, When individuals live a primarily sedentary lifestyle, they may be putting themselves at a higher risk of certain conditions and diseases. Such risks include high blood pressure, anxiety and some types of cancer. Heart disease is less common among people who were active, even considering factors such as diet, alcohol consumption and smoking.

‘Sitting is the new smoking’. That’s the new mantra among many health care professionals today. Part of the reason for that is a 2014 study that found the sedentary lifestyle is actually worse for some people than smoking. Researchers at the University of Queensland in Australia studied 32,000 women over 20 years.

They found that physical inactivity did far more damage to the heart than smoking. Similar findings connecting heart disease to being sedentary have been replicated in other studies. Other findings include the following:

·       When the body doesn’t get enough physical activity, it begins to lose lean muscle tissue. That leads to increased difficulty performing the activities of daily living (ADL).

·       Dressing and bathing are just a few examples of ADLs that become more challenging. And for seniors who have arthritis, a sedentary lifestyle is associated with increased pain and swelling of damaged joints.

·       Seniors are already at higher risk of experiencing bone loss. Add living a sedentary lifestyle to the mix and it is a recipe for poor bone health. Staying active –especially with activities that promote strength --- helps encourage bone growth.

·       We’ve all felt the mood-lifting effects of physical activity. That doesn’t change as we age. For seniors who may be prone to depression, it’s even more important to stay active.

Retirement and work, which to you chose?

I thought I was one of the few who retired many times before taking full retirement. However I am, it appears soon to be in the majority. Some 40 percent of people 65 and older who are currently employed were retired at some point according to according to a 2017 Rand Corp. study authored by Nicole Maestas, an economist and associate professor of health-care policy at Harvard Medical School. 

She used data from the Health and Retirement Study, funded by the National Institute on Aging, which has tracked thousands of people age 50 and older over the past two decades.

Almost 20 percent of those age 65 or older old full-time jobs, up from 12 percent in 2000. Falling fertility rates and tighter immigration rules are propelling more employers to retain and hire older workers to fill shortages. That’s providing seniors with extra income to use for travel and entertainment or for new technology and other products.

More than half of men and women age 50 and older who weren’t working or seeking jobs said they’d return to work if the right opportunity comes along, according to an analysis of the 2015 American Working Conditions Survey conducted by economists at the Rand Corp. The percentage is higher among college graduates, 60 percent of whom said they could be enticed out of retirement.

Even retirees in their 70s are finding jobs when they want to earn money and be active, so there is still hope for me if I want to unretire for a while.