As the saying goes, it's never too late to teach an old dog new tricks. And, according to a recent study, humans are never too old to start exercising.
An American study indicates that eighty plussers can dramatically improve their health by exercising a few times a week. Exercise apparently not only improves the body's utilisation of oxygen, but also lowers systolic blood pressure – a dangerous condition common in elderly people.
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Positive results
Positive results were obtained from the 22 elderly people (80 years and older) who took part in the study at the Veterans Affairs Ann Arbor Healthcare System in Michigan.
The results are published in the December 2002 issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
The participants were required to ride an exercise bike or walk on a treadmill twice a week for an average of 20 minutes at a time. At the onset of the study exercise regime all participants were sedentary, not participating in any other exercise programmes, and many were suffering from health problems, like arthritis and heart disease.
Several benefits
The participants' peak oxygen consumption improved significantly during the study period – a good indicator of physical fitness. All the participants showed a marked improvement in systolic blood pressure levels. These improvements were directly linked to the time spent on the exercise equipment.
The bicycle exercises did, however, deliver better results than the treadmill exercises. This difference might be attributed to the fact that some of the participants had trouble balancing on the treadmills.
Although this study involved aerobic exercises, the effect of strength-building exercises needs to be tested. Resistance-based stretching exercises, like Pilates, might also be beneficial to the elderly as this isolates and strengthens muscles without stressing joints. – (Health24)
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