The disease was always inactivity. The symptoms are obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol, tryglycs, etc, etc.
"The Diet" (Mediterranean, Paleo, etc, etc, etc) is for those who biologically can not exercise. The thought of it creates unbearable anxiety. They are the overwhelming majority of the American population.
Difficult to explain is the significant minority who do exercise: runners, swimmers, bikers, who do it regularly,lifetime, for pleasure. A genetic mutation?
6
Diet and exercise go hand in hand. Instead of statins I use endurocin and phytosyerols from endur products un Oregon. Cholesterol went from 250 to 188. No wheat, no soy, no refined sugar, no dairy and no corn. Anti inflammation diet. Treadmill daily whenever possible. Upper lower weights alternating days, yoga/ Pilates and meditation. Still work daily as writer/ editor/ teaching artist. Never take statins w/o coq10. Husband had hair loss on lipator. Doctor didn’t know it is a side effect. Stopped. Statins cause muscle pain. Friend ended up in a wheelchair because he ignored the pain an kept taking them. So far even keeping osteoarthritis in knee at bay. Will never stop moving.
5
Why pay for a gym? My “gym” is my hilly neighborhood streets. They are open and free and available for walking or running any time.
9
@Joe Eggleston
Gyms provide structure, in the form of instructors/classes and machines/exercises that target certain muscle groups. Doing speed training on a treadmill is much superior to running on a track for me because I have complete control over the speed, duration, and incline of the run. I try to stay out of the street. It's dangerous, especially in the dark or foul weather.
4
@Joe Eggleston Because it can be pretty hard to swim on hilly neighborhood streets. For some of us, running isn't a viable option.
3
@Ron A. Don’t underestimate the hill running/walking advice. The street in front of my house has a 24% incline. I just sprint a short section to fatigue and repeat 8 times. The impact isn’t that great because I can’t go that fast and the road comes up to meet my feet. Very little traffic. The whole aerobic of my workout only takes a hard 15 minutes and if a good warmup for lifting weights (about a 1/2 hour 3X per week. I’m 69 and in fantastic shape. Whole foods organic diet too.
1
I think its funny that the gym membership where i live part of the year costs 40 dollars per month and a good bottle of Pinot Noir costs a bit above that margin.
On the other funny note, Losing weight resulted in decreased snoring upstream in my body and hemorrhoids downstream. I guess I lost fat cushions everywhere in the body, except the middle.
I am finding it extremely hard to shed the weight on my middle section ( although it has come down a lot).
3
I have always hated exercising. I hated team sports, disliked running, swimming, and cycling. And I dislike hearing people brag about their exercise routines, their fitbits, heart rates, number of steps, etc. But about 10 years ago, suffering from some arthritis and depression in middle age, I began walking on a treadmill 6-7 days a week, about 2 miles per day. Not much compared to exercise enthusiasts who just adore exercising. But this small amount has helped with the depression, the arthritis and the stamina. Probably has done other things as well, but hasn't helped in weight control. Oh well. And I should add that my Dad is 102 years old, has never exercised, is slightly overweight,enjoys sitting, drinking wine and eating and still has a highly functioning brain...some people have all the luck. What I do now is what I will continue to do. Might add some weight training, though.
11
@S Stone I wouldn't expect about 2 miles a day to help with weight control. I would bet, however, that if you did at least 5 miles everyday, it might help a bit more with weight control. I used to run about 3 or 4 a week and it didn't help me with weight control. Once I started bicycling at least 10 miles a day, everyday, my weight really started to peel off, and since I have continued to bicycle everyday, I have maintained my weight loss for 8.5 years now. I still controlled my diet to this day, but didn't have to go on any starvation diet to lose weight and can eat fairly well without gaining any weight back. Now bicycling probably requires at least twice the distance to get the same calorie burn as from running or walking, although bicycling up hills does add a bit of calorie burn.
3
@S Stone I wouldn't expect about 2 miles a day of walking to help with weight control. I would bet, however, that if you did at least 5 miles everyday, it might help a bit more with weight control. I used to run about 3 or 4 times a week and it didn't help me with weight control. Once I started bicycling at least 10 miles a day, everyday, my weight really started to peel off, and since I have continued to bicycle everyday, I have maintained my weight loss for 8.5 years now. I still control my diet to this day, but didn't have to go on any starvation diet to lose weight and can eat fairly well without gaining any weight back. Now bicycling probably requires at least twice the distance to get the same calorie burn as from running or walking, although bicycling up hills does add a bit of calorie burn.
@S Stone I wouldn't expect about 2 miles a day of walking to help with weight control. I would bet, however, that if you did at least 5 miles everyday, it might help a bit more with weight control. I used to run about 3 or 4 times a week and it didn't help me with weight control. Once I started bicycling at least 10 miles a day, everyday, my weight really started to peel off, and since I have continued to bicycle everyday, I have maintained my weight loss for 8.5 years now. I still control my diet to this day, but didn't have to go on any starvation diet to lose weight and can now eat fairly well without gaining any weight back. Now bicycling probably requires at least twice the distance to get the same calorie burn as from running or walking, although bicycling up hills does add a bit of calorie burn.
I am 75. I hope to be still moving when I die.
9
Reading these comments and those in the linked articles, it seems that one side effect of exercising regularly into middle age and beyond is becoming a sanctimonious twit on the NYT comment boards.
19
@Tracy Mohr
lol
Its yet another means for many Americans to award themselves some virtue.
3
For the last 20 years I’ve regularly completed both cardio and weight lifting regimens 3 times a week. I’m healthy, my vitals are great! I eat a good, well balanced diet. I’m 68. I’ve developed good habits. I’ve eliminated bad habits. Life is good! What could go wrong?
Seven weeks ago I had open heart surgery with five bypasses. I was on the table for 8 hours. My heart’s arteries were either 100% or 95% clogged. Today? I’m fine. I’m alive. I have a strong heart, new plumbing and god knows I could live to be a hundred.
My point is this: keep doing what are you are doing; but remember, especially those in their 50s and 60s, see a doctor regularly. Get tested. Even thought your vitals are strong, stay alert to the fact no matter how hard you work and organize you’re lives to stay fit; your body may have a pre-disposition to produce unhealthy levels of cholesterol (LDL). If this your situation or you don’t know, fix this now. See a doctor. Get tested. This cholesterol will clog up your colloidal arteries and quietly strangle your life. It can sneak up on you. If left unchecked it can cause heart attacks and worse.
I was lucky, through a series of coincidences I ended up getting tested. It uncovered my condition. I was admitted to a hospital before I had a heart attack. I have a great family doctor, an amazing surgeon and nurses and all the support in the world from my wife and children. Thank you one and all!
See a doctor. Get tested. Repeat.
16
Wise recommendations @cfd5.
Sorry you had to experience surgery.
I understand nothing is guaranteed, but wondering if along with your exercise routine you eat a whole foods plant based diet?
This and exercise combine to be the best anyone can do to create their best wellness.
Great article, but I have one minor suggestion: Bicycling should not be restricted to bike paths. Contrary to the hype, bicycling is quite safe, with benefits far greater than its tiny risks. Bike commuters have been shown to live much longer than those who drive to work, and that (and lots of other riding) happens on ordinary streets.
Information at https://cyclingsavvy.org/ can teach you how to easily and confidently handle traffic, allowing you to move out of neighborhood streets and access things like stores, friends' homes, parks and more. This can replace car driving time with bicycling, saving time and making exercise a normal part of your life, as it was intended to be.
6
Excellent article. Unfortunately it leaves out the 1/4 or so of Americans over 45 who are on statins. It's totally irrelevant to the unknown number (since the US has no effective system for reporting adverse effects of medications) who can't exercise at all due to statin adverse effects, the benefits of exercise now inaccessible.
The NY Times has published a number of articles about studies indicating that statins diminish the benefits of exercise. This article, by one Gretchen Reynolds comes quickly to mind: https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/22/can-statins-curb-the-benefits-of-exercise/
"The unmedicated (no statin) volunteers improved their aerobic fitness significantly after three months of exercise, by more than 10 percent on average. But the volunteers taking the statins gained barely 1 percent on average in their fitness, and some possessed less aerobic capacity at the end of the study than at its start."
Medical journals contain many articles saying the same. The Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Vol 62, No 8, 2013, has an article entitled "Statins, Exercise and Exercise Training," discussing a study that "implicates the mitochondria in statin-related muscle dysfunction."
At age 69, I trekked for weeks in the Himalayas. Now at 75, I'm exercise-intolerant. Seven months of low-dose statin, woke one night screaming with muscles cramps, stopped the statin, but the disease progressed. There are lots of us. Post your own story at Statinvictims.com
3
@sing75 Your doctor should have put you on Co-enzyme q10, which is depleted from your body by statin use. My mother's doctor has her take it and it makes a big difference in her energy and health. Most doctors who prescribe statins also tell their patients to take Co-q10. You can buy it almost anywhere vitamins are sold.
2
@Jackie
Most doctors don't actually prescribe Co-Q10 with a statin, though I agree that they should. (Co-Q10 used to come included in at least one brand of statin, but not now.) But I took Co-Q10 on my own (as ubiquinol most of the time) as well as the other supplements standardly recommended for statin issues. No noticeable help.
If you look at StatinVictims.com, especially at the photos of damaged leg muscles, you can see that it's quite optimistic to think that Co-Q10 would resolve such severe damage. Some people are genetically predisposed to statin damage: there is a DNA test for about $100 that can tell you if you're in one of these groups, where one is 17.5 times more likely to have problems. My doctor at the time told me that this test didn't exist.
But aside from the unknown number of people who suffer severe, permanent statin damage (the US has no sensible system for reporting adverse effects: though most of us think otherwise, no one, including our doctors is required to report--so we simply don't know how many have been damaged), there is the question of whether every single person who takes a statin suffers reduced benefit from exercise.
We're inundated with advertisements and industry news about the benefits of statins (and I'm not saying that there aren't benefits for those who've had a cardiovascular event), but few of us read the easy-to-understand medical articles such as those I mentioned in my original comment. Google statin and exercise.
1
I've worked out my entire life: road cycling; swimming competitively; light weight training; shuffling half marathons (I'm a lousy runner). My new husband doesn't know how to drive, he's cycled his entire life (just finishing 5 weeks cycling in France). Im almost 60; he's almost 63.
No one we meet can believe our ages. We are fit, and many our age are not. But I broke a shoulder two years ago (badly) and it's crushed my health. I could barely walk the first six months; couldn't cycle the first year; limited to five hours on the bike now as pain kicks in too much to continue. I wish all of you reading this - who clearly are all into health! - safe living and continued health. I envy you all! :-}
How I broke it: slipping on a wheelchair ramp. That someone had built at their own ranch. Illegally steep. Who knew? Always be careful!
Susan
Expat in Ireland
#BritMarriesTexan
.
2
@Susan Baughma
My heart aches for you.
That awful expression if you don’t use it you loose it is sadly true.
Hope you can one day ( soon) get back to where you were.
3
@Susan Baughman - 5 hours on a bike is still impressive. Is that still on a traditional diamond-frame "upright" bike? I'm trying out a recumbent trike -- expensive as all heck, but keeping me fit and fun, fun, fun.
1
Run for the health it, as I have told all my teams in the past 30 years, it is good for your head as well as your body. I love seeing my athletes after M.S. running in H.S. and then later in Facebook saying they did their first marathon. It always makes my day seeing my ole runners still running. As I will soon be a former coach of Track and Cross Country. I still run but very slowly. James Katakowski.
4
Frailty is inevitable and finally death. Exercise can hold them off it off as long as possible.
6
God has made body to move with joints and muscle other wise why
Exercise is mantra of good health
But science first made remote then exercise machine
1
At the moment I focus on getting just one foot out of the door here in cold Chicago, everything else follows.
Once walking, running, biking or another way of moving has become a habit, I recommend adding some lifting especially when over 40. The extra strength really adds to feeling healthy, good and confident.
Happy New Year everyone!
5
I am 74 and exercised mostly not.
My Wheaton Terrier makes me walk him
approx twice a day, approx twenty minutes each.
I also do some yard work irregularly.
If I live another year, knock wood, blame
the dog pulling me.
7
The best piece of advice a doctor ever gave me was: Don't stop moving.
9
I’m 60 and most people don’t think I’m anywhere near that age. When younger friends ask me how to age well my simple answer is don’t gain weight as you age, look around most people my age have 40-50 pounds of fat on them. Don’t do that and you automatically look a decade or so younger.
Now the best way to not put that weight on is exercising. Personally I’ve been running and cycling my whole life with a decade of Ironman triathlon thrown in there too. But I have decided as I age to throw weights into the mix. I find it more fun than I ever thought I would and like the way it makes me feel and look. I may not live any longer than my fellow 60 year olds but certainly want to be healthy until I’m not and it’s done.
10
@Chris the way to maintain a healthy weight starts in the kitchen, not in the gym.
1
@Chris
I never argue with an Ironman. That's a great observation and I think it's right. Not only will just being normal weight make you look younger but people will automatically think you're healthy, too.
If you stick with the weights, Chris, when you go to the beach and take off your shirt, again no one will believe you're 60!
1
Ms Reynolds,
I haveread your articles for years.
Being a RN I appreciate the ways you take very complex material and make it understandable and enjoyable to readers without a background in life sciences.
Thank you for your great work.
Paul Cardinet
5
I am pushing 70 - and can safely say in excellent health.
If anything - most think I have a stamina of a person a couple of decades younger - if not more.
And I feel that way.
And I have been exercising for almost 30 years - regularly - as if under a trainer.
I can testify that excercises help.
But to me, why all these studies.
I worked in the oil patch for 43 years - and with a lot of machinery - big and small.
When a machine is running and well oiled - that is maintained - it will live far beyond OEM certified life span.
Something very similar here.
Our body is a God endowed machine. Keep it oiled and maintained - it will live a lot more years than perhaps you care.
29
@Neil
no god required.
7
This article never touched on the benefits exercise brings to the mind. They go hand in hand. Healthy mind - healthy body. This country is on the verge of obesity and will become the number one cause of death in twenty years time.
20
I am 53. My mantras are 1) daily movement and 2) nothing ventured nothing gained. I do one or more of either yoga, treadmill, weights, cross country skiing, road and cyclocross bicycling, and dog walking. Almost daily. For me it’s about fluidity of movement, improving sleep, and sanding those “agitated edges” of stress that are part of life and my office job. A few days without movement are so distinctly unnerving to me so I do what I enjoy when my schedule allows. I just got a kayak so 2019 for me is about venturing more into water at nearby lakes and adding that activity to my list. Retirement is hopefully within five years and I want to be physically ready to do what I wish I was doing more of in my 20s. Great article.
19
Tai Chi for me, and my knees.
4
That sure was a lot of references by the author to the author.
11
@Doug Jones
A good year-end summary. And it prompted all these inspiring responses!
3
I've been an athlete all my life. I've completed International Ironman races, was a swimmer in college and enjoy open-water races in Hawaii, I trained and taught Karate for over 50 years and enjoy scuba diving here in Hawaii.
Last year, I needed orthopedic surgery on my foot and ankle as a result of many athletic injuries over the years.
I found out something that I hadn't thought about before. My health plan gives me a free gym membership and I was taken on by my son's trainer about 2.5 months before the first surgery. (The Master Trainer has an Exercise Physiology degree from a Cal State University.)
The strength, flexibility, and aerobic training I did before the surgery had a huge impact on my recovery. It cut the time I had to use crutches and then a cane significantly. The PT I was assigned to decided that the best thing to do was work with my Trainer and I was off the cane in about three weeks.
I have to end this now and get to the gym. I swam this morning.
15
@cellodad
Your exercise extremism isn’t healty, your injuries indicate.
I (at age 58) look at it this way: I can either spend my money on my gym membership, volleyball rec fees and good walking shoes, or I can spent my money on doctor's visits and medication.
I've chosen the former so I'm not forced to do the latter.
73
There are also limits to the benefits of exercise, or maybe it is possible to exercise too much. As shown in this link,
https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/806552?trendmd-shared=1&src=trendmd_pilot
there is clearly a correlation between endurance exercise and heart arythmias. Does the short intense exercises promoted here contribute to this effect if continued for many years?
5
I notice the lack of comments from 60 year-olds who aren't active.
I guess they are sitting down, watching TV, and wasting away.
Move! Move! Move! It's what we were built to do...until we die.
25
@Cary
I don't know. It looks like we were built to sit. Why are our rears so big and soft and comfortable?
4
May you experience longer telomeres in 2019.
40
Bruce sang, "Some guys just give up living and start dying little by little, piece by piece, some guys come home from work and wash up..." I go to the gym instead of "racing in the street".
4
Yes so true remember well, blading the Mission Beach boardwalks during my college era and observing multitudes of middle age peeps cycling, roller skating and more...left a HUGE impression with me being from Stamford, CT.
Well here in my 60's I still enjoy blading, skiing, backpacking, kayaking and coaching the Youth that I can keep up with and/or leave in the dust.
Inspired? I believe in Planet Farmness meaning that even without access to gyms or Greenways you can obtain fitness via your tiller, rake, snow shovel and lawn mower...my best muscles are from my 'push-mow' from the turn of the century!
Let's Roll!!~ Happy New Year 2019!
10
I used to blade Mission Beach when it first started there in 1988/1989. Every day for several years until I moved to the mountains. Good times!
There’s a line in an old Tom Petty song that goes, “I don’t know but I’ve been told, you never slow down you never grow old.”
Taken literally it means one should still be running 7 minute miles, skiing 4-foot-high moguls, swimming 2-3 miles a day, playing tackle football, riding 20 foot waves, and playing point guard against 25-year-old when 70 years old.
But that’s not what it means. Instead, do the things you like to do at whatever level you feel good at, and play in ways that are within your comfort zone. You’re probably gonna slow down with age. This happens; get over it. But don’t stop unless you really have to.
I’m 69 and still ski and bike and sail because those things keep me alive. And they are fun, and sure beat sitting around the house. I sometimes ski with a guy who is 85. He still goes 40 mph down a narrow expert trail, right next to me. And does it on a snowboard. I rode a lift at Alta one day with a guy who’d been skiing at Alta since it opened. He was 88. Yet, I know a couple dozen guys who seem to have given up in their 70s and are just passing time. A couple pretend golf is a sport, but most seem to be waiting to die. No thank you!
Barring physical disability, age should never be a limitation.
14
The human body was made by God to move and not stop. The sedentary life style combined with a processed food diet and over consumption is a slow march to mobility and a very bad death.
7
Thank you for the useful article.
I agree and disagree with your readers.
- walking is the gateway drug to more aerobic exercises. That is how I started running
- night running, either on the treadmill or outside under streetlights is a great help for sleeping thru the night which is harder for us 50 crowd
- running. Even with an easy run loosens my back, shoulders and legs. Big fan of Nike Running Club and Strava.
- hate to waste a great run by eating junk. Eating well makes me want to exercise and ... vice versa.
You keep up the great writing, we will keep chalking up the miles, pounds and proteins.
12
I have had periods of my life were I had great difficulty falling asleep and I know other people are plagued by this. I think this is part of modern industrial societies stress without physical activity. Over the years I have found that strenuous exercise and light weight training has solved sleep problems without failure. My conclusion is that the more I can exercise during the week the better I sleep.
36
Exercise and healthy eating go hand in hand. Don’t forget the latter.
8
I am 80 and always liked to exercise. So it comes easy for me but there are others for one reason or the other hate it like the Devil hates holy water. Articles like this are very useful as a stimulus for those to do the right thing.
I make it easy for myself, a finished basement with an ancient NordicTrak, two 20# dumb bells and a mat for the floor. My wife's exercise bike is also there.
So there is no need for a gym membership, personal trainer, commute or fancy exercise clothes.
When I was post op from cataract surgery and could not do my usual routine I walked vigorously for 45 minutes in the neighborhood and in the summer I walk nine holes on the golf course instead of riding.
10
Use it or lose it folks. It's really that simple. Keep this always in mind and you'll stay functional and strong for however long you live.
12
the answer to this question may be rather simple (simplistic!)--it might, in fact, be dependent of whether or not your partner, companion, spouse, is lazy or shiftless. If no appropriate category is available--change partners, instaneously, or else you will pay dearly to a high bidder.
4
@Dr. Nicholas S. Weber
What?! dump partner to get exercise ?
2
And that exercise is aerobic and comes in many types of activities. Just walking dos not cut it.
2
Depends on what you call walking. My walking buddy and I have walked 5 miles at a 13:45 clip for the last 20 years. We’ve challenged ourselves to walk half-marathons twice a year and cover all 50 states. So far we’ve walked 12. We’ll be in our 80s when we complete our goal. We are in fantastic shape!
21
Jan,
Walking is great for ALL ages (pace and time matter). Although I do use my spin bike and rowing machine often each week, it is my daily 3.5 miles a day (40-45 minutes) that is the most enjoyable physically, emotionally (thinking time with no distractions, music,etc.) and allows me to hike 10-12 miles at the Grand Tetons and Glacier National Park at 63 with double knee replacements, neuropathy in both feet, and stage 1 Lymphedema in my right leg.
1
Interesting how our intuition and general body awareness lead many of us to exercise in ways later confirmed as helpful by rigorous studies. It's uncanny: after my aerobic work, I always do seven weight lifting machines, which take almost exactly 13 minutes. This practice evolved for me over many years, just listening to my body (and keeping sustainability always in the forefront.) And this turns out to be the threshold at which the study quoted here says one receives the benefits of weightlifting. I'm glad the research confirms my practice. But in truth if my body/intuition disagreed with some bit of research, I'd listen to the body every time.
10
I’m 72 and cycle 80 miles a week as do other oldsters in our club. My doctor says I’m his most exemplary patient. Appropriately, our club is called the Recyclers.
58
I’m 46, I exercise 6 days a week - resistance training and cardio. I’ve been doing this for over 20 years. When I don’t exercise, I feel it, I’m lethargic, I eat wrong, my body feels weird and I’m anxious. I can’t stress enough how important exercise is for bone health, mental health, heart health. Just go do something, download something on up your iPad and get on a bike/ treadmill or just walk.
23
Awesome article! I am 50+ year old. I will keep it up with exercise routine. Thanks!
6
Like other commenters, I have experienced ample and gratifying rewards from a lifetime of exercise. Since retiring, I’ve had more time to read, and I have found the NYT’s articles on fitness and well-being, especially those focused on one’s later years, to be reliable, instructive, and motivating. Just want to say, “Thank you so much!”
28
Not only does exercise keep you healthy, the better shape you’re in makes recovery from accidents easier & more timely.
Also, when I landed in the hospital with a heart attack, the cardiologists were mystified as to the cause, as I’ve exercised for decades, with no risk factors such as obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, my angiogram was clean, etc. Because of this they were forced to look further and it turned out my diagnosis was an extremely rare autoimmune disorder. Had I not taken care of myself I may have been treated for the presenting issue and released, delaying my diagnosis, causing organ damage.
25
Now 60 years old, I still play sports and have been running 3 miles, 4 days a week for the past 20 years. After a run, I feel energized.
I also believe that a parent is the strongest influence in his or her children's lives, so perhaps the best gift that my running habit has given me is knowing my three kids all run, lift weights and workout regularly.
33
For me in my 81st year , swimming laps two or three times a week makes me feel alive.
I was lucky to have compulsory phys.ed. in my youth and was able to continue during my working life.
There are many similar eldlerly people who are blessed by having access to a good Wellness center which is run by Hill Country Memorial Hospital in Texas.
We are grateful.
23
I started working out when I was 27. I have kept it up and now at 63 I can do almost everything more comfortably than those my age who never, or only marginally, exercised. My partner is 31 and we go to the gym together and I keep up with him. And I expect to. I am truly amazed at how I feel when I hear others in my age group complaining. And, I must say, I love the incredulous look on people’s faces when I tell them how old I am. Humans were not engineered to be sedentary, even though that seems to be our life goal the minute we enter the work force. Get up, get out, be grateful for the morning breeze. And adopt an older dog. They will love you like no other ever will.
86
I like what i read; keeping up with him is a must, dale Papi!
@Beyond Karma I love your comment, and especially the part about adopting an older dog! I have fostered dogs, I have rescued dogs, and now have 4, one very old. Talk about love, devotion, and the ability to make you laugh. And...... The dogs are not a substitute, as some people think. I have a fabulous family, including a husband of 54 years, who wins triathlons in his age group! Exercise, family and dogs! What more could anyone want? Okay, some sane folks in the Congress and the White House!
10
I would not trade my workout time for anything. I feel better, sleep better, look better, I clear my head from daily clutter, I get my heart rate up, I sweat out toxins, and it gives me a confidence to push harder in all areas of my life. Plus I like being lean and fit. Some people don’t place high priority on the physical part of life, but I think it’s really important to get connected to it and use it regularly because it’s a completely different existence once you do. I don’t need a scientific study to tell me exercise benefits my life - I experience it every day.
84
As we know, and get a better understanding of why exercise is good for us, I found it key to find a form of exercise one is comfortable, with so it doesn't become a chore. I just ended up a walker after I no longer could jog because of age. Works for me. With that said, I have seen so many friends come down with a disease, and still hope more and more research is focused on genetics and ones DNA.
25
I LOVE these articles on exercise! Among all the very depressing political news to find one story that is inspiring. Now I am going to put on one of my HiiT circuit training DVDs, then a run when the sun rises. Being a month shy of 77 reading this makes me happy! :-) Thank you for the story!
105
I really appreciate the research and openmindness that Gretchen Reynolds has put into her op-ed pieces and particularly the research related to telomeres. Although it may be implicit, I would just like to add that there are now tests available to measure our biological age so that we can determine for ourselves if certain kinds of exercises can improve our health and fitness
16
Thank you for providing this powerful incentive to keep exercising!
41
What it comes down to, which we already know is that exercise and activity are simply good for you. The specifics of our internal biological systems might need scientific detail, and the reports might confuse many of the readers less versed in other reports, but still, the 'prescription' is to get moving.
For myself, I have interests in knowing some of the following:
- Do activities that are considered aerobic but high strength components, like rowing and cross-country skiing, maintain strength as well as resistance training does as we age?
- What is the best balance, and what is the optimal volume, of strength to aerobic training for fitness as one ages?
- Does strength training affect intelligence positively in any significant way? I have only seen one or two studies that said yes, but even then, in small ways.
- Are the intellectual benefits seen in some studies of aerobic fitness real, and what types and volumes benefit our brains?
- How much do other training activities, like yoga, agility/balance, or team sports fit into the mix of desirable activities?
39
@James Igoe Yoga practitioners can be startlingly youthful, same with Tai Chi. It doesn't seem to affect actual longevity though. But quality of life is the main point for me.
15
@James Igoe There is no reason that individuals cannot combine flexibility (yoga), cardiovascular (aerobic) and resistance exercises to get the full benefit of staying active. It is not necessary to do all on a single day. Good careful planning of the week will allow doing all three, which really have different benefits.
19