Benefits of Exercise for the Elderly Study

Exercise is beneficial in many ways. Last year German researchers found that middle-aged persons who participated in long distance running appeared to be physically younger than sedentary counterparts of the same age. The reason for this was that telomeres - caps on the ends of DNA - which shorten with successive cell divisions and is an indicator of aging, were significantly less short in persons middle aged runners.

Exercise also improves confidence mental awareness and provides the participant with something to do. Because many of the elderly are less active, physical exercise could boost their morale and provide them with a sense of purpose and well-being.

The bottom line is that it is never late to exercise, the key is to find something that one enjoys and to stick with it.

-healthy_blogging

assisted living is nice if you got some people and a home that cares very much to its occupants ,:`

Linford Christie is still in awesome shape at 50, Odd Haugen still competes in World's Strongest Man aged 57 and many health conscious natural bodybuilders retain a great physique into old age too. I think a good diet and a healthy lifestyle, combined with careful training avoiding injuries can allow anyone at any age to improve their phsyique and overall health, reducing cholesterol, etc. as stated in the article.

I believe in the maxim of "pay me now" or "pay me later." Invest TODAY in exercising and staying in shape and you'll have an EXCELLENT health insurance policy (and free too) in the FUTURE in terms of PREVENTION. :-)
I grew up playing lots of pickup basketball, and biking or walking everywhere. I'll be doing this even when I'm in my 80s & 90s.

Exercise is beneficial for any age group, but what I found is that the older you get, the more likely for injuries, so I think you should take it slow at first and do low impact exercises. My 73 year old father has high blood pressure and he cannot move around as fast as he could before. I bought him one of those exercise contraptions that you can actually use while sitting down and since he has been using it, his blood pressure is stable. Exercise is one of the best things to combat health issues. I cannot endorse that enough.

Although the positive benefits of aerobic exercise are widely accepted, the importance of resistance training in the older population has also become increasingly apparent.

Nice read. Hypertension is not called 'the silent killer' for nothing... so many young people have died with heart failure because of an unnoticed hypertension..

My mom was an Alzheimer's patient in assisted living for nearly 10 years and one of the activities that was part of the residents' daily plan was some form of exercise. Whether seated chair exercises or a walk in the garden, each resident was encouraged to be as active as possible. And the benefits to each person, whether physical, mental, or emotional, were evident.

Exercise is beneficial in many ways. Last year German researchers found that middle-aged persons who participated in long distance running appeared to be physically younger than sedentary counterparts of the same age. The reason for this was that telomeres - caps on the ends of DNA - which shorten with successive cell divisions and is an indicator of aging, were significantly less short in persons middle aged runners.
Exercise also improves confidence mental awareness and provides the participant with something to do. Because many of the elderly are less active, physical exercise could boost their morale and provide them with a sense of purpose and well-being.
The bottom line is that it is never late to exercise, the key is to find something that one enjoys and to stick with it.
-healthy_blogging

I have always believed in the benefits of exercise regardless of age. I think you just have to pay attention to how much you physically stress your body as you get older. I have seen my own father benefit greatly from something as simple as riding an exercise bicycle for ten minutes at a time twice per day. It really helped his energy levels, his weight control and how limber his knees are.