One is never too old to benefit from a good exercise session, even if they have lived a "couch potato" lifestyle up until that point.
New research suggests only four years of regular activity boosts raises the chances of healthy aging by seven times compared to those living a sedentary lifestyle for those years, a British Medical Journal news release reported.
The researchers analyzed the health records of 3,500 people around the age of 64 over the course of eight years. The information was taken from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing.
The researchers were looking for how exercise and physical activity promoted "healthy aging." Healthy aging was categorized as "not only an absence of major disease and disability, but also good mental health, the preservation of cognitive abilities, and the ability to maintain social connections/activities," the news release reported.
The participants were asked to describe how much and how often they exercised every two years between the years of 2002 and 2011.
Their lifestyles were broken up into three groups: "inactive (no moderate or vigorous activity on a weekly basis); moderately active (at least once a week); and vigorously active (at least once a week)." The researchers also took note if the participants' exercise habits changed over the course of the study.
The team used medical records to determine which study subjects went through serious medical events such as a heart attack or stroke. The team also studies the participants mental health using "a battery of validated tests."
Out of the samples, about one in 10 became active during the study; 70 percent of the active participants remained active.
At the end of the study about one in four of the participants had developed a long-term condition; one in five suffered from depression; a third had some form of disability; and one fifth suffered cognitive impairment.
One in five of the participants were considered a "healthy ager." The team found a direct link with those who aged in a healthy manner and exercise. Those who participated in moderate to vigorous activity at least three times per week were at least three or four times more likely to be a healthy ager than those who did not exercise. Those who engaged in exercise all seven days of the week were seven times more likely to age healthfully.
"This study supports public health initiatives designed to engage older adults in physical activity, even those who are of advanced age," the team stated.
