NEWS DETAILS

RETAINING ACTIVENESS AS YOU OLD

RETAINING ACTIVENESS AS YOU OLD.

HOW YOU CAN RETAIN YOUR ACTIVENESS AS YOU GROW OLD.

A new study shows that maintaining a lifelong commitment to exercise may be one of the best ways to stay active in your 60s, 70s, and beyond. Here’s how to make this happen.

Men who are physically active in their 40s and 50s are more likely to stay active as they get older.But if you want to know what this looks like in real life, you only have to look as far as 82-year-old John Berg.This past year Berg competed in 18 events at the Senior Games in North Carolina, including running, swimming, cycling, and shot put.He took home 13 gold medals and two silver.

Although Berg works hard to achieve these results on the track and field — and in the pool — he’s been laying the groundwork for decades.

Exercise keep old people active

Staying active is important at any age.

But older adults may need to be more diligent in choosing the right kinds of physical activities.

HOW TO DO THE RIGHT EXERCISE AS YOU GET OLDER.

In your 50s

In this decade, aches and pains may crop up and chronic conditions, such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, can manifest. As oestrogen declines in postmenopausal women, the risk of heart disease increases.

§ Do strength training twice a week to maintain your muscle mass.

§ Weight-bearing exercises, such as walking, is recommended. Walk fast enough so that your breathing rate increases and you break a sweat.

§ Try something different. Tai chi can be excellent for balance and relaxation.

In your 60s

Typically, people accumulate more chronic conditions as they get older, and ageing is a major risk factor for cancer. Maintaining a high level of physical activity can help prevent cancers, such as post-menopausal breast cancer, colon cancer and cancer of the womb, and it reduces the risk of developing chronic conditions, such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

Physical activity tends to decline with age, so keep active and try to buck this trend.

§ Try ballroom dancing or other forms of dancing; it’s a fun and sociable way to exercise.

§ Incorporate strength and flexibility exercises twice a week. Aqua-aerobics can be a great way to develop strength using water as resistance.

§ Maintain cardiovascular exercise, such as brisk walking.

70s and beyond

Exercise in your 70s and beyond helps prevent frailty and falls, and it’s important for your cognitive function. If you have a period of ill health, try to keep mobile, if possible. Strength and fitness can decline rapidly if you are bed bound or very inactive, which can make it hard to get back to previous levels.

§ Walk and talk. Instead of inactive visits from family and friends, go for a walk together. It will keep you motivated and boost your health more than solitary exercise.

§ Incorporate some strength, balance and cardiovascular exercise in your regime. But get advice from a physiotherapist or other exercise professional, especially if you have several chronic conditions.

YOU ARE NEVER TOO OLD, KEEP ACTIVE AS YOU AGE.

Activities such as carrying groceries and lifting grand children. Balance exercise can help prevent falls, a major healthy risk for old adults. Stretching, or flexibility exercises, can give you more freedom of movement for bending to tie your shoes or looking over your shoulder as you back out of the drive way.

Even if you have not been active previously, it is important to get started and stay active, says Dr Richard J Hodes, director NHIS national institute on ageing. We know that people want to live independently for as long as it is possible.

The main message is to keep moving throughout your life. Sustained exercise is what benefits health most.