Exercise can do a lot of good, but its latest benefit is even better for older Americans.
According to new research from the King’s College London and the University of Birmingham, people who cycle for exercise have younger bodies than those who skipped this type of exercise–something sure to extend their overall lifespan.
The research was published in the Journal of Physiology.
“The highly active older volunteers were not only very healthy but had superior physiology when compared to a sedentary older person, who actually seem older physiologically,” says Stephen Harridge, senior author of the study and Director of the Centre of Human & Aerospace Physiological Sciences at King’s College London. “[I hope to] measure the same people in five or ten years time in order to fully understand the effects of age on individuals of different activity levels.”
For the study, Harridge recruited 84 male and 41 female cyclists between the ages of 55 to 79.
In this experiment, Harridge only looked at participants who could cycle 100 km, or 62 mi, in fewer than 6.5 hours, something used to pinpoint those who were consistently active–and weed out those who lived an otherwise sedentary lifestyle. From there, Harridge administered a series of tests to determine their lung function, muscle strength, and aerobic fitness, noting how old the participants were.
Strangely enough, what made participants weaker wasn’t age–in fact, many of the participants maintained their strength and health even into their 70s. Instead, the biggest factor was how active they were, something that was not an issue for the participants in the study.
This, to Harridge, showed that staying active prevents the body from getting weaker, something usually associated with old age.
“Most of us are inactive, which causes physiological problems at any age,” notes Ross Pollock, leader of the study.
What This Means For You
While cycling isn’t the fountain of youth, it does show that staying active can help prevent the body from aging more–especially for those prone to rapid aging, such as older adults. But if you’re not already active, this doesn’t mean you’re doomed to die early, says Harridge.
“If a physically inactive person becomes active, they will improve,” says Harridge. “Formerly sedentary people are very responsive when they start up physical activity programs. Anything helps.”
As for ways to get active, it isn’t hard, say experts: Just trying to move around more is a great start. Finding gentle exercises to ease you into an active lifestyle can also help–activities such as walking, swimming, or cycling are great choices.
Just make sure to be consistent, say health experts.
“Staying active could buy you extra years of function,” says Norman Lazarus, a researcher from the King’s College London.
Readers: Are you sedentary or active?
Sources:
Cyclist Study Finds Exercise Makes Your Body Age More Slowly (Study) – NewsWeek.com
Wanna Live Longer? Get On Your Bike! Cycling Study Shows Being Active Makes You Younger – IOL.co.za
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