Exercise

I am such a big believer in exercise! I grew up doing fun outdoor sports, snow skiing, water sports, hiking and have continued with aerobics and walking. It doesn't matter what exercise you choose to do, just have fun doing it!

(Berkeley Wellness)

Exercise: A Prescription for Successful Aging

 Exercise is good for you in so many ways. It can help you lose weight, gain strength and even fight mild depression, among other benefits.

Other exercise perks include better cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure, improved blood sugar control, stronger bones, less arthritis pain and a more efficient heart and brain.
Here’s a sampling of the studies, all from the Archives of Internal Medicine last year. They are part of the accumulating evidence showing that “physical activity may be the most effective prescription . . . for promoting successful aging,” according to the accompanying editorial.
• Midlife exercise, including walking, increased the odds that women would have “exceptional health”—that is, no major chronic disease or physical/mental impairment—when they reached their seventies, according to a study of 13,535 nurses.
• Weight training once or twice a week for a year improved cognitive skills as well as muscle strength in 106 women aged 65 to 75 from Vancouver. Previous research found such mental benefits primarily from aerobic exercise such as running.
• In a study of 3,900 Germans over 55, those who were physically active were far less likely to develop cognitive decline (ranging from memory loss to dementia) over a two-year period.
• In a second German study, focusing on 246 women over 65, an 18-month exercise program significantly improved bone density and reduced the risk of falls.
• Adding an exercise and weight-control program enhanced the effectiveness of the blood-pressure-lowering DASH diet, in a four-month study at Duke University involving 144 overweight or obese people with hypertension or pre-hypertension.
Take your genes to the gym
Delving deeper into the potential anti-aging effects of exercise, another study, in Circulation, suggested that vigorous exercise may partially reverse aging inside the cells, at the genetic level. In middle-aged long-time runners, there was less shortening of the telomeres (protective caps on the ends of DNA stands), compared to their sedentary counterparts.
Such telomere shortening is a sign of aging in cells—sort of a biological clock. In fact, the telomeres of these runners appeared nearly as “young” as those of runners in their twenties. These were elite runners, but scientists speculate that any vigorous—maybe even moderate—exercise done over the long term may help keep genes young.