By now, you probably already know that exercise is important for older adults. It decreases the risk of dementia, lowers the risk of heart disease, decreases blood pressure, helps you maintain a healthy weight, and even contributes to happiness. But how much exercise is necessary to reap those benefits? And how much exercise is required to lengthen seniors’ lives? Well, a new study finds that any amount of exercise will help.
A team of Norwegian researchers recently conducted a meta-analysis that included 36,000 adults over the age of 40. Of those, 5.9% of participants passed away by the time the researchers followed up with the original subjects. This data was used to calculate the risk of death for the living participants based on their activity levels. The least active participants were at 5x higher risk of dying than the most active participants. Further, participants who spent 9.5 hours or more sitting each day were at statistically significant risk. Whether exercise was very frequent or occasional, intense or light, the data strongly indicates that any amount of exercise lowers older adults’ risk of premature mortality.
“So you’re saying even a 10-minute walk can add years to my life?”
Actually, yes. The less sedentary your lifestyle, the better. So if you do nothing else, a 10-minute walk each day is certainly better than nothing. However, a tailored workout routine that touches on key areas of risk prevention for seniors is ideal. For example, at RenewMe Fitness, we start our clients with an evaluation that tests their ability to perform a variety of movements. From there, we are able to determine their areas of weakness and fortify those mechanisms to improve their quality of life while also lengthening it. These workouts are usually 30-minutes long and have decreased countless seniors’ risk of premature mortality. Nevertheless, if you’re not ready to commit to personal training, you should definitely do what you can. If that means a 10-minute walk each day, go for it!
As research continues in this area, we will likely encounter more specific findings about the most efficient ways older adults can use exercise to improve and lengthen their lives. Until then, don’t hesitate to get started with one of our Functional Aging Specialists. Contact us now.