Plenty of Physical Activity
Keeping active and physically fit is indisputably connected with lower levels of
morbidity, mortality and disability. The more physical activity you do, the lower
your risk becomes for mortality. The best part is it’s never too late. Even if you
begin physical activity in old age, your risk of mortality lowers at the same time
your risk of morbidity decreases (Church et al 2005) (Franco, de Laet et al 2005,
Taylor et al 2004).
Physical activity has its effect through a variety of mechanisms (e.g. lowering
the inflammatory response and positively attenuating several risk factors for cardiovascular
disease), and is associated with decreases in the risk of developing diabetes, cardiovascular
disease, cognitive decline and mortality, as well as improvements in wellbeing (Church,
LaMonte 2005) (Franco, Peeters et al 2005) (Haskell et al 2007). Exercise positively
impacts all of the big bad five, improving functioning and health, and reducing
disease and disability that already exists.
In 2005, almost one-third of adults 18 years of age and over engaged in regular
leisure-time physical activity. Adults in families with income above twice the poverty
level were more likely to engage in regular leisure-time physical activity (34%)
than adults in lower income families (20%-22%) Osteoarthritis affects 50% of people
over 65 years old. Though it was once thought that exercise would exacerbate arthritis,
current research finds that exercise is an effective treatment for primary, secondary
and tertiary prevention of OA and it’s consequences.
Some of the effective exercises include walking, and aquatic exercises and stationary
bike use. Strength training shows benefits at both low and high intensity progressive
resistance levels (see table containing recommended exercises for each illness (Bean,Vora
2004). Exercise increases bone density and when combined with building muscle in
low and high intensity exercises, helps to prevent frailty, fractures and maintain
bone mass in later life (Bean, Vora 2004). Adults who are physically active
throughout life have higher bone density than those who are physically inactive.
The recommendations from the American College of Sports Medicine and the American
Heart Association state that people age 18-65 need moderate intensity aerobic physical
activity for at least 30 minutes a day, five days a week, or vigorous intensity
aerobic activity for 20 minutes at least 3 times per week to promote and maintain
health. An example of moderate activity would be a brisk walk that accelerates the
heart rate, while an example of vigorous activity would be jogging such that your
heart rate rises substantially and rapid breathing.The recommendations conclude
that people wishing to reduce their risk of chronic disease and disability and prevent
unhealthy weight gain may benefit from exceeding the minimum recommendations for
physical activity.
Physical activity has long remained as one of humankind’s oldest secrets to living
healthy for a long period of time. In the last decades this old secret has been
confirmed by different studies that have demonstrated the health benefits of physical
activity and adequate cardio-respiratory fitness. Church et al, quantified the effect
of cardio-respiratory fitness on mortality among men with diabetes mellitus that
participated in the Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study. The authors found that men
with low fitness levels had a 2.7 fold increased risk of mortality compared to those
with a high level of cardio-respiratory fitness (Church, LaMonte 2005). Analysis
in the general population corroborate these findings: investigators from Erasmus
Medical Center in Rotterdam, evaluated the potential impact of different levels
of physical activity in the Framingham Heart Study. They found that high levels
of physical activity were associated with a 23% decreased risk of cardiovascular
disease and 32% decreased risk of mortality in approximately 12 years of follow-up
(Franco, de Laet 2005).
Furthermore, life expectancy for sedentary people at age 50 is one and a half years
less than for people conducting moderate daily physical activity and over three
and a half years less than for people with high physical activity levels. The benefits
also become apparent at moderate levels (Franco, de Laet 2005).
These results underline current recommendations for physical activity and suggest
that following an active lifestyle is an effective way to achieve healthy aging.
Additional Information
http://www.health.gov/paguidelines/
http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/physical/stats/index.htm
http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/index.html
