Even Late Starters Benefit From Exercise

From the Oman Daily Observer comes welcome news: There is hope for the couch potatoes among us. People who begin a program of exercise, even late in life, reap many of the benefits of good health. Researchers in Great Britain tracked the health of 3, 500 fellow subjects, whose average age was 64. After following them for eight years, they found that those who maintained a record of sustained and regular exercise—defined as vigorous exercise at least once a week—were seven times more likely to age in a healthy manner, than did those who were inactive.

“Healthy aging” was defined as an absence of major diseases and disabilities, good mental health, no depression or cognitive decline and the ability to maintain social connections. Around a fifth of the volunteers fell into this category at the eight-year follow up mark

Significantly, newcomers to exercise gained approximately as much as did those who were long-time exercisers. The researchers published their results in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, noting that “significant health benefits were… seen among participants who became physically active relatively late in life.” The gain among newcomers to exercise was roughly triple that of those who did not exercise.