Fitness And Physical Decline At Stages Of Aging
Fitness And Physical Decline At Stages Of Aging
— Receive access to exclusive information, benefits and discounts Typically, studies that have looked at age-related physical ability focused on testing those in their 70s and 80s. tested a wider age range — 775 subjects from age 30 to 90-plus — and found that exercise to offset physical decline needs to start before people are AARP-eligible. "Our research reinforces a approach to maintaining physical ability — don't wait until you are 80 years old and cannot get out of a chair," lead author Katherine Hall, assistant professor of medicine at Duke, said in a . "The good news is, the ability to function independently can often be preserved with regular exercise." In the study, published in the Journals of Gerontology, all participants were given simple tests to measure their strength, balance or endurance: rising from a chair repeatedly for 30 seconds; standing on one leg for a minute; and walking for six minutes. Walking speed over a distance of about 10 yards was also measured. Among the results: Both men and women in their 50s began to slip in their ability to stand on one leg and rise from a chair, and the declines continued in the next decades. Declines in walking speed and aerobic endurance became evident in the . More physical activity was associated with less physical decline, especially in ages 60 to 79.
Stay Active Physical Decline Starts Earlier Than Thought
New study says decline begins in our 50s
Getty Images/Blend Images Be proactive about your strength, balance and endurance as you age. By the time you , your strength, balance and endurance are already beginning to wane — much earlier than previously thought, according to a new study. Researchers with Duke University's School of Medicine suggest that physical decline begins in the decade of the 50s and worsens as we age, especially for those who don't exercise. AARP Membership:Fitness as You Age
— Receive access to exclusive information, benefits and discounts Typically, studies that have looked at age-related physical ability focused on testing those in their 70s and 80s. tested a wider age range — 775 subjects from age 30 to 90-plus — and found that exercise to offset physical decline needs to start before people are AARP-eligible. "Our research reinforces a approach to maintaining physical ability — don't wait until you are 80 years old and cannot get out of a chair," lead author Katherine Hall, assistant professor of medicine at Duke, said in a . "The good news is, the ability to function independently can often be preserved with regular exercise." In the study, published in the Journals of Gerontology, all participants were given simple tests to measure their strength, balance or endurance: rising from a chair repeatedly for 30 seconds; standing on one leg for a minute; and walking for six minutes. Walking speed over a distance of about 10 yards was also measured. Among the results: Both men and women in their 50s began to slip in their ability to stand on one leg and rise from a chair, and the declines continued in the next decades. Declines in walking speed and aerobic endurance became evident in the . More physical activity was associated with less physical decline, especially in ages 60 to 79.