Inspiring Athletes over 50
I believe and when I present my workshops on Healthy Living I always find a way to bring up the idea that as we age, we need about 30 minutes of exercise a day to help us keep healthy. Exercise is good for us at any age, but it is more important as we age, however, many Boomers and Seniors start to slow down as they get older.
There are also side benefits of exercise. At the annual Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in July 2015, scientists report some encouraging news about the benefits of exercise. In the first studies to look at physical activity among people already diagnosed with the early stages of Alzheimer’s, researchers reported that:
- People who participated in the exercise program had far fewer neuropsychiatric symptoms (such as anxiety, irritability, and depression). Those in the control group had deteriorated on measures of psychiatric symptoms, while the intervention group improved slightly. This lead to a statistically significant difference between the two groups.
- People in a subgroup of the exercise group who attended more than 80% of the classes and exercised vigorously (raising their heart rate to more than 70% of their maximal rate) had statistically significant (p=0.03) improvements on mental speed and attention, as measured by the SDMT.
- In addition, people who participated in the exercise program improved in physical fitness, physical function, dual-task performance and exercise self-efficacy.
Participants in the study were randomly assigned to either supervised aerobic training or a stretching group for 45-60 minutes four times per week for six months, using community facilities. The aerobic group exercised at 70-80% of their maximum heart rate, while the stretching group exercised at below 35 percent. The researchers tested participant’s cognitive skills (verbal recall, tests of executive function) and examined blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples at the beginning and end of the study. Forty participants also received MRI brain scans. Participants completed their assigned exercise activities 92 percent of the time.
The researchers found that:
- Participants who completed aerobic exercise (most commonly using a treadmill) saw a statistically significant (p<0.05) reduction in tau levels in CSF. The effect was most pronounced in adults over the age of 70.
- Aerobic exercise significantly (p<0.05) increased blood flow in the memory and processing
centres of participant’s brains, with a corresponding improvement in attention, planning, and organising abilities referred to as “executive function” (p<0.05).
“These findings are important because they strongly suggest a potent lifestyle intervention such as aerobic exercise can impact Alzheimer’s-related changes in the brain,” Baker said. “No currently approved medication can rival these effects.”
I just received an email from Holly, who works for Volume 9 which is an online marketing company. Their mission is to increase their clients’ profitability with innovative search marketing services, best in class consulting practices, and highly skilled operational teams. Their vision is that they will be recognised as the leading provider of search marketing services in the markets we choose to serve. In her email, Holly told me that one of their clients Presbyterian Homes which was founded in 1904, is an independent, not-for-profit and faith-based organisation with a national reputation for creating extraordinary retirement communities, posted an infographic from the Moorings in Arlington Heights, which is below.
The Moorings in Arlington Heights, Illinois is an active senior living community that focuses on enriching life after retirement. They celebrate the seven dimensions of wellness, which includes intellectual, social, spiritual, environmental, community, emotional, and physical aspects of your health. They just posted an inspiring infographic that shows how we don't have to slow down or stop as we age. Read the blog here
The infographic from the blog is shown here:
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Comments
Royce Shook
7 years ago #2
Thanks, Gert, I enjoyed reading your post and congratulations for placing fifth in the long jump. My brother recently competed in a world game in Arizona. His sport is Tennis and he and his wife placed third in doubles, and he placed fifth in singles. I know the competition is very strong at this level and all of the athletes deserve to be very proud of their accomplishments.
Gert Scholtz
7 years ago #1