How Exercise can be the Fountain of Youth
January 04, 2008
contributed by Paul Kuck

Aging is a universal process that none of us can run away from. As long as we continue to live, we will eventually experience sensory, motor and cognitive changes in response to advancing age.
However, we do not age at the same rate. While some people experience relatively rapid declines in physiological and psychological functioning as they grow older, many undergo significantly less-pronounced changes over time.
Genetics, lifestyle, environment, work etc. all play a role in making a difference to rate of aging. What about Botox, the supposedly youth preservative? Well, that may help in treating wrinkles and facial creases but if you truly want a youthful body and mind, functioning like a well-greased machine, the solution is simpler than what you expect – start moving.
The benefits of regular physical activity is well-documented for the general population but it is only in recent years that much have been done to investigate its effects on the senior population. And the findings are nothing short of encouraging. Regular exercise can assist in avoiding, minimizing and/or reversing many of the physical, psychological and social hazards that often accompany advancing age.
The following provide a brief overview of some of the benefits of regular exercise.

• Lowers glucose levels: Properly designed exercise program helps regulate blood glucose levels. This is good news for those who have diabetes and those who want to prevent it.
• Improves blood lipid profile. Aging is associated with increases in both total cholesterol and serum triglycerides levels. These are major medical problems that lead to the premature development of coronary artery disease. Studies have shown that highly trained masters athletes exhibit favourable bio-chemical profiles (reduced low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, the bad cholesterol, and elevated high density lipoprotein cholesterol, the good one) when compared with sedentary individuals of the same chronological age.
• Lowers blood pressures: Studies have shown that appropriate exercise can reduce systolic and diastolic blood pressure (anti-hypertensive effects) in patients with hypertension.
• Improve muscular strength and tone. Muscle strength and endurance decline significantly with advancing age. This phenomenon is called sarcopenia, which actually starts around age 45, when muscle mass begins to decline at a rate of about 1 percent per year. Resistance or "strength" training has been shown to be a safe and effective method of reversing this muscle loss, in the elderly. Because of this, it can have a significant impact on the maintenance of independence in old age
• Improves Sleep: Physical activity has been shown to enhance sleep quality and quantity, something that’s lagging for the senior folks, in individuals of all ages.
• Improves Aerobic/Cardiovascular Endurance (stamina): Substantial improvements in almost all aspects of cardiovascular functioning have been observed following appropriate physical training.
• Increases flexibility: Aging is associated with changes in the elasticity and compliance of connective tissue, resulting in significant decreases in flexibility and range of motion. There is some evidence to suggest that declines in these areas are due in part to decreased physical activity. Stretching exercises that emphasize range of motion and flexibility have been shown to increase ankle, knee joint and lower back flexibility in older adults.
• Improves good balance and coordination: Balance has to do with an elderly person's ability to get around and live independently. Regular exercise helps prevent and/or postpone the age-associated declines in balance and coordination that are a major risk factor for falls.
• Increases the velocity of movement: Behavioural slowing is a characteristic of advancing age. Individuals who are regularly active can often postpone these age-related declines
• Improves Skin Healing in Elderly. The body’s ability to heal even small skin wounds slows down significantly as we age. Regular exercise by older adults may speed up the wound-healing process by as much as 25 percent.
• Helps in stress reduction. Senior citizens can not only improve their aging bodies with exercise but that by adding memory exercises to their routine they can also preserve their memory.
• Improves quality of life and helps to live longer. Senior citizens who incorporated exercise into their lifestyles not only tend to live longer than those who do not but also improved physical function and experienced psychological benefits as well.
• Helps avoid osteoarthritis. It is Osteoarthritis, which is often due to obesity, that  causes a lot of disabilities among those over age 50 but a study says vigorous exercise may prevent the problem.
• Helps prevent Alzheimer’s and makes you smarter. A new study adds to the growing evidence that exercise – particularly if it starts early and is maintained over time - is beneficial in preventing dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. The new study focused on the physical activity levels of older people when they were middle aged and concludes being physically active in midlife can significantly decrease the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s.
• Prevents Teeth Loss: Senior citizens and baby boomers are pounded with advice saying that with exercise and a healthy diet their mental and physical health is substantially improved. Now, a new study says that even oral health is better. The exercise and-eating nutritiously lifestyle, can reduce periodontal disease, the main cause of loss of teeth.
• Reduces risks of many kinds of chronic disease. Clinical evidence suggests that regular exercise program may be more powerful in preventing various kinds of cancer heart diseases, osteoporosis, stroke than previously thought.
• Helps those who have chronic diseases.  Previously, doctors often advise patients who have cancer, heart diseases, diabetes, etc to stay away from exercise. The new advise now is that this group of people must exercise to prevent the worsening effects of the disease and also prevent contracting a secondary disease.

The above is by no means exhaustive, there are many more benefits still uncovered. As you can see, exercise is like a cure-all pill. The next question is: are there risks involving exercise (side effects)? Without a doubt, the risks of cardiac arrest, joint injuries, etc are there, when you do it incorrectly. If you exercise with great care, the risks are almost inexistent. In our next issue, we will teach you some easy exercises you can do on your own with some precautionary instructions.

About the Author
Paul is the Founder of Fitness Tutor and owner of Personal Training Studio.
He holds a Master Degree in Exercise & Nutrition Science and is a Gold Certified Advanced Health Fitnesss Specialist.
www.fitness-tutor.com