HEY BOOMERS! GET EXERCISING
The challenge is learning when and how to modify activity as we get older
“It’s paradoxical that the idea of living a long life appeals to everyone, but the idea of getting old doesn’t appeal to anyone.”
— Andy Rooney
With the majority of baby boomers now in their 60s, the concept of successful aging is taking on more significance. Most people agree that means living independently, free of disease and with a high level of social engagement.
The focus for boomers is on curbing the negative physiological changes associated with aging. Most experts consider exercise the best option for preserving vitality by reducing the risk of many age-related diseases and maintaining physical strength.
Noted examples of the power of exercise to stall the physical effects of aging are masters athletes. Not only are they proving it’s possible to maintain a high level of physical activity at any age, they are achieving performances that rival those posted by exercisers decades younger. It’s not unusual for marathon results to showcase a sizable percentage of runners in the 65-69 age range with faster finishing times than the majority of 20- to 54-yearold runners.
Exercise keeps aging at bay by conserving muscle mass, strength and power, and preserving a cardiovascular system that efficiently delivers oxygen to the working muscles. But it takes an exercise regime more strenuous and consistent than that followed by the majority of 50-, 60-, 70- and 80-year-olds to maintain the body’s youthful vigour. In fact, it could be argued that the training regime of master athletes is well beyond that of most of the adult population.
Another important byproduct of such dedicated training is that masters athletes are, as a group, less touched by chronic disease. So impressive is their health and fitness status, they have been almost single-handedly responsible for the suggestion that a lack of exercise, not advancing age, is behind much of the physiological decline that affects adults over 50.
But not everyone heading into their golden years has the desire to train like an athlete.
With the exception of a small fraction of baby boomers, most of the 60-plus crowd are in a stage of their life when physical activity, both in intensity and volume, is on the decline.
So the challenge is finding the optimal amount of exercise necessary to maintain a high level of physical function and lower the risk of disease among our aging population.
Another hiccup in the drive to optimize aging is our inability to isolate the benefits of exercise from other lifestyle choices — like getting enough sleep, eating healthy foods and reducing stress, all of which join exercise in contributing toward successful aging.
Since we know that most physically active individuals are more likely than their sedentary peers to eat better, sleep better, be nonsmokers and carry a healthier weight, it’s tough to distinguish which plays the largest role in warding off the negative effects of aging.
Finally, we need to sell the value of exercise to baby boomers and the generations that follow. If you’ve yet to be sold on exercise as the fountain of youth, maybe the promise of a better quality of life is enough to get you moving.
While we’re not sure just how much exercise is enough, we do know it’s never too late to get started.
The simplest first step is to hit the goal of 150 minutes of moderate physical activity a week, which we already know is instrumental in reducing the risk of disease. From there, it’s simply a matter of adding a few more minutes of exercise every day until you start feeling more pep in your step.
As for the type of exercise best suited to fight back the hands of time, choose activities that not only get your heart rate up, but also challenge your muscles to work harder and your joints to move through a varied range of motion. Swimming, walking, running and cycling are all good choices. So is dance, squash, tennis, badminton and pickle ball. Add a little yoga to improve balance and flexibility, and you’ve got yourself a winning combination of heart and joint healthy movement that’s guaranteed to add life to your years and, if you’re lucky, years to your life.