London - It might be a case of pottering in the garden or cleaning the car – but exercise a few times a week in old age can drastically improve your health.
Pensioners who take moderate exercise – including walking or dancing – are two and a half times less likely to suffer serious long-term health problems.
And, refreshingly, researchers who examined 3 500 men and women over 65, say it is never too late to start being active.
Those who carried out regular exercise were at less risk of long-term illnesses including cancer, heart disease, lung problems or Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s.
And those who did vigorous physical activity at least once a week – including jogging, aerobics or hill walking – were three and a half times more likely to have a healthy old age. Those who engaged in regular physical activity for the whole eight-year study period were seven times more likely to be healthy than those who did no exercise.
Dr Mark Hamer, whose study is published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, said: “It’s never too late to start being active and certainly that is one of the main messages from this study. Anything is better than nothing. Physical exercise helps improve muscle mass and this can help prevent falls. The natural ageing process turns muscle into fat which makes falls far more likely.”
Dr Hamer also said exercise may help prevent osteoporosis. The study by University College London comes as separate figures show that as many as a third of adults are becoming obese in their sixties.
Around 35 percent of men and 38 percent of women aged 60 to 70 are now classified too fat, up by five percent in ten years, according to University of Glasgow research. Last month a Swedish study found gardening can cut risks of death by up to 30 percent. - Daily Mail