By Prince William

Walk Away From Aging

1 easy exercise to extend life
A daily 20 minute walk could protect from major disability - and add years to your
life, says a new study. The study, conducted by a collaborative team at Yale School of
Medicine and seven other institutions around the country, concludes that mobility in
later years is a key factor in maintaining a healthy body and mind.
The benefits of a daily 20 minute walk come from two directions, say the authors of
the study. Firstly, the physical excersise keeps the respiratory and cardiovascular
systems functioning effectively, as well as maintaining muscle strength and
flexibility. More importantly, says the team, is that the ability to walk unaided is the
key to independence in later life. Independence of mobility is of utmost importance in
maintaining a strong mind - loss of ability to walk unaided was found to result in a
rapid decline in mental health.
The study, published in the May 27 issue of the Journal of the American Medical
Association, involved 1,635 men and women aged 70 to 89, who had previously
stopped all physical activity, but who were still capable of it. Participants were
recruited from varied neighborhoods around the country and split into 2 groups. The
first was assigned a moderate intensity daily walking program and the second were
educated on healthy aging techniques. The researchers followed up on the group for
more than two years, and found that moderate physical activity resulted in a 18%
decrease in mobility disability risk.
Thomas Gill, M.D., the Humana Foundation Professor of Geriatric Medicine, led the
Yale team involved in the study. "We want to change how people live," says Gill,
"Maintaining independence for older adults is both a public health and a clinical
priority, and modifying lifestyle is an important approach to maintaining
independence."

Exercise and aging: Can you walk away

from Father Time?
The clock ticks for all men, and with each tick comes change. For men who manage
to avoid major medical problems, the changes are slow and gradual, but they do add
up. Here are some things that aging can do to you if you give up and let Father
Time take his toll.
Some of the changes of aging start as early as the third decade of life. After age 25
30, for example, the average mans maximum attainable heart rate declines by about
one beat per minute, per year, and his hearts peak capacity to pump blood drifts
down by 5%10% per decade. Thats why a healthy 25-year-old heart can pump 2

quarts of oxygen a minute, but a 65-year-old heart cant get above 1 quarts, and an
80-year-old heart can pump only about a quart, even if its disease-free. In everyday
terms, this diminished aerobic capacity can produce fatigue and breathlessness with
modest daily activities.
Starting in middle age, a mans blood vessels begin to stiffen and his blood pressure
often creeps up as well. His blood itself changes, becoming more viscous (thicker and
stickier) and harder to pump through the body, even though the number of oxygencarrying red blood cells declines.
Most Americans begin to gain weight in midlife, putting on 34 pounds a year. But
since men start to lose muscle in their 40s, that extra weight is all fat. This extra fat
contributes to a rise in LDL (bad) cholesterol and a fall in HDL ("good)
cholesterol. It also helps explain why blood sugar levels rise by about 6 points per
decade, making type 2 diabetes distressingly common in senior citizens.
The loss of muscle continues, eventually reducing a mans musculature by up to 50%,
which contributes to weakness and disability. At the same time, muscles and
ligaments get stiff and tight. Although men have a lower risk of osteoporosis (thin
bones) than women, they do lose bone calcium as they age, increasing the risk of
fractures. One reason for the drop in muscle mass and bone density is a drop in the
male hormone testosterone, which declines by about 1% per year after the age of 40.
Though most men continue to have normal testosterone levels and reproductive
capacity throughout life, many experience a gradual decline in libido and
sexual vigor.
The nervous system also changes over time. Reflexes are slower, coordination suffers,
and memory lapses often crop up at embarrassing times. The average person gets less
sleep in maturity than in youth, even if he no longer needs to set his alarm clock. Not
surprisingly, spirits often sag as the body slows down.
It sounds grim and these changes happen to healthy men. Men with medical
problems start to age earlier and slow down even more. All in all, aging is not
for sissies.
No man can stop the clock, but every man can slow its tick. Research shows that
many of the changes attributed to aging are actually caused in large part by disuse. Its
new information, but it confirms the wisdom of Dr. William Buchan, the 18th-century
Scottish physician who wrote, Of all the causes which conspire to render the life of a
man short and miserable, none have greater influence than the want of proper
exercise. And about the same time, the British poet John Gay agreed: Exercise thy
lasting youth defends.
Exercise is not the fountain of youth, but it is a good long drink of vitality, especially
as part of a comprehensive program. And a unique study from Texas shows just how
important exercise can be.

Exercise and Aging: Walk Away from Father

Time
Written by Administrator
For men who manage to avoid major medical problems, the changes that come along
with aging are slow and gradual, but they do add up. The December issue of Harvard
Men's Health Watch describes some things that aging can do to men-and things that
men can do to stop Father Time from taking his toll.
One of the main ways to keep the effects of aging at a minimum is exercise. The chart
to the right, first published in Harvard Men's Health Watch, shows the effect of both
aging and exercise on different body systems. "Exercise is not the fountain of youth,"
says Dr. Harvey Simon, editor in chief of Harvard Men's Health Watch, "but it is a
good long drink of vitality, especially as part of a comprehensive program that
includes aerobic exercise, strength training, and stretching."