Washington, January 26: Taking regular exercise helps you to stay physically healthier and mentally sharper into old age, four studies published in the Archives of Internal Medicine showed on Monday.
One of the studies found that women who exercised more during middle age – defined as an average age of 60 by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School – were less likely after 70 to develop chronic diseases, heart surgery or any physical, cognitive or mental impairment.
Another study found that a year of resistance training, once or twice a week, improved older women’s attention spans and conflict resolution skills.
A third found that adults aged 55 and older who engaged in moderate or high physical activity were less likely to become cognitively impaired than their couch-potato equivalents.
And women aged 65 or older who took part in an exercise programme for 18 months appeared to have denser bones and a reduced risk of falls than women the same age who followed a less intense “wellness” programme, a fourth study showed.
—Agencies