Fitness Fades Fast After 45

2009/10/27

Based on original reporting by HealthDay News

(HealthDay News) - The declines in fitness that accompany growing old typically speed up after the age of 45, new research shows.

But people can slow the inevitable by staying lean, exercising and refraining from smoking.

The findings, appearing in the Oct. 26 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, are not so surprising in light of the piles of other research that have drawn similar conclusions.

But the new study has broad implications, given the rising number of older adults in North America and the explosion in the sedentary, overweight and aging population.

This study group included 3,429 women and 16,889 men aged 20 to 96 who had undergone two to 33 health exams with lifestyle counselling between 1974 and 2006.

Reductions in cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) were not seen as a straight downward line. Instead, after the age of 45, the slope became much steeper, accelerating even further with increases in body-mass index (BMI), smoking and lower levels of physical activity.

"We've known that, as you age, your aerobic capacity goes down, and the exercise physiology literature indicates it's a linear relationship. We found that this is not the case," said Jackson, who is professor emeritus of health and human performance at the University of Houston.

"It makes sense to me. When things aren't working right, we tend to go down at faster rates. This was true for both men and women [although the rate of decline was faster for men than for women]."

Taking care of yourself could make you, in a sense, younger than your years.

Resources

Article - Higher Fitness Levels Tied to Lower Heart, Death Risks
Click here

Article - Why exercise is vital to health
Click here

Article - Keeping Fit - Part 1
Click here

Canadian Cancer Society - Smokers' Helpline
1-877-513-5333
Click here

Quit: You Have It In You - Ministry of Health Promotion
Click here

Fitness videos - HealthyOntario.com
Click here

Active2010
Click here