“Why Exercise is Important for Seniors”

The baby boomers are getting older and that means we have a lot of people who used to exercise, but are starting to loosen up their routine and become sedentary. Here are some really good reasons to continue to being active as we get older.

Exercise for Seniors Prevents Disease - There are multiple studies showing that if we keep exercising as we get older we prevent disease. Older people who exercise have fewer heart attacks, strokes, and have a much lower chance of coming down with diabetes and cancer. Also those who exercise have lower blood pressure which also means less problems with kidney disease. And they also have a much lower possibility of coming down with metabolic syndrome and thus having many diseases.

What is Metabolic Syndrome – Metabolic Syndrome is considered to be 5 indications that the body is out of balance.

These include excess body fat, high blood pressure, high triglycerides, high blood sugar levels, and high cholesterol. (Being 20 lbs or more over weight, blood pressure of 130/85 is considered border line high blood pressure or higher, triglycerides of 150 or higher, fasting blood sugar of over 100 to 110 or higher, and a total cholesterol of over 200 are risk factors for metabolic syndrome.) These 5 indicators greatly increase the risk of coming down with cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and other diseases including fungal, bacterial, and viral infections, gout, and much more.

Seniors Who Exercise Daily Have Less Arthritis and Pain- One of the ways to keep from coming with with arthritis and joint problems is to stay active and exercise daily. And those who already have arthritis but exercise daily have less arthritic pain. Harvard Medical School actually went as far as saying “Exercise is good, not bad, for arthritis”. But the majority of the seniors in the US walk less than 90 minutes per week, which is just the opposite of what we need as we get older.

Exercise Prevents Depression and Dementia - There are lots of studies showing that seniors who exercise daily have a much lower chance of coming down with depression. A study by Harvard Medical School with three groups showed that those who took anti-depression medications, and those who just exercised had a 70% decrease in depression. This means exercise worked just as well as medications when it comes to healing depression. So anyone who wants to stop taking anti-depression medications should consider creating a daily exercise routine. Also those who exercise daily stay mentally sharp, have more cognitive abilities, and exercise also helps prevent dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

Better Outlook on Life - Seniors who exercise daily have a better outlook on life and have less stress in general. And stress causes cortisol and adrenaline compounds to take over the body… causing metabolic syndrome which in the end causes disease. And those who exercise daily also have greater self-confidence and thus are willing to do more as seniors.

More Muscle Mass - Seniors who exercise have more muscle mass. As we age and become sedentary we start to lose muscle. And with less muscle mass it’s harder to get around. Thus it’s a vicious cycle, but the cure for this is to get out and exercising daily.

Better Balance and Bone Density - Seniors who exercise daily have better balance, and are thus less likely to fall and break bones. And breaking a hip is very common with seniors as they get older. But those who exercise daily have a much lower chance of coming down with osteoporosis and breaking bones when they fall.

Seniors Who Exercise Sleep Better - Seniors who exercise daily have less problems with insomnia. When we have a sedentary lifestyle we never really push our body to the point that get tired… and that means we can’t sleep.
Active seniors such as Jack Lalanne who past away in his 90’s, Carl Reiner, Betty White, and Stan Lee. And so many more like Sister Madonna who is still active as an ironman competitor at the age of 83, Pat Gallant - Charette who is a long distance swimmer at the age of 63. Steven Rounds indoor rowing champion at the age of 85, Tao Porchon-Lynch an active and great looking yoga instructor at the age of 95, and Arthur Webb who runs ultra-marathons at the age of 72… this list could go on forever. But most of all this list of active seniors shows us that exercise is very important as we get older.

So walking, biking, swimming, doing yoga, rowing, or anything else that keeps a person moving is very important for seniors.

Many Blessings to Everyone!

Dr. Paul Haider - Master Herbalist