For those who are not familiar, exercising feels burdensome. They are just called to be more active in moving after a long time has passed.
Is there a word "late" to feel the benefits of exercise? The good news is that the word is not in the sports dictionary.
No matter how old we start, exercise will still bring benefits to the body. Research at the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has provided evidence of these claims.
Sports studies usually record the level of physical activity of people at one point in time, such as when young, middle age or more. However, NIH post-doctoral researcher Pedro Saint-Maurice and his colleagues wanted to find out whether the benefits of exercise changed if people remained active for most of their lives or grew active or shrunk in time.
"We don't know much about long-term participation in sports. How do you maintain an active lifestyle, or go down and up again, or stay at a low level of activity that has an impact on health risks?" Saint-Maurice said, quoted from Time, Saturday (9/3).
In a study published in JAMA Network Open, researchers asked more than 315 thousand United States adults aged 50 and 71 years. Participants get questions about leisure time activities at four different points in their lives, aged 15-18 years, 19-29 years, 35-39 years, and 40-61 years.
People who say they exercise anywhere from two to eight hours a week for each period have a risk of 29 percent to 36 percent lower to die of any reason during the period of 20 years of research. They also reduce the risk of death from heart disease by 42 percent and cancer by up to 14 percent compared to people who are not active.
The more people exercise, the greater the risk of contracting the disease. The many health benefits of exercise do not surprise the researchers.
Saint-Maurice was just shocked when he saw people who were inactive when they were young, but increased their level of practice after their 40s. Participants also showed a reduced risk of early death similar to those who exercise consistently throughout life. The decline was from 32 percent to 35 percent compared to people who did not exercise.
The decrease in heart disease and cancer risk is also similar to those who exercise. For these people too, those who increase their level of training get the most benefit. Why bother to exercise consistently throughout life?
There are other benefits, both mental and physical, to stay active consistently. Experts say, getting used to exercise while still young will be more likely to maintain those patterns later on.
A more important message, according to Saint-Maurice, is that the results show that it doesn't really matter when we start training. Even if it's done sometime in the future, sports will still continue to benefit those who do it.
"It is good to maintain an active lifestyle at any time regardless of your age. However, one good thing is that if you are not active, you can still benefit if you start active in your 40s and 50s, based on our results, "said Saint-Maurice.
It should be noted, people reported their exercise habits from several decades ago, so there might be a mistake to remember. The survey did not ask what type of training people did.
Most people who exercise get moderate physical activity to a recommended weight of 150 minutes per week. Research shows physical activity does not have to occur in a longer duration, even for a moment there are benefits.
Other studies have hinted at why exercise might be very effective in reducing the risk of premature death. Regular physical activity can reduce obesity and type 2 diabetes, both of which are risk factors for heart disease and can contribute to premature aging and death.
"This is a good message, to find out that it's not too late if you haven't been on the right track," Saint-Maurice said.
Is there a word "late" to feel the benefits of exercise? The good news is that the word is not in the sports dictionary.
No matter how old we start, exercise will still bring benefits to the body. Research at the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has provided evidence of these claims.
Sports studies usually record the level of physical activity of people at one point in time, such as when young, middle age or more. However, NIH post-doctoral researcher Pedro Saint-Maurice and his colleagues wanted to find out whether the benefits of exercise changed if people remained active for most of their lives or grew active or shrunk in time.
"We don't know much about long-term participation in sports. How do you maintain an active lifestyle, or go down and up again, or stay at a low level of activity that has an impact on health risks?" Saint-Maurice said, quoted from Time, Saturday (9/3).
In a study published in JAMA Network Open, researchers asked more than 315 thousand United States adults aged 50 and 71 years. Participants get questions about leisure time activities at four different points in their lives, aged 15-18 years, 19-29 years, 35-39 years, and 40-61 years.
People who say they exercise anywhere from two to eight hours a week for each period have a risk of 29 percent to 36 percent lower to die of any reason during the period of 20 years of research. They also reduce the risk of death from heart disease by 42 percent and cancer by up to 14 percent compared to people who are not active.
The more people exercise, the greater the risk of contracting the disease. The many health benefits of exercise do not surprise the researchers.
Saint-Maurice was just shocked when he saw people who were inactive when they were young, but increased their level of practice after their 40s. Participants also showed a reduced risk of early death similar to those who exercise consistently throughout life. The decline was from 32 percent to 35 percent compared to people who did not exercise.
The decrease in heart disease and cancer risk is also similar to those who exercise. For these people too, those who increase their level of training get the most benefit. Why bother to exercise consistently throughout life?
There are other benefits, both mental and physical, to stay active consistently. Experts say, getting used to exercise while still young will be more likely to maintain those patterns later on.
A more important message, according to Saint-Maurice, is that the results show that it doesn't really matter when we start training. Even if it's done sometime in the future, sports will still continue to benefit those who do it.
"It is good to maintain an active lifestyle at any time regardless of your age. However, one good thing is that if you are not active, you can still benefit if you start active in your 40s and 50s, based on our results, "said Saint-Maurice.
It should be noted, people reported their exercise habits from several decades ago, so there might be a mistake to remember. The survey did not ask what type of training people did.
Most people who exercise get moderate physical activity to a recommended weight of 150 minutes per week. Research shows physical activity does not have to occur in a longer duration, even for a moment there are benefits.
Other studies have hinted at why exercise might be very effective in reducing the risk of premature death. Regular physical activity can reduce obesity and type 2 diabetes, both of which are risk factors for heart disease and can contribute to premature aging and death.
"This is a good message, to find out that it's not too late if you haven't been on the right track," Saint-Maurice said.
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