Exercise vs. aging - Aging

The Dallas investigators prescribed walking, jogging, and biking for endurance training. They could have achieved the same benefits with swimming, racquet sports, rowing, cross-country skiing, aerobic dance, and even golf (as long as players walk the course). A variety of exercise machines can also do the job, but only if you use them properly. The key is regular activity. Start slowly if you are out of shape, then build up gradually to 3–4 hours a week. A program as simple as 30 minutes of brisk walking nearly every day will produce major benefits.

Resistance exercise using light weights or exercise machines will enhance muscle mass and strength and preserve bone calcium. You’ll need to learn what to do, and instructors can help. But with simple directions and precautions, most men can develop a safe and effective home program for themselves.

Flexibility training will help keep you supple as you age. Stretching exercises are an ideal way to warm up before and cool down after endurance exercise. Like strength training, 20 minutes of dedicated time two or three times a week is ideal. Yoga classes are very helpful, but most men can learn to stretch for health on their own.

Exercises for balance will also help retard some common effects of aging. They will help you move gracefully, avoid injuries, and prevent the falls that cripple so many older Americans.

Helen Hayes was right when she proclaimed, “Resting is rusting.” But although exercise can do much to remove the rust of aging, it can’t do it all. Even a balanced exercise program won’t keep reading glasses off a man’s nose or prevent cataracts from forming in due time. Exercise can’t keep a man’s prostate small or his testosterone levels high, but it can reduce his risk of erectile dysfunction.

To keep your body as young as possible for as long as possible, keep it moving. As usual, Hippocrates got it right about 2,400 years ago, explaining, “That which is used develops; that which is not wastes away.”

Exercise, illness, and longevity
A proper exercise program will help men delay many of the changes of aging, particularly when they combine it with other preventive measures (see “Not by exercise alone,” below). And the same program can help ward off many of the chronic illnesses that too often tarnish a man’s golden years.

Not by exercise alone
Exercise is one way to slow the aging process, but it works best in combination with other measures. Here are some other tips to help you age well:

Avoid tobacco in all its forms.
Eat properly.