Shaping Up with Vickey Macintosh of Tauranga Healthy Inspirations

You can't live forever, but with exercise, you can minimise the limitations of ageing far into your senior years.

One of the fears of ageing is being unable to perform simple physical tasks, such as climbing stairs. A four year study that monitored 6981 men and women, found increased physical activity fostered a significant improvement in mobility.

Echoing the research above, this study focused on 349 men and women who were aged 55 years and older. After six years of monitoring, the subjects who were fitter demonstrated less decline in mental activity.

Cognitive decline as a consequence of ageing is getting more attention now that baby boomers are entering their golden years. This study of 18,766 women aged 70-81 years not only revealed exercise can increase brain power, but also reduces the risk of cognitive decline by 20 per cent in those who exercise.

It may not be life threatening, but incontinence can be a humiliating burden for the aged. A study of 2355 women aged 54-79 years were monitored for two years – they showed that chances of suffering this affliction can be significantly reduced with regular exercise, including walking.

Older people can improve their chances of staying pain-free from arthritis by exercising regularly, according to a study that looked at 8750 Australian women in different age groups: 48-55 years and 72-79 years. The researchers stressed that findings showed that increased exercise led to less pain, as those who exercised two and a half hours a week reported less discomfort from arthritis than those women who exercised one hour and 15 minutes.

This six year study determined that men and women aged 65 and older dramatically lessened their chances of developing the heart-breaking conditions of dementia and Alzheimer's by regularly exercising. Working out for as little as 15 minutes three days a week reduces the risk of dementia and Alzheimer's by 40 per cent.