Rewards of Lifelong Exercise

If you were to tell clients they could have the heart health of a 40-year-old and the muscular fitness of someone in their 20s when they were in their 70s, they’d likely want to know more. Well, you could tell them this: A recent study found that lifelong exercisers averaging 75 years old had the cardiovascular health typical of someone in their early 40s and the muscular health of a 25-year-old. The key is to exercise regularly, year after year.

Ball State University researchers in Muncie, Indiana, compared heart health and muscular fitness among three groups of healthy people: 75-year-old lifelong exercisers, 75-year-old older adults without a regular exercise habit and 25-year-old regular exercisers. “We saw that people who exercise regularly year after year have better overall health. These 75-year-olds—men and women—have similar cardiovascular health to a 40- to 45-year-old,” said investigator Scott Trappe, PhD, director of the Human Performance Laboratory at Ball State University. “Exercise wins is the take-home message.”

The study is available in the Journal of Applied Physiology (2018;doi:10.1152/japplphysiol.00174.2018).