Your Health by Dr. Rallie McAllister

No matter what your age, it's never too late to start exercising. In fact, if you're a senior citizen, physical activity is an excellent way to improve your overall health.

In older adults, regular exercise reduces the risk of illness, injury and even death. The results of a recent Harvard study demonstrated that physical activity can increase life expectancy, even in folks who don't begin exercising until the age of 75.

In spite of the proven health-promoting benefits of exercise, most senior citizens aren't active enough. According to data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only about a third of older Americans engage in regular physical activity.

There's no doubt that the physical changes that typically occur with aging can make certain types of exercise challenging for older individuals. With age, joints tend to lose their mobility, ligaments become less flexible, and muscle strength and endurance steadily decline.

Because we often have slower reaction times and aren't able to balance ourselves as well as we could when we were younger, we're more prone to falls as we age.

The most noticeable changes observed with aging involve the musculoskeletal system. Without regular physical activity, lean muscle mass gradually dwindles away, while the percentage of body fat steadily increases.

Muscle strength is normally well maintained until about the fifth decade of life. It's not uncommon to experience a 15 percent drop in muscle strength from the fifth to seventh decades, and up to a 30 percent drop each decade after the age of 70.

Progressive bone loss and osteoporosis commonly accompany aging. Women typically maintain their bone density rather easily until the age of 35, while men do so until about the age of 55; but by the age of 70, most men and women will have experienced significant losses in bone mass and strength.

In the cardiovascular system, blood vessel walls can harden and the heart muscle can grow thicker, resulting in high blood pressure and heart disease. As our lungs become less elastic, they take up oxygen less efficiently.

The good news is that regular exercise can help offset many of the changes that accompany aging. While physical activity won't completely stop the hands of time, it can dramatically improve muscle strength, endurance, flexibility and overall health.

Regular exercise helps lower blood pressure and improves the body's ability to regulate blood sugar.

It boosts levels of heart-protecting high-density lipoproteins, while it reduces levels of harmful low-density lipoproteins.

Physical activity helps improve symptoms of osteoarthritis. In the Fitness and Arthritis in Seniors Trial (FAST), exercise proved beneficial to more than 400 elderly adults with osteoarthritis. The exercising seniors not only suffered less pain; they showed significant improvements in mobility and strength.

Incorporating strength exercises and balance training into a workout program can reduce the likelihood of falling. Weight-bearing exercise helps improve bone density, lowering the risk of osteoporosis. Combined, these benefits significantly reduce the risk of sustaining debilitating bone fractures.

If you're an older adult, you may not have any desire to become a world-class athlete. But if you're interested in improving your overall health, strength, and endurance, exercise is your best bet.

Since no single fitness program works for everyone, you should choose one that you can perform comfortably. Most experts agree that the program should focus on improving aerobic fitness, muscle strength, flexibility and balance.

Swimming, walking, dancing, stationary cycling and weight training are excellent choices. The key is to choose an activity that is not only safe and effective, but also enjoyable.

Before you start your exercise program, it's a good idea to talk it over with your physician. Most older adults can engage in some type of fitness program without endangering life or limb.

If you have serious health issues, or if you're planning to take up an especially strenuous activity, such as mountain biking or cross-country snow skiing, your doctor may want to perform a few tests to make sure your body is up to the challenge.

If it's been a while since you've exercised, it's a good idea to start with low-intensity activities and gradually advance to a more vigorous workout. Begin with five- to 10-minute sessions, and progressively increase the intensity and duration of the activity until you're able to exercise at least for 30 minutes on most days of the week.

If you stick with it, your efforts will pay off. You'll feel stronger, and have greater endurance and flexibility, and you may even live longer.

Rallie McAllister is a board-certified family physician, speaker and the author of several books, including "Healthy Lunchbox: The Working Mom's Guide to Keeping You and Your Kids Trim." Her Website is www.rallieonhealth.com. To find out more about Rallie McAllister, M.D., and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

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