Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Getting older.....and exercise

I don't think I'm old....just 40 and even 44 can look good (remember Keith!) Still as i am getting older I am aware that it is taking longer to recover between tough sessions. I'm just not interested in being crippled by soreness and exhaustion any more as I explained here.

New research

you might be interested in some new research on training and the ageing athlete in the latest edition of the Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine.

Articles include:

Cardiovascular Aging and Exercise in Healthy Older Adults.

Conclusions: Lack of physical activity is a major risk factor for the epidemic of chronic disease and disability facing an aging population. Many age-associated changes in cardiovascular function result from physical inactivity. The benefits of regular exercise include prevention of cardiovascular events, disability, and cognitive impairment. Age is not a contraindication to exercise, which can usually be initiated safely in older persons.

Is Regular Exercise a Friend or Foe of the Aging Immune System? A Systematic Review

Conclusions: Overall, in healthy older adults, regular, particularly aerobic, exercise appears to be a friend of the immune system, helping to offset diminished adaptive responses and chronic inflammation. The possibility exists that particularly strenuous exercise may cause acute immunologic changes, such as diminished NK cell activity, which could predispose to infection in certain individuals. However, given the possible benefits of regular exercise on the immune system and the many definite benefits on other systems, the evidence presented here should not dissuade practitioners from suggesting regular exercise to otherwise healthy older adults.


Rannoch Donald said...


Good stuff. For me, the key marker in aging has to be mobility. Once that is compromised everything else becomes much harder. A mobile person can build strength, cv, endurance. An immobile person cannot. As someone who's experienced both sides, I can tell you. once mobility goes you stop being a predator and become the prey!

Chris said...

I agree Rannoch.

Since your workshops and then Combat Ready I've been trying to do a lot more mobilty drills. I have also been working through Sonnon's free booklet which is very good.