The strongest, best-coordinated, fastest older women
with the most endurance live the longest. French women over
the age of 75 were tested to see how fast they could walk
(speed), how many chair stands they could do (endurance), how
well they could balance themselves (coordination), and the
pressure of their handgrip (strength). Women at the low end of
scores for the total of the four tests and for each test were at
increased risk for dying in the next four years (European Journal
of Epidemiology, Volume 21, 2006).
Strength, speed, endurance and coordination are
measures of fitness, determined by how active you are and how
much exercise you get. What you do now is more important than
what you did in your younger years. More than fifty years ago, a
study showed that college football players die younger than their
non-athletic classmates. Data acquired many years later showed
that some hormones, such as insulin-like growth factor-1, help
muscles and bones to grow and make a person a better athlete.
However, these same hormones cause fat cells to fill with fat
which increases a person's chances of suffering diabetes and
heart attacks. Obesity is a major risk factor for premature death.
If athletes continue to exercise and do not become overweight in
their later years, they probably are not at increased risk for
premature death.
Any type of exercise can help to control your weight and
protect your health. However, out-of-shape people are the ones
at highest risk for sudden death during exercise. If you are out of
shape, ask your doctor to give you a nuclear stress test to
determine your susceptibility to heart damage during exercise. If
you pass the test, you should start a supervised exercise
program today.
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Dr. Gabe Mirkin has been a radio talk show host for 25 years and practicing physician for more than 40 years; he is board certified in four specialties, including sports medicine. Read or listen to hundreds of his fitness and health reports -- and the FREE Good Food Book -- at http://www.DrMirkin.com
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