Exercise, Sport, and Movement<\/a>, researchers followed a group of 124 older adults as they participated in the MacSeniors Exercise and Wellness Program at the university\u2019s Physical Activity Centre of Excellence (PACE).\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\nOver five years, researchers at McMaster University monitored two critical long-term health indicators \u2014 cardiorespiratory fitness and muscle strength \u2014 which are key determinants of quality of life, functional independence, and risks of illness and death.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Each person was encouraged to attend the program at least twice per week and complete a minimum of 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise per session (ideally 150 minutes per week), plus resistance training for every major muscle group, in keeping with national physical activity guidelines for older adults.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Researchers found that men experienced slower declines in cardiorespiratory fitness than expected, while women\u2019s cardiorespiratory fitness actually improved throughout the study. Both groups also maintained greater muscle strength than expected for their age.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a period in life when many physiological systems are in decline. The fact that\u00a0participants\u00a0could maintain their function, lessen the expected age-related fitness changes, and, in the case of females, reverse them, really underscores the importance of community-based exercise programs,\u201d says Angelica McQuarrie, co-author of the paper and Program Manager at PACE.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
McQuarrie designed the study with supervising author Maureen MacDonald, a professor in the Department of Kinesiology.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cA supportive social environment plays a vital role in keeping older adults engaged, connected, and motivated to return,\u201d\u00a0explains co-author and kinesiology\u00a0PhD\u00a0graduate Giulia Coletta.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen that environment is paired with an evidence-based program, it not only promotes safe and effective physical activity but also empowers older adults with the knowledge and confidence to exercise independently. This combination is key to fostering long-term health benefits.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Evidence\u00a0suggests that men and women experience a steady age-related decline in aerobic capacity after the age of 30, a trend that accelerates between the ages of 45 and 50 and continues into our 70s and 80s.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Muscle strength, which helps reduce the risk of falls and disability in older adults, also declines over time. Evidence shows that muscle strength begins to decline as early as age 30 or 40, and the decline becomes more pronounced after 50.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
By age 40, respiratory muscle strength, which helps us to inhale and exhale, decreases about 8 to 10\u00a0per cent\u00a0per decade, a decline that can have serious consequences for overall health and mobility.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThese kinds of programs provide a sustainable, low-cost option for older adults where they are guided and monitored and can exercise with their peers in a friendly, non-intimidating environment,\u201d\u00a0says co-author Stuart Phillips, director of PACE.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s never too late to get started, and the impact is significant in terms of the effect it will have on participants\u2019 daily lives,\u201d he says.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Click here for more information on the MacSeniors program and PACE.<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Consistent, age-appropriate exercise can play a powerful role in helping seniors improve health and maintain function as they…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":187897,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[1198,210,105220,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-187896","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fitness","8":"tag-fitness","9":"tag-health","10":"tag-mcmaster-universityseniors-exercise","11":"tag-united-states","12":"tag-unitedstates","13":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/187896","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=187896"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/187896\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/187897"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=187896"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=187896"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=187896"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}