I like this latest report. According to a new study, even if you were pretty much potato on the couch for most of your life, it’s not too late. You can still get in shape at a late middle age and help your heart act as if it were 20 years younger.
A study published in the journal American Circulation, Circulation, examined healthy but sedentary people between the ages of 45 and 64.
Individuals were placed in two different groups. The first group participated in a non-aerobic exercise program, such as yoga, balance training and weight training three times a week. The second group performed aerobic exercises of medium and high intensity for four or more days a week.
After two years, the group participating in the high-intensity exercises saw a dramatic improvement in the function of their hearts.
“We took those 50-year-old hearts and turned the clock back to 30- or 35-year-old hearts,” said Dr. Ben Levin, a sports cardiologist at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and director of the Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine at Presbyterian Hospital Texas "Their hearts processed oxygen more efficiently and were noticeably less harsh."
Sorry, but walking the dog around the block a couple of days a week doesn't seem to do the trick. Of course, any exercise is better than nothing, but if you want to return the watch to your heart, you will need a little more. A key part of an effective exercise regime was interventional training — short bursts of intense training, followed by a few minutes of recovery.
The researchers relaxed the training group in their routine with three, 30-minute, moderate exercise sessions per week for the first three months and created a regular set of workouts that peaked at 10 months and included:
* Two days of high intensity interval: four minutes with 95 percent of a person’s maximum ability (for example, fast-paced running or a quick transition to resistance), and then three minutes of active recovery (slow motion, brisk walking or pedaling slower), repeated four times.
* One day of one-hour medium-intensity exercise, which increased heart rate, and the participant enjoyed dancing, tennis, swimming, cycling, or a brisk walk.
* One or two days of 30-minute exercise sessions of medium intensity, which means that the participant will break the sweat, breathed a little, but can still lead the conversation.
* One or two weekly training sessions using weights or simulators either on a separate day or after a session of training.
According to Levin, participants were asked to use diversification with a variety of different simulators (stationary bikes, treadmills, elliptical trainers) and practice outdoor exercises (jogging and cycling) in order to remain motivated and interested.
Active training was important, Levin stressed, even if it was once a week. Explaining this, he tried his best to strain his heart for four minutes, and he forced him to function more efficiently. Repeating intervals helps strengthen the heart and circulatory system.
Another advantage? “It breaks the monotony of just walking,” he said. “Most people really enjoy high intensity work. You think that they will not like it, but they will like the fact that it is short, and they like that after that they feel stronger. "
Participants tracked heart rate, which is perfect. But as an alternative, use a simple test for current. During high-intensity intervals, you should work hard enough and breathe hard enough that you cannot speak comfortably in long phrases.
You should not wait too long, Levin warned. “The sweet spot in life to get off the couch and start playing sports is at the end of middle age, when the heart is still plastic,” Levin said. You may not be able to undo the aging of your heart if you wait until you start 70 years.
But you will still see the benefits of employment. A research team at Tufts University found that frail people, old people, like 89, can tolerate an exercise regime that includes walking, leg lifts and stretching. The participants may not have returned the clocks in their hearts, but they improved, which could be of great importance. Exercises helped them maintain mobility and reduced their chances of becoming physically disabled.
"You have never been too old or you have never been too weak or you have never been too weak [to benefit from a physical activity program], said Roger Fielding of Tufts, who led the study, published in Annals of Internal Medicine.
Of course, before you start any intense exercise program, be sure to consult with your doctor. Then get off this couch and start moving!
