We know that by making certain lifestyle changes we can make significant gains in our potential lifespan and wellspan (to what age we stay healthy).
One of the most powerful tools is to keep moving . To be active for most of your day . The earlier you incorporate this into your life , the better the benefits . Certain measures of fitness can be used as predictors of your wellspan such as VO2 max ( a measure of cardiovascular fitness- here you could substitute a timed test of performance such as the one mile speed test) , your grip strength , and others.
Some suggest that later in life it’s too late to see significant benefits from doing the exercises to help achieve these improvements. But is that true?
Is it ever too late to become active ?
The short answer is no, it's never too late to become active. Numerous studies show short and medium beneficial changes to health indices when older adults commence exercise programs. Cardiovascular and diabetes risk markers fall, there are mental health benefits, and there is a reduction in falls which is high source of morbidity and mortality in the elderly.
What about lifespan and wellspan ? Can you still potentially improve these by getting active later in life?
A study from 2019 looked at what happened when a large group of people between the ages of 40-79 were followed over a median of 12.5 years. The study looked at baseline physical activity and illness profiles and then tracked physical activity trajectories and mortality. Activity level included what you did "incidentally" through the day in addition to structured exercise.
The groups that started the study with medium and high activity levels had significantly lower mortality rates than those who stayed inactive (28-33% lower mortality).
Irrespective of the starting activity level, increasing activity over time afforded a longevity advantage! This was at any of the checkpoints over the follow up- that is starting at any time put those subjects on a relatively better health trajectory. This applied to otherwise healthy individuals, those with cardiovascular disease and those with cancer.
So just by increasing your daily activity level you give yourself a chance to be healthier for longer.
Of course it also allows you to get outside and experience the outdoors in a much more rewarding way.
So start now, move more every day. Ultimately aim to incorporate some brief higher intensity exercise into your routine. Do some sort of strength exercise twice a week. Get outside. Get active.
Remember you should always check in with your doctor before embarking on a fitness journey to ensure any risk is adequately managed.
If you need any help achieving your health and fitness goals and want to keep skiing, surfing, hiking or snowboarding as you get older reach out to Primal Regeneration . I offer Health Coaching specialising in these areas . My background as doctor, Primal Health and Fitness Coach, ski coach and surfer all contribute to my ability to help you on your journey.
