Even a Little Exercise at Any Age Can Improve Health

By Jim Miller

Dear Savvy Senior: I will be retiring in a few months and one of my retirement resolutions is to start exercising. My question is how much exercise is enough to be healthy and live longer? – Hate to Sweat

Dear Sweat: There’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to exercise. How much is enough depends on your age, health status and fitness goals, but if your primary interest is healthy aging, it may be easier than you think. Here’s what you should know:

No Sweat Exercise

According to numerous recent studies, you don’t have to break a sweat to reap the health benefits of exercise. While national health guidelines still recommend about 30 minutes of moderate exercise a day, it now appears to take much less effort than that to make a dramatic improvement in your health and longevity.

The biggest health benefits can come from just a small increase in activity such as house cleaning, gardening or taking a short walk – all of which can help prevent heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes, dementia, osteoporosis and even cancer. Here are some recent medical studies that show how a little activity can go a long way.

n Walking: One hour of walking a week lowered risks of coronary artery disease 51 percent.

n Stair climbing: Walking 55 flights of stairs a week lowered death rates 33 percent.

n Gardening: One hour of gardening a week lowered the risk of sudden cardiac death by 66 percent.

n Cleaning: Regular household cleaning lowered heart attack risk by 54 percent in men and 84 percent in women.

n Exercise: Older adults who exercised only once a week were 40 percent less likely to die during a 12-year study period than those who did nothing.

How Much Exercise?

Exercise is anything that gets you moving but how much is enough? Research shows that the most significant health benefits of exercise kick in with the first 1,000 calories of increased activity each week (about 145 calories a day) which isn’t that much.

For example, a 150-pound person can burn off roughly 60 calories during 15 minutes of housework, more than 100 calories for 20 minutes of gardening and about 50 calories on a 10-minute walk. To get an idea of how many calories you can burn doing different activities see www.caloriecontrol.org/exercalc.html.

Here are a few tips to help build some extra activity into your day:

n Take the stairs instead of riding the elevator or escalator.

n Walk when you can, or when you go to the store park your car a block away from the entrance or at the rear of the parking lot.

n View chores such as lawn mowing, raking leaves, dusting, vacuuming, etc., as opportunities to exercise.

n Start a hobby such as gardening that makes you move.

n Try dancing. There are styles to suit any preference.

n Take up a new sport such as golf, tennis, swimming or yoga.

n Join a walking group for motivation and fun. To find a walking club in your area visit www.ava.org.

Useful Books

A key resource on this topic is a new book, “The No Sweat Exercise Plan,” (McGraw-Hill, $21.95) written by Harvard Medical School professor Dr. Harvey B. Simon.

Also consider getting the National Institute on Aging “Exercise Guide.” This is a free, 80-page booklet covering all aspects of exercise and fitness for older people. To get a copy call (800) 222- 2225 or visit www.niapublications.org and click on Healthy Aging.

Savvy notes: It’s important to note again that your health and fitness goals are the key factors in determining what kind and how much exercise is necessary. If you’re trying to lose weight or improve your strength or endurance you’ll probably have to exercise more. Also, if you have health concerns or a medical condition, be sure to talk with your doctor before you begin an exercise program. And, keep in mind that what you eat is equally important when it comes to staying healthy (see www.mypyramid.gov).

Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit www.savvysenior.org. Jim Miller is a regular contributor to “Today” on NBC and the author of “The Savvy Senior” book.