Benefits of Exercise for Older People – Chronic Disease Research Base Facts

Some researches on relation between exercise and body human health results indicate that in addition to increasing muscle capacity, physical activity can help improve strength, balance, joint mobility, flexibility, agility, the speed with which one walks and physical coordination as a whole. In addition, physical activity has effects favorably on metabolism, blood pressure regulation, and prevention of an excessive increase in weight. Moreover, there is epidemiological data that show that a strong and regular exercise is associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, diabetes and some cancers.

Mobility
One of the most important factors in determining functional capacity is the improvement of mobility. As the musculoskeletal system deteriorates with age, latter it will be increasing the mobility problems. This is one of the most significant changes affecting adversely the ability of older people to cope independently within their communities and have contact with other people. Decreased mobility well also increases the need for various supporting services.

The human body’s ability to use muscle strength reaches its peak when one reached age between 20 and 30 years. Muscle strength declined steadily with age, most significantly between 50 and 60 years. In a recent study, approximately 30% of men and 50% of women between 65 and 74 not had enough muscle strength to lift 50% of their body weight. At age 70, men are generally able to exert some 80% women and 65%, maximum muscle strength of 20 young people years. These changes are the result of a reduction in size and number of cells muscle. The leg muscle strength is particularly important for walking up and down stairs, and maintain general mobility. Climbing stairs is one way easy to improve muscle strength in the legs. Any exercise of this type occurs before or after a positive effect on the quality of daily life.

Buchner and Lateur (1991) argue that there is a critical relationship between muscle strength and certain functional capabilities as the ability to climb stairs. This means normally say that adults have much more force than necessary to carry daily basic activities. Thus, if the designers of the action plans, when intend to study the mobility decreases depend on people recognize their own functional limitations; the amount of reduced mobility at the total population (including elderly) is likely to be systematically underestimated.

The first age-related changes that can affect mobility are anthropometric changes. Cross-sectional studies have shown that height and the degree of joint movements tend to decrease with age (Schultz 1992). The people between 65 and 74 years are about 3% lower than those of between 18 and 24: it is believed that this act is due to the decrease in disk space intervertebral associated kyphosis. Cross-sectional studies of differences in the degree of motion of joints have shown an overall reduction of these as advancing age in healthy older adults, although the degree of decline varies substantially according to the group of people studied and the size of the joints. In addition to anthropometric changes associated with age, the degree of motion and strength of joints, other changes attributable to age, as the loss of body balance, change in gait and reduced ability to move from one surface to another, might be the rationale for a reduced physical mobility.

Extensive studies on changes in body balance show age-related deterioration of motor and sensory system cause them to lose control of body posture, even when there seems to be specific difficulties. The changes in gait of older people have extensively documented and include shorter steps and strides, and the decrease the degree of extension of the ankle and pelvic rotation. However, this is an issue controversial because it is not clear whether these changes are due to normal aging or if, by contrast, are pathological changes associated with aging. The speed at which walking is related to aerobic capacity (Cunningham and others 1982), the force muscle (Bassey et al 1989), the presence of other chronic diseases (Bendall and others 1989), the ability to rise from a chair (Friedman et al 1988) and cognition (Visser 1983). Recently, Tinetti and colleagues (1994) have initiated a confidence in research on mobility as a factor that could affect independently to mobility.

Also, a study found that the difficulty of moving in and out of home, a low walking speed and muscle strength loss were associated with a increased risk of dying during the five year follow up study (Laukkanen and others 1995).

Cardiovascular Disease
Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death in many countries. There are several risk factors associated with atherosclerotic disease heart, such as smoking, obesity and high blood pressure. There are many data epidemiological evidence that vigorous physical activity regularly is associated with a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease (Kannel and Sorlie 1979; Kottke, Puska, Salonen and others 1985, Barry 1986; Donahue, Abbott, Reed and others 1988; Berlin and Colditz 1990). The contribution of exercise to reduce morbidity and mortality can be seen in many forms can be seen positive changes, for example, cardiovascular performance in lipids blood, blood pressure and thrombotic propensity.

Osteoporosis
The loss of bone mineral density, and increased risk of bone fracture directly related to this event (Cheng et al 1997), has important consequences in Western societies. The age-related osteoporosis begins around age 40 and continues for the rest of the life of the person. Given that women suffer more drastic hormonal changes, they suffer from osteoporosis more often than men. Exercise plays a role important when treating osteoporosis. The general trend of most data from published studies is so consistent that the joint exercises with weights are considered a standard treatment for osteoporosis (Krolner and 1983, Chow and others 1987). However, less clear is the role of exercise in preventing osteoporosis (Elward \u0026 Larson 1992). Data from existing studies are not very useful because it does not include an on dietary changes, weight and behavior. There are also limitations in measurement techniques (Elward \u0026 Larson 1992). It seems likely that the exercise does not strengthen all types of bone in all parts of the body, but rather affects those areas actually used during the process.