Exercise Helps Battle Age Related Diseases

This latest NY Times article reports that as people age they lose muscle strength and flexibility, and as a result of this it leads to frailty in bones and a loss of mobility. According to Miriam Nelson, director of the John Hancock Center for Physical Activity and Nutrition at Tufts University, exercise is becoming increasingly important in improving quality of life and decreasing the risk of chronic age-related diseases.

A common misconception is that exercise will cause injury or pain, especially with those who suffer from arthritis, but the truth of the matter is that building muscle strength and their joints it will actually reduce pain and decrease the risk of injury. The perfect balance of physical fitness preferred includes aerobic workouts (cardio, swimming, treadmill, crosstrainer), stretching, and muscle training (which can be done in a gym with a series of machines, or dumbbells or resistance bands and tubes at home).