Exercise & Mobility

Answer :An excellent starting point is the Growing Stronger: Strength Training for Older Adults program, developed by experts at Tufts and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Growing Stronger is an exercise program based upon sound scientific research involving exercises that have been shown to increase the strength of your muscles, maintain the integrity of your bones, and improve your balance, coordination and mobility. At the Web site growingstronger.nutrition.tufts.edu you can jump right into…

Two new studies suggest ways that lifestyle changes can help postmenopausal women reduce their risk of breast cancer.

Can active video games such as those played with the motion-controlled Nintendo Wii give you enough of a workout to count toward the goal of 30 minutes of daily exercise? A new study (funded by Nintendo) offers a cautious yes, demonstrating that playing games included in the Wii Sports and Wii Fit packages can be the equivalent of walking on a treadmill at three miles an hour or faster. Thats the threshold for moderate-intensity activity, about 3 metabolic equivalents (METS), a measure of energy expenditure.

New government data suggest that while US levels of obesity and overweight remain far too high, the rate of increase may be slowing. About one-third of adults were obese in the latest analysis of data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).

In another new study on obesity, the toll of excess weight on Americans health and quality of life was reported to have overtaken that of smoking, even though tobacco still poses a greater mortality threat. The analysis of 15 years of public-health data concluded that by 2008, the obese were losing more quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) through disability and limitations on activity. That contrasts with 1993, when the QALYs lost to obesity were far behind the toll of smoking.

Heres more evidence that walking helps boost your brain-but you might have to step it up: In a study of 299 Pittsburgh seniors, those walking at least 72 blocks weekly had significantly greater gray-matter volume in subsequent MRI scans.

A home exercise program may help high-risk, elderly women avoid falls that lead to hip fractures, according to results of a seven-year study of 160 Finnish seniors. Falls are responsible for at least 90% of all hip frac- tures, noted Raija Korpelainen, PhD, of Oulu Deaconess Institute in Finland, and colleagues, reporting their results in Archives of In- ternal Medicine. Hip fractures place the greatest demands on resources and have the greatest effect on patients because they are associated with high mortality rates and increased morbidity.

Your best defense this cold and fu season may be in the gym. Re- searchers at Appalachian State Univer- sity report that people who exercise more-as well as those who rate them- selves as highly ft-are less susceptible to upper-respiratory-tract infections. The study followed 1,002 adults over two 12-week periods in the fall and winter. Based on self-reported exer- cise, those who work out at least fve days a week suffered 43% fewer days with respiratory infections than those exercising no more than once a week. The one-third who rated their own ft- ness level the highest experienced 46% fewer sick days than the least-ft group. Even when they did get sick, frequent exercisers and the most ft suffered less- severe symptoms. Scientists suggested that even though the immune system returns to pre-exercise levels within a few hours, each workout may provide protection against pathogens that make the respiratory system vulnerable to infection. Other studies have actually shown that exercise may acutely sup- press immune response; this study may refect the effects of defensive responses over time.

A new review of more than 50 clinical trials, designed to update prevention recommendations for physicians, fnds exercise and vitamin D supplements are the most effective ways to prevent falls in older adults. The report says exercise was associated with a 13% reduction in the risk of falling, while trials of vitamin D supplementa- tion saw a 17% reduction in falls. The review will be used to update the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendations for strate- gies to prevent falls.

Yall need to get up off the sofa and get some exercise. New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that adults in the South are most likely to report zero leisure-time physical activity-not even gardening, walking or golfing