What are you doing this weekend?

If you weren’t planning on it, I would suggest doing some exercise and if you were going to exercise – don’t stop.

I was reading the paper and saw something I found fairly shocking.

A study of 2000 adults in the U.S. found that most of them thought that once you were 40 it was too late to start exercising.

Why?

I don’t know why they think this way. It has been proven over and over again, that it isn’t too late and the benefits are for life.

Here are a few great reasons to get some exercise this weekend and to keep doing it.

In a study published by the Canadian Journal of Cardiology comparing old and very old cardiac patients, they found NO DIFFERENCE in benefits.

“We found a few weeks of exercise training not only significantly improved exercise capacity, but also decreased anxiety and depression.”

Dr Gaelle Deley

The British Medical Journal recently studied almost 15,000 adults and found,

Middle-aged and older adults, including those with cardiovascular disease and cancer, can gain substantial longevity benefits by becoming more physically active, irrespective of past physical activity levels and established risk factors.

British Medical Journal

Lifelong Benefits

Another study on 197,685 adults that had completed the Vasoloppet, a long-distance, cross country ski event in Sweden, found that skiers had a lower incidence of depression, Parkinson’s disease and dementia than non-skiers.

“The mechanisms behind this still need to be investigated, but it seems that those who are physically active have a ‘motor reserve’ that postpones the onset of the disease. If a person trains a lot it may be possible to maintain mobility for longer, despite the pathological changes in the brain,”

Tomas Olsson, study author.

What about running?

Doesn’t too much running damage your knees or your heart?

If you are looking for an excuse to stop than sorry, this isn’t it.

A few years ago you may remember an American cardiologist suggested that too much running is hard on your heart.

Amby Burfoot, from Runner’s World, responded by saying in an article from 2011 when interviewing another cardiologist,

“If you think you’ve got something, show me the bodies in the streets.”

Amby Burfoot, Runner’s World

A study published by the American Heart Association in November looked at people exercising for more than 5 hours per day and had been for decades! What did they find?

These results show very high volume (≥10,000 MET∙min/week) exercisers are not at increased risk of cardiovascular or all-cause mortality.

American Heart Association, Scientific Sessions

That’s right. Nothing. No problem. Just don’t start at 5 hours a day, then you might have some complaints.

What about your knees?

Won’t all that exercise damage your joints?

No.

There isn’t any proof that running harms your knees.

If exercise was a pill

Everyone would be taking it.

The benefits include, but are not limited to, mental health; cognition, memory, reduced depression, improved mood. As well as cardiovascular, pulmonary, bone and joint health. Exercise can prevent type 2 diabetes, cancer, high blood pressure, back pain. It improves immune function, reduces falls and improves coordination and reaction time.

Let me know, what are you doing this weekend?

Shayla