Stay fit after 65 to live longer, better

http://www.usatoday.com/yourlife/fitness/exercise/2010-11-21-staying-fit-old-age_N.htm

By Janice Lloyd, USA TODAY
NEW ORLEANS — Baby Boomers better think again if they're longing for a sedentary old age.

Health experts at the annual meeting of the Gerontological Society of America this weekend shed new light on exercise's value as a strong tool in combating diseases often associated with aging.

"How you live after age 65 is vitally important," says Laura Carstensen, director of the Stanford Center on Longevity. "Up until then, a healthy life is dominated by your genes. After that, it's predominantly about lifestyle. Exercise and nutrition become more important."

Alzheimer's and cardiovascular disease, sarcopenia, osteoporosis, obesity, arthritis, and certain cancers appear more often in later life.

To help fight dementia, play memory games if you want, but it might be better to "invest in a good pair of walking shoes," says Peggye Dilworth-Anderson, the gerontology society's president and a board member of the national Alzheimer's Association. That thinking is consistent with a study reported by University of Pittsburgh researchers in October showing older adults who walk 6 to 9 miles a week have a lower risk for cognitive decline later in life.


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