Exercise & Fitness for Senior Citizens

Statins Block Benefits of Exercise in Study of Obese Adults at University of Missouri

If patients start exercising and taking simvastatin at same time, it seems the statins block the ability of exercise to improve their fitness levels

By Kate McIntyre

May 16, 2013 – Statins, the most widely prescribed drugs worldwide, are often suggested to lower cholesterol and prevent heart disease in individuals with obesity, diabetes and metabolic syndrome, which is a combination of medical disorders including excess body fat and/or high levels of blood pressure, blood sugar and/or cholesterol. However, University of Missouri researchers found that simvastatin, a generic type of statin previously sold under the brand name “Zocor,” hindered the positive effects of exercise for obese and overweight adults. Read more...

Exercise & Fitness for Senior Citizens

Exercise Fails to Help Depressed Elderly in London Care Homes

Popular with residents but it had no effect on depression or general quality of life

May 2, 2013 – Exercise often seems to be an automatic recommendation for anything that ails a senior citizen. New research indicates, however, that this common solution for better mental and physical health has met its match in trying to help elderly living in nursing homes and assisted living facilities escape from depression. Read more...

Exercise & Fitness for Senior Citizens

Knee Brace Proven to Significantly Reduce Pain of Kneecap Osteoarthritis

Enormous potential for treating common joint condition effectively; providing a simple and cheap alternative to painkillers

April 19, 2013 - A lightweight knee brace can dramatically improve the function and reduce the pain associated with osteoarthritis the affects the kneecap, says a study released today by researchers at The University of Manchester that was funded by Arthritis Research UK. Read more...

Exercise & Fitness for Senior Citizens

Walking Slowly Associated with Poor Health in Senior Citizens but It May Be Due to Fat Thighs

Study finds older adults who gained the most thigh fat and lost the most thigh muscle were at greatest risk of a meaningful decline in walking speed

Feb. 19, 2013 – Previous studies have shown that walking speed declines with age and the slower senior citizens walk the less time they have to live. A new study suggests, however, that prevention of age-related declines in walking speed isn't just about preserving muscle mass, it's also about preventing fat gain – in the thighs. Read more...

Aging News & Information

Exercise & Fitness for Senior Citizens

Mental Abilities in Older People Retained and Even Improved by Aerobic Exercise

Task switching, selective attention, working memory and more benefit from aerobic exercise

Dec. 13, 2012 – New research has found that older people can retain and even improve certain mental abilities through aerobic exercise, including mental tasks associated with driving. Particular aspects of cognitive function such as task switching, selective attention and working memory among others, all appear to benefit from aerobic exercise. Read more...

Aging News & Information

Unique Joint Replacement Promo Features Olympic Coach, Others Writing Letters to Younger Selves

Legendary Coach Mike Krzyzewski teams with author Ellyn Spragins to release "Had I Known Then," A collection of letters from former joint pain sufferers to their younger selves

Dec. 7, 2012 – In a unique way to encourage those with joint pain to consider joint replacement, an orthopedics company has published an online booklet that features a U.S. Olympics coach and several others who regret not having their painful joints replaced earlier. Senior citizens and baby boomers, the most likely to have debilitating osteoarthritis, often delay hip or knee replacement surgery for years due to fear, misinformation or a lack of awareness about treatment options. Read more, see video...

Alzheimer's, Dementia & Mental Health

Even Older People Can Slow Alzheimer’s, Other Dementia with Active Lifestyle

Data kept for 20 years; lifestyle factors included recreational sports, gardening, yard work, bicycling, dancing and riding exercise cycle

Nov. 27, 2012 - Previous studies have indicated that exercise may slow the progression of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. A study presented today, however, focused on senior citizens – average age 78 – and concluded an active lifestyle helps preserve gray matter in the brains of older adults and could reduce the burden of dementia and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Read more...

Exercise & Fitness for Senior Citizens

Free Bus Passes Appear to Open Door to Health Benefits for Older People

Researchers point to other studies that also show seniors more likely to be physically active if using the buses

Sept. 20, 2012 – A novel way to encourage older people to be more physically active is to provide them with free bus passes, say the authors of a study published today in the American Journal of Public Health. Read more...

Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens

Fitness at Middle Age Leads to Lower Risk of Chronic Disease in Senior Years

Even study participants who died had fewer chronic ailments to the end

Aug. 27, 2012 - A new study declares that fitness in middle age points to less chronic health problems in later life. And, even those who died in old age, seemed to have less of these chronic ailments right up to the end. The study involved both senior men and women, older than 65, who were Medicare patients. Read more...

Exercise & Fitness for Senior Citizens

Exercise & Fitness for Senior Citizens

Group Yoga Helps Stroke Victims Improve Function, Balance

Helps patients long after stroke; cost effective; may help them be more active; oldest over 90

July 27, 2012 – Group yoga can improve motor function and balance in stroke survivors, even if they don't begin yoga until six months or more after the stroke and no longer receive rehabilitative care, according to new research in the American Heart Association journal Stroke. One patient was in his 90s. Read more...

Nutrition, Vitamins & Supplements

Older Women Lose Weight Best with Journal, No Skipped Meals, Lunch In

Findings show with simple tools postmenopausal women –at greater risk for weight gain – can lose weight successfully

July 13, 2012 - Older women who want to lose weight should faithfully keep a food journal, and avoid skipping meals and eating in restaurants – especially at lunch – suggests new research from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. The most important of these, the researchers report, is the food journal. Read more...

Exercise & Fitness for Senior Citizens

Breast Cancer Risk Reduced by Mild Physical Activity if Weight Maintained

Reduced risk for older women who exercise after menopause is particularly encouraging

June 25, 2012 - Physical activity – either mild or intense, and before or after menopause – may reduce breast cancer risk, but substantial weight gain may negate these benefits, according to a new analysis by University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers. Read more...

Tai Chi Enlarges Brains, Improves Memory, Thinking in Elderly Chinese

First trial showing lesser aerobic exercise, with stimulating discussion increased brain volume, improved results on memory, thinking tests

June 19, 2012 - Scientists from the University of South Florida in Tampa and Fudan University in Shanghai found increases in brain volume and improvements on tests of memory and thinking in Chinese seniors who practiced Tai Chi three times a week, reports an article published today in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. Read more...

Senior Citizen Longevity & Statistics

100 year olds eat and sleep better than baby boomers; consider social connections a key to quality life

June 12, 2012 - Most centenarians say they exercise almost every day. Walking is their favorite physical activity but exercises to build muscle is almost as popular among those 100 years old and older, reports the UnitedHealthcare’s seventh annual 100@100 survey. This year baby boomers were also surveyed for comparison and there were surprises. Read more, link to video interview...

Exercise & Fitness for Senior Citizens

Senior Wii Bowlers Head to LA Thursday for California Championship

Bowling by waving a remote control at a television screen is catching on with senior citizens across the country with many participating in National Senior League - see great video by Erickson Sports at bottom

April 25, 2012 – Thursday is a big day in the booming world of Wii bowling. Teams from across the state will be representing their senior community in the National Senior League’s California State Championship. The Wii remotes will be swinging at Vintage Westwood Horizons, 947 Tiverton Ave., Los Angeles. Read more, See Video...

Exercise & Fitness for Senior Citizens

L.A. Wellness Club Uses Microsoft's Kinect and HealthVault to Enhance Seniors’ Well-Being

Microsoft Corp., the LA Department of Aging, Partners in Care Foundation and St. Barnabas Senior Services today unveiled an innovative fitness program for senior citizens called the Exergamers Wellness Club, which combines technology with exercise, overall health monitoring and evidence-based health education from Partners in Care

April 4, 2012 —Orlando Estrada, 77, experienced so much pain and loss of balance after his two knee-replacement surgeries that he needed a wheelchair to get around. Taking the bus was an ordeal, and he got so little exercise that his blood pressure was heading toward the danger zone. Read more...

 - If you’re an older adult who hasn’t been active in recent years, one of the easiest ways to ease back into activity is walking – the most basic exercise there is, yet, highly touted by the American Heart Association and other health experts. It can be done by almost everyone, almost anywhere, and it can have a major positive impact on your health and happiness. Read more...

Walking Helps Senior Citizens Alleviate Fatigue after Cancer Operation

New study reveals how a regular walking regimen helped pancreatic cancer patients overcome fatigue; major problem for almost all cancer survivors

April 2, 2012 Researchers have affirmed that pancreatic cancer patients can literally take a step-by-step approach to combat fatigue. A study published in the April issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons reports that patients who underwent an operation as part of their cancer treatment and then started a regular walking regimen experienced less fatigue than cancer survivors who did not do the walking program. Read more...

Keeping Fit into the "Golden Years" Involves Four Main Areas of Focus

Expert offers tips to help senior citizens live longer healthier lives – see video

By Dr. Judith Black, Highmark Inc

March 12, 2012 - Americans are living longer and are in better physical condition than their predecessors because today's senior citizens are more aware of the need to remain physically active into their "Golden Years. Read more, see video...

Seniors With Medical, Psychological Stress Should Consider Yoga, Study Says

Yoga considered by many a tremendous tool for combating the concerns of an aging society, see video

March 6, 2012 - Senior citizens - the age group most often dealing with stress-related psychological and medical conditions – may want to see if yoga offers relief. A new study says it is effective in treating patients with depression, anxiety, high blood pressure and cardiac disease. Read more, see video...

Walking Clubs Offer Senior Citizens a Simple, Free Way to Better Health, Fitness

American Heart Association adds another national program to promote walking as most effective physical activity

Jan. 17, 2012 - Regular walking, a favorite exercise for senior citizens, is one of the most effective forms of physical activity that delivers substantial health benefits and improves heart health, says the American Heart Association. The latest addition to their tools for persuading people to exercise or Walking Clubs, which are quickly being formed in communities across the U.S. Read more...

Brief, High-Intensity Workouts Appear to Help Diabetics Lower Blood Sugar

Improved blood sugar levels even though they did not lose weight during short two-week study - see video

Dec. 12, 2011 - Brief high intensity workouts - as little as six sessions over two weeks -  rapidly lower blood sugar levels in type 2 diabetics, offering a potential fix for patients who struggle to meet exercise guidelines, according to researchers at McMaster University in Canada. Read more...

Physical Fitness Trumps Body Weight in Reducing Death Risks for Older Men

Good news for seniors, middle-aged men who are physically active, but do not lose weight – less worry about BMI being a little high if physically fit

Dec. 10, 2011 - If you maintain or improve your fitness level - even if your body weight has not changed or increased - you can reduce your risk of death, according to research reported in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association. This study was only of men but the researchers say it is likely to apply to women, too. Read more...

Older Runners Increasing Fast, Remaining Fast Runners as They Age

Efficiency of using oxygen no different for seniors than younger runners

Nov. 29, 2011 - Runners over the age of 60 are the fastest-growing group in the sport. A new study from the University of New Hampshire suggests that their running can remain fast as they age, too. Read more...

Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens

Study Finds Heart Failure Patients Benefit from Leg Muscle Exercise

By warming up properly, patients can improve the oxygenation, performance of their leg muscles, which is beneficial in promoting beneficial exercise

Oct. 31, 2011 - Doctors should not only treat the heart muscle in chronic heart failure patients, but also their leg muscles through exercise, say researchers in a major new study of the disease that primarily hits senior citizens. Read more...

Sex and Romance for Senior Citizens

Older Men With Higher Testosterone Levels Lose Less Muscle, Strength As They Age

Testosterone may help senior men preserve muscle and delay frailty; men lose more muscle and strength than women as they age

Oct. 27, 2011 - A recent study of men 65 and older finds elderly men with higher levels of testosterone lost less lean muscle mass, especially if they were losing weight. In these men, higher testosterone levels were also resulted in less loss of lower body strength. Loss of muscle mass and strength contribute to frailty and are associated with falls, mobility limitations and fractures. Read more...

Exercise & Fitness for Senior Citizens

Stretching Program or with Yoga Relieves Chronic Back Pain; Self-Help Book Fails

Suggests yoga's benefits largely due to physical benefits of stretching and strengthening the muscles - not its mental components

Oct. 24, 2011 - It’s hardly surprising that yoga and stretching classes were more effective than handing folks a book on self-care for patients with chronic low back pain. What may surprise many is that stretching and yoga produced about the same results in reducing symptoms and improving function. But, the progress with yoga is probably from stretching, not the mental exercise. Read more...

Boomers and Their Senior Parents Are Targets of New Go4Life Fitness Effort

Public-private effort led by NIH focuses on fitness for older adults - only 25% of senior citizens engage in regular physical activity

Oct. 20, 2011 - Being physically active is vital to maintaining health and independence as we age, and a new federal campaign for people 50 and older will help them to get active and keep going. Introduced today by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Go4Life campaign encourages sedentary older adults to reap health benefits by making physical activity part of their daily lives. Only 25 percent of people aged 65-74 say they engage in regular physical activity. Read more...

Nutrition, Vitamins & Supplements for Seniors

My Aching Knees Seemed to Be Cured by Omega-3, New Study Says It May Be True

UK researchers find omega-3 fatty acids slow down osteoarthritis, at least in guinea pigs; I think it worked for me!

By Tucker Sutherland, editor, SeniorJournal.com

Oct. 17, 2011 – As an active – well very active – tennis player for many years, when I turned 70 I was worried my playing days might end due to my aching knees. I never took the court without wearing the latest in knee protection devices. Then, shortly after I increased my daily regimen of fish oil pills, the knee pain disappeared. I was convinced my joints were now better “oiled.” New research says there may be something to this. Read more...

Exercise & Fitness for Senior Citizens

Aerobic Exercise  Important Therapy for Preventing, Slowing Down Dementia

Mayo Clinic: ‘very compelling argument for exercise as a disease-modifying strategy to prevent dementia and mild cognitive impairment’

Sept. 7, 2011 - Any exercise that gets the heart pumping may reduce the risk of dementia and slow the condition's progression once it starts, reported a Mayo Clinic study published this month in Mayo Clinic Proceedings. Read more...

Nutrition, Vitamins & Supplements

Dieting Beats Exercise for Diabetes Prevention in Older Women, Combo Is Best

Strengthening exercise appears to have greater benefits for insulin resistance than aerobic exercise

By Carl Sherman, Health Behavior News Service

Sept. 2, 2011 - Lifestyle changes that include dieting to lose weight and exercise can help prevent type 2 diabetes, but researchers were uncertain which element contributes more. A new study suggests that, in postmenopausal women at least, dietary weight loss alone is effective while exercise alone is not effective, and both together are best of all. Read more, see video

Exercise & Fitness for Senior Citizens

Older Adults Should Keep on Exercising: Benefits Accumulate as People Age

During 53-year study, grip strength, standing balance, chair rise times used as indicators of strength, physical performance

Aug. 25, 2011 – Adults are encouraged to exercise at any age, even if they have not exercised in the past. A new study, however, puts emphasis on those who have exercised in younger years to keep on doing it, because the benefits of physical activity accumulate over a lifetime. Read more...

Aerobic Exercise Beats Resistance Training at Burning Belly Fat

Duke study involved adults up to age 70; what really counts is how much exercise you do

Aug. 25, 2011 – A study of overweight adults up to age 70 has found that aerobic exercise is your best bet when it comes to losing that dreaded belly fat, a new study finds. Good news for senior citizens, who sometimes find resistance training too difficult. Read more...

Alzheimer's, Dementia & Mental Health

Senior Citizens Increase Risk of Cognitive Decline with Too Much Salt, Too Little Exercise

Believed to be first study linking benefits of a low sodium diet to brain health in healthy older adults

Aug. 22, 2011 – Senior citizens who lead sedentary lifestyles and consume a lot of sodium in their diet may be putting themselves at risk for more than just heart disease. A new reports says it appears to also be detrimental to your mental health. Read more...

Exercise & Fitness for Senior Citizens

Senior Citizens Prove They Can Learn to Stick with Exercise Routine

Seniors with two executive function skills –multitasking and the ability control distractions – built self-confidence, did best

Aug. 16, 2011 – An expert at helping people exercise has taken on the challenge of helping senior citizens stick with their exercise routines and says his technique of building self-confidence was at least partially successful with this group. Read more...

Exercise May Help Prevent Brain Damage Caused by Alzheimer's Disease

Could help develop approach for early intervention in preventing brain damage; allows brain chemicals to prevent inflammation

Aug.15, 2011 – Regular exercise could help prevent brain damage associated with Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases, according to research published this month in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity. Read more...

Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens

Senior Citizens Risk Pulmonary Embolism with Knee Replacement Surgery

Study finds 80+ elderly and those with three other common senior problems most at risk in hip, knee surgery

July 27, 2011 – Senior citizens - those 80 and over in particular - may not be the best candidates for knee replacement surgery according to new research that found pulmonary embolism, an often fatal condition, was most common after replacement surgery in those over 79 and those who had three other health problems common to the elderly. Read more...

Exercise & Fitness for Senior Citizens

Late-Life Cognitive Decline Slowed in Elderly Women by Minimal Exercise

Two studies support growing evidence that habitual physical activity slows age-related changes in cognition and risk of dementia

July 19, 2011 – Senior citizen women see their late-life cognitive decline slow down as they engage in regular minimal exercise. Two studies published as “Online First” by by Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals, clearly point to new hope in a method of slowing age-related mental decline. In one study, the women had vascular or coronary risks. Read more...

AARP Launches Fat-to-Fit Weight Loss Program Online for Third Year

Guidance from fitness expert Carole Carson – she lost 60 pounds at age 60

May 17, 2011 - Today marks the start of AARP’s third annual “Fat-to-Fit Summer Weight Loss Challenge,” an online program challenging and supporting people to make positive, permanent life changes to improve their health. It includes eight weeks of guidance from fitness expert and author, Carole Carson, who lost more than 60 pounds at age 60. Read more...

Patients with Chronic Heart Failure Discover New Quality of Life with Tai Chi Exercise

Those with chronic systolic heart failure have been historically considered too frail to exercise - see link to video in caption about founder

March 25, 2011 - Tai chi exercise, long popular with senior citizens, appears to offer improved quality of life, better mood and the ability to exercise effectively in patients with chronic heart failure, according to a report in the April 25 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Read more, see video....

Senior Citizens Can Be Older and Stronger with Progressive Resistance Training

Researchers at the University of Michigan say older adults don’t have to accept strength and muscle loss as they age - watch video

April 4, 2011 - Getting older doesn’t mean giving up muscle strength. Not only can adults fight the battle of strength and muscle loss that comes with age, but the Golden Years can be a time to get stronger, say experts at the University of Michigan Health System. Read more, see video

Sex and Romance for Senior Citizens

Occasional Sexual Activity or Physical Exercise Can Be Killers

Study sees short-term increase in risk of heart attack, cardiac death- watch video

March 23, 2011 - When it comes to sex and exercise, you better do it on a regular basis and this may be especially important for senior citizens. New research says both activities can trigger a short-term increased risk of heart attack and sudden cardiac death. But, the risk is low for those who maintain regular physical activity. Read more, watch video...