Benefits of Physical Activity for Seniors

Benefits of physical activityEngaging in Sustained Physical Activity Good for Seniors – Older people who stay physically active may be less likely to experience heart problems like a heart attack, according to the latest research. Exercise helps a person’s heart by cutting down on the risk of heart rhythm problems.

Looking at data from nearly 1,000 adults with an average age of 71, researchers including Dr. Luisa Soares-Miranda at the Harvard School of Public Health found that heart rate variability was linked to physical activity. Heart rate variability is the variation in time between each of your heartbeats. The more active people were, the few abnormalities they experienced.

According to the research findings, older individuals with the highest levels of physical activity were about 11 percent less likely to have a heart attack or to suffer from sudden cardiac death than those who were the least active.

Room for Improvement in Benefits of Physical Activity at any Age

Perhaps even more interesting, according to these research findings that will be published in the medical journal Circulation, older people who increased their walking distance or sped up their pace over a five year period had better variability in their heart rate than those who started walking slower or cut back on distance. Learn more about this important research on the benefits of physical activity.

Leave a Reply