How 20 Minutes Can Add 6 Years To Your Life

[Rx4Stress]

Physical inactivity can affect women more than men since we have more body fat and less muscle and bone. As you age, muscle tissue and bone are lost. Since women have less to begin with, women are at greater risk at a younger age than men for many problems associated with aging. Women may live longer than men on average, but our bodies will begin to fail us sooner. Regular exercise, no matter how old you are, can help preserve and improve flexibility, lung capacity, joint mobility, balance, posture, stamina and offers the cosmetic benefits of muscle tone and elasticity. If you are inactive, your muscles will become stiff and will sag from the pull of gravity. Your body will show signs of aging at an earlier age if you do not exercise

According to the Mayo Clinic, many basic bodily functions start to decline at a rate of 2 percent a year after you pass thirty. With exercise you can slow that decline to .5 percent a year. Women with little or no physical activity lose 70 percent of their functional ability by ninety; those who make physical activity part of their loves lose only 30 percent of their functional ability by that age.

If you do not stay active by getting some form of exercise each day, your health will suffer. Women who are unfit tend to have greater physical reactions to psychological stress as they age. One study found that white women sixty-five and older who increased their activity to the equivalent of walking a mile a day lowered the risk of death in the six years following by between 40 and 50 percent. Running and brisk walking can counteract some of the negative aspects of aging and can add years to your life. Though strength training has not been shown to lengthen your life, that type of exercise improves the quality of life by providing people with the muscle power to perform everyday activities, allowing women to remain independent longer. Strength training is more important for aging women than men because it increases muscle mass, preserves bone, improves balance, all risk factors for fractures, skeletal fragility, muscular weakness and deteriorating balance common in old age.

Drs. Stephanie McClellan and Beth Hamilton are partners in a thriving innovative practice specializing in Gynecology and women's health based in Newport Beach, CA. Their new book, So Stressed, is out from Free Press, January, 2010 and available for pre order at Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/So-Stressed-Ultimate-Stress-Relief-Women/dp/1416593586/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1259104641&sr=8-1

 

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