The good news, revealed by a new study that measured the decline in maximum exercise capacity over seven decades of aging, is that exercise can raise one’s aerobic capacity 15 percent to 25 percent, or the equivalent to being 10 to 20 years younger. The bad news is that no amount of exercise can prevent some of the natural decline. WebMD reports that the study, conducted by researchers at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute in Bethesda, Md., looked at the change in aerobic capacity in more than 800 men and women aged 21 to 87 over a period of nearly eight years. Results show that aerobic capacity declined 3% to 6% each decade in the
20s and 30s, but after age 70 the rate of decline accelerated to more
than 20% per decade. WebMD reports that the study also showed that after age 40, men’s fitness levels
declined at a faster rate than women, regardless of their level of
physical activity. Read more.
Health, fitness and lifestyle tips for people over 50 who still like to play hard
Tuesday, May 6, 2025
Youth is a feeling, not an age. There’a a great book by Walter M. Bortz that theorizes we should live to 120. That is, of course, if we eat well, exercise, avoid cigarettes/alcohol and don’t get hit by a truck.
Here’s a little writeup:
http://steelkaleidoscopes.typepad.com/steel_kaleidoscopes/2004/02/youre_younger_t.html
Then again, if you’re an avid skier and have used Boston Sidewalk’s extensive database of ski terrain (whoops, I mean CitySearch), you’ll have an edge.
Dan
huh!