6 Months Of Exercise Reverses 30 Years of Aerobic Decline DrLam®

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6 Months Of Exercise Reverses 30 Years of Aerobic Decline

By: Michael Lam, MD, MPH
www.DrLam.com

An ongoing study has shown a mere 6 months of endurance exercise can undo 30 years of declining physical fitness.

30 years ago, researchers from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas began a study on men in their 20s. The men were originally part of the Dallas Bed Rest and Training Study started in 1966 to determine negative effects of bed rest on physical fitness. Thirty years later, researchers re-assembled the same men and put them through a six-month endurance exercise program. This was published in the medical journal Circulation. ( 2001;104:1350-1357)

Cardiovascular health in the men before they went through the training program were compared to their cardiovascular health after the training.

Researchers found to their pleasant surprise, that the age-related decline in aerobic power that occurred over 30 years in these men was reversed by six months of endurance training in 100 percent of the cases.

Researchers also examined the body's ability to take in and use oxygen as part of the study. They evaluated this ability and its decline over 30 years. They found that the maximal oxygen uptake during exercise increased in the men an average of 14 percent after the training program.

Furthermore, researchers compared it to the reduced ability experienced during the three weeks of bed rest these men experienced as part of the initial study and found that three weeks of bed rest, which is the ultimate 'sedentary' state, has more impact on their cardiovascular fitness than did 30 years of aging.

The take home lesson is simple - the body is a remarkably resilient machine. It is totally forgiving, and will rebound when you take steps to do what it wants. Exercise is something that is never too late to get started and never to be given up.

Exercise

No program can complete without a well-balanced exercise program. While most people think of exercise as a way to reduce body weight , exercise does much more, including reducing insulin resistance and impotence.

A well-balanced exercise must include three components:

a. Flexibility training
b. Cardiovascular training.
c. Strength training.

Ideally, about 2000 calories should be burned per week. Working out with 30 minutes of aerobics exercise at moderate intensity 5 times a week plus 15-20 minutes of strength training 3 times a week will accomplish this goal.

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About The Author

Michael Lam, M.D., M.P.H., A.B.A.A.M. is a specialist in Preventive and Anti-Aging Medicine. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from Oregon State University, and his Doctor of Medicine degree from Loma Linda University School of Medicine, California. He also holds a Masters of Public Health degree and is Board Certified in Anti-aging Medicine by the American Board of Anti-Aging Medicine. He has authored numerous articles and the following books: The Five Proven Secrets to Longevity, How to Stay Young and Live Longer, Estrogen Dominance - Hormonal Imbalance of the 21st Century, and Beating Cancer with Natural Medicine.

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