Use it or lose it appears to be the conventional wisdom when it comes to aging and mobility, according to the journal Archives of Internal Medicine.
Older women with osteopenia, a condition where there is some loss of bone density but not enough to constitute osteoperosis, saw sustained improvement in their balance and walking speed, which may help protect them from fractures and even extend their lives, new research shows.
Researchers have found that just 20 minutes of exercise at home every day combined with six months of weekly supervised training each year over the course of five years helped improve the women’s gait stability and reduce the risk of fractures by 32 per cent.
The improvements persisted two years after the exercise program was completed, with exercisers having a lower risk of hip fracture and mortality, explained Dr. Raija Korpelaninen of the department of sports and exercise medicine at Oulu Deaconess Insitute in Finland.
The study concluded that regular daily exercise helps elderly people reduce the risk of fractures, and better perform the activities of daily living that allow them to maintain their independence.