Runners Age Better
Starting in 1984 (doesn't that seem like so very long ago?), researchers began surveying 284 members of a running club and 156 university faculty and staff (as a control). They diligently filled out surveys every year for 21 years. At the start of the study, all the participants were at least 50 years old. The runners were in better health than the control group in the beginning.Running and Aging
After 19 years of annual surveys, 15% of the runners' group and 34% of the control group had died. Both groups had increases in disability, but the runners' group had less disability over the years. After 21 years, the difference in disability was widening, with the control group potentially losing some daily function.But I Hate Running
That's OK. This study happened to use members of a runners' club. That doesn't mean that running itself is miraculous. The key here is to stay active and work exercise in to your life. Here's a few links to get you going:Source: Reduced Disability and Mortality Among Aging Runners:A 21-Year Longitudinal Study.Eliza F. Chakravarty, MD, MS; Helen B. Hubert, PhD; Vijaya B. Lingala, PhD; James F. Fries, MD.
Arch Intern Med. 2008;168(15):1638-1646.
