Health & Fitness
Weights and cardio helps seniors minimize health care costs
Forget apples – lifting weights and doing cardio can also keep the doctors away, according a new study by researchers at the University of British Columbia.
A study, published in the online journal PLOS ONE, followed 86 women, aged 70- to 80-years-old, who were randomly assigned to participate in weight training classes, outdoor walking classes, or balance and toning classes (such as yoga and pilates) for six months. All participants have mild cognitive impairment, a well-recognized risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
The researchers tabulated the total costs incurred by each participant in accessing a variety of health care resources. “We found that those who participated in the cardio or weight training program incurred fewer health care resources – such as doctor visits and lab tests – compared to those in the balance and toning program,” says Jennifer Davis, a postdoctoral fellow and lead author of the study.
The study is the latest in a series of studies that assess the efficacy of different types of training programs on cognitive performance in elderly patients. An earlier study, published in February in the Journal of Aging Research, showed aerobic and weight training also improved cognitive performance in study participants. Those on balance and toning programs did not.
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Courtesy: Hearth News, May 15, 2013 Stone
Cliff Gray is the club owner at Anytime Fitness in Richfield. To submit a question for future articles, please contact the author at email@anytimefitness.com. Please like us on Facebook at Anytime Fitness Richfield and follow us on Twitter @AnytimeFitRich.