Being Fit in Middle Age Can Lower Risk of Disease Later in Life
Working out in middle age can result in fewer chronic diseases, including heart problems, diabetes, stroke, Alzheimer’s disease and cancer.
We all know that exercise is good for you — it keeps the heart healthy, works out the muscles and prepares you to take the stairs at work without fainting from exhaustion. But does all that activity actually prevent you from getting sick?
According to a study published online by the Archives of Internal Medicine, the answer is yes. Researchers say that people who are more fit when they are middle-aged have a lower rate of chronic diseases, including heart problems, diabetes, stroke, kidney disease, obstructive pulmonary conditions, lung cancer, colon cancer and Alzheimer’s disease.
Even more encouraging, says Berry, is the fact that those with the highest fitness levels battled fewer chronic conditions in the last five years of life, meaning they spent more of this time healthy rather than burdened by disease. “The results show that fitness can not only delay morbidity but prevent it,” says Berry.
So get fit and get healthy – get adjusted and start an exercise program. Ask us for details.