You could add 12 active years to your life

A person who stays aerobically fit through middle age and beyond can delay the biological effects of aging by up to 12 years, according to a new analysis.  AND, those additional years could be spent functionally independent.  That makes sense.  Do you really want to spend your declining years in a nursing home?

What does aerobic mean?
Aerobic fitness is measured by the body’s ability to use oxygen.  Aerobic fitness typically declines steadily during middle age due to lack of aerobic exercise.

Here are some technical numbers for you.  One way to measure aerobic fitness is with the formula, milliliters of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per minute.  Aerobic power normally drops about 5 ml (kg.min) every decade between the ages of 20 and 60.  What that means is a typical sedentary man will have maximal aerobic power of about 25 ml/(kg.mn) at age 60, only half of what he had at age 20.

When aerobic power drops below 18 ml/(kg.min) in men and 15 in women, even moderate exertion can cause severe fatigue.

High-intensity exercise adds life to your years, and years to your life
High-intensity aerobic exercise such as running or cross-country skiing done over a long period of time can boost aerobic power by 25%, or a gain of 6 mi/(kg.min), which is equivalent to 10 to 12 biological years.

While you may not want to do fast running as a regular routine, consistent aerobic exercise will slow the loss of aerobic fitness, reduce the risk of illness, and improve recovery from injury.

The Report
The results of the report were published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.  The author was R.J. Shephard of the University of Toronto.

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