The #DoYourAge Fitness Challenge
Plus why you feel stiff in the morning, and how physical activity can lower Alzheimer's risk
Welcome back to Age Wise, your weekly update on the science of physical health and mental wellness at every stage of life. Here’s what’s new and interesting:
As we slide into middle age and beyond, setting motivational fitness goals gets tricky, since we know we'll never be as strong or as fast as we once were. In my new article on Medium, I propose a solution:
Set a goal that doesn't try to mimic past accomplishments, but instead aims high in relation to where you are today in an activity or an aspect of it that you've never excelled at. That avoids any comparison to your younger you. And as with any personal goal, telling others about it is a great way to force commitment and propel you onward.
So… I've set a #DoYourAge Fitness Challenge to mountain bike 60 miles on my 60th birthday (60@60).
I encourage you to dream up your own age-based challenge, regardless of your current age or fitness level. Why? Because anything that gets your heart pumping will, science convincingly shows, improve the chances that you'll live longer, avoid disease and chronic pain, and stay mentally and emotionally fit.
And tell me about your challenge by commenting on the article or tagging me on Twitter, where I’ll post progress updates using the hashtag #DoYourAge.
Just About Any Physical Activity Lowers Risk for Alzheimer’s Disease
As if you needed another reason to get off the couch… New research involving data on 649,605 U.S. military veterans finds that “people in the most-fit group were 33% less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease than those in the least-fit group.” Here’s the remarkable thing: The “most-fit group” weren’t super-exercisers. They just did the equivalent of 2.5 hours per week of brisk walking, or about 20 minutes daily.
Even among those with so-so fitness, the risk of Alzheimer’s was lower, by…
26% for the second-most fit group
20% for those in the middle
13% for the second-least fit
“As people’s fitness improved, their risk of Alzheimer’s disease decreased — it was not an all-or-nothing proposition,” says study team member Edward Zamrini, MD, a researcher at the VA Medical Center in Washington, D.C.
Feel Stiff When You Wake Up?
It’s normal for your joints and connective tissues to be stiff after a glorious (or inglorious) night of 7+ hours of horizontal restoration. Being still, along with a lowered body temperature, causes your body’s lubricants to thicken, according to this New York Times article.
Most of the time, that tight feeling when you wake up is a result of overnight changes to the lubrication in two different features of the body: the joints and the fascia.
The solution is simple: Move. You can even start before you climb out of bed.
While you’re still in bed and lying on your back, start by doing a full-body stretch, like a cat or dog does when they first wake up, by extending your legs and arms wide and in opposite directions. … If you still feel stiff once you’ve gotten out of bed, try marching in place.
With caution and proper technique, some mild morning yoga can be just the trick to loosen up your entire body. As a relative newcomer to yoga, I can attest to its restorative powers, and its flexibility: Yoga can be as easy or has difficult as you like, sessions as long or short as you need.
Feedback
Reader reactions to the tale of 83-year-old Mike Harrington, who was sedentary until age 69 and is now a record-setting powerlifter, illustrating what science shows: It’s Never Too Late to Start Exercising:
“What an inspiring story. And yes, it's not about ‘exercise’...it's about living an active life.”
—Sarah Hiner
“There is no age limit to exercising. Only that frequency and speed differs with age.”
—Jessey Anthony
“Thanks for the inspiration to never quit trying to improve the quality and length of my life. The older I get, the easier it is to relax and let the days slide by easily and without working my muscles and mind.”
—Lanny Knight
“I love this! At 72, and an ‘easy’ exerciser, I can attest that one doesn’t have to kill it in CrossFit to be healthy.
—Nancy Oglesby
