Starting to exercise now can significantly enhance your physical quality of life for many years to come. A recent Australian study highlights that it’s never too late to begin increasing your physical activity to boost your health and overall well-being.
Key Point to Note:
Adopting a consistent exercise regimen in your fifties can markedly improve your quality of life into your seventies, even if you haven’t been particularly active in your earlier years.
For women in their fifties, maintaining or beginning a routine of physical activity can be as crucial for their long-term health as investing in a 401(k) is for their financial security. Just as saving for retirement secures financial stability, staying active enhances overall quality of life and health in the years to come.
A recent study, published on May 2, 2024, in PLoS Medicine, underscores the significant link between regular exercise during middle age and improved physical health in later years. Remarkably, even women who only began exercising in their mid-fifties experienced these benefits, highlighting the importance of physical activity at any stage in life.
Binh Nguyen, PhD, the lead author of the study and a research fellow at the Prevention Research Collaboration at the University of Sydney in Australia, notes that this study adds to the growing body of evidence supporting the advantages of an active lifestyle during middle age. This research reinforces the idea that it’s never too late to start reaping the health rewards of physical activity.
“Our findings suggest that to maintain good physical health–related quality of life at around age 70, one may be able to ‘make up’ for not being active earlier by becoming active in the mid-fifties. It may be possible to ‘turn back the clock’ in midlife through lifestyle changes such as physical activity,” Dr. Nguyen said.
Physical Activity Shows Tried and Tested Health Benefits
The latest U.S. physical activity guidelines recommend that adults engage in 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week, or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercise weekly. Alternatively, a combination of both moderate and vigorous activities is also suggested. Additionally, these guidelines emphasize the importance of whole-body muscle-strengthening activities at least twice a week, which should be of moderate or higher intensity.
These recommendations are grounded in extensive research. Numerous studies have demonstrated that adhering to these levels of physical activity significantly reduces the risk of major health issues, including heart disease and stroke—the leading causes of death in the United States. Regular exercise also helps prevent type 2 diabetes, certain types of cancer, and even some infectious diseases like COVID-19 and the flu. However, only about 20% of women in the United States meet these guidelines, and this percentage tends to decline with age.
Regular Exercise at 50 for Better Life Quality After
Previous studies have established a connection between physical activity and improved health-related quality of life, but they often focus on short-term effects or single time points. The authors of a recent study highlight its unique approach, examining how different patterns of physical activity during midlife affect quality of life in later years, considering both physical and mental health aspects.
This research analyzed data from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health, involving over 11,000 women aged 47 to 52 at the start in 1996. Data was collected every three years, allowing for a comprehensive view of changes over time.
Participants were categorized into three groups based on their adherence to the WHO physical activity guidelines of 150 minutes per week:
– Those consistently meeting the guidelines throughout the 15-year study period.
– Those not meeting the guidelines initially but starting to comply at ages 55, 60, or 65.
– Those never meeting the guidelines.
Health-related quality of life was measured using a composite score from a 36-question survey, which assessed both physical and mental health. The physical health section covered general health, activities like walking and climbing stairs, household tasks, and the impact of physical health on daily activities. The mental health section focused on the influence of emotional problems and physical pain on daily life.
The study found that women who consistently met the physical activity guidelines, as well as those who began meeting them at age 55, had on average a 3-point higher physical health composite score. This positive impact on physical quality of life remained significant even after adjusting for socioeconomic factors and preexisting health conditions. However, no significant link was found between physical activity and the mental health composite score.
“We found that consistently meeting WHO physical activity guidelines (150 minutes of activity a week) over 15 years was associated with better physical health in later life, compared to not meeting the guidelines at all,” Nguyen stated.
“I hope that the study findings do inspire mid-aged women to stay active or boost their activity. Ideally, women should increase their activity levels to meet physical activity guidelines by age 55,” Nguyen added.
Never Too Late to be Physically Active
Deborah Kado, MD, a geriatrician at Stanford Health and co-director of the Stanford Longevity Center in Palo Alto, California, emphasizes that this study reinforces existing literature, making it an excellent public health message.
“I think that it is always reassuring to find evidence to suggest that if one makes the effort to change a behavior, that it will be met with positive rewards — in this case, better self-reported physical health years later,” Dr. Kado, who was part of the study made, said.
“So, if one is already physically active and meets the 150-minute week guideline, these study results would support them to want to continue what they are doing. For those who are not physically active to meet the 150-minute weekly guideline, perhaps the message should be, ‘it isn’t too late to start,’” Kado also said.
Kado notes that the data on physical activity and the health assessments were self-reported, making them subjective measures.
“So one must use caution in attributing causality, meaning that we cannot conclude that it was for sure the physical activity and not something else that could have resulted in better self-reported physical health,” she said.
Men Likely to Enjoy Benefits As Well
“While there are many differences between women and men, I do think that in the physical activity realm, both sexes benefit with continued or increased regular physical activity as they age,” Kado explained.
The Connection Between Physical Activity and Mental Health Wasn’t Very Strong
Is it surprising that regular and consistent exercise didn’t significantly improve mental and emotional health? According to Nguyen, it’s not that mental health wasn’t improved at all; it simply didn’t show as much improvement.
“There could be several reasons why we observed weaker effects on the mental health components of quality of life. Perhaps the study period was not long enough to see the full effects, or physical activity could affect the physical and mental health components of quality of life differently,” she said.
Numerous studies have shown that physical activity positively impacts mental health by reducing anxiety, improving sleep quality, and aiding in stress management.
Even Short Bursts to Activity Matter
Meeting the recommended physical activity guidelines doesn’t necessarily require spending hours at the gym each week, unless that’s your preference. Every bit of additional activity you incorporate into your daily routine contributes towards meeting these goals. Simple activities like taking the stairs instead of the elevator or enjoying a short bike ride around your neighborhood all add up.
In the past, guidelines suggested that exercise had to last at least 10 minutes to contribute to your weekly fitness targets. However, the latest guidance emphasizes that every bit of physical activity counts. This includes everyday tasks such as brisk walks across a parking lot or household chores like vacuuming. These activities now count towards your daily activity goals, encouraging a more inclusive approach to achieving and maintaining physical fitness.
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