Exercise & Fitness Archive

You have the power to reduce certain risk factors for the disease.

We've come a long way in our understanding and treatment of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of vision loss for people ages 50 or older in the United States. We've learned that certain genes and lifestyle factors increase the risk for developing AMD, and discovered treatments that often slow the disease's progression.

Yet for all our advances, we still don't have a guaranteed way to prevent AMD. You are at greater risk if one of your parents had the condition. "One needs to be concerned, but it doesn't mean you're destined to get it. It's a complex disease, and it takes a combination of factors for it to develop," says Dr. Joan W. Miller, chief of ophthalmology at Harvard-affiliated ­Massachusetts Eye and Ear and ophthal­mology chair at Harvard Medical School.

It takes a one-two punch to lower these risks for heart disease, heart attack, and stroke.

High cholesterol has long been known as a bad actor in heart health. Too much LDL (bad) cholesterol in your blood can lead to fatty deposits in your arteries and the formation of artery-narrowing plaque (atherosclerosis), heart attacks, and strokes.

But LDL doesn't act alone. Chronic inflammation — a persistent activation of the immune system — also fuels heart attack and stroke risks. That means you must address both high LDL levels and chronic inflammation to protect your health.

Exciting benefits of walking for heart health, including lower risk of heart attack and stroke

Why should you start walking for heart health? Walking doesn't get the respect it deserves, either for its health benefits, its value for transportation, or its role in recreation.

Aerobics, walking and health

Ever since the 1970s, the aerobic doctrine has dominated the discussion of exercise and health. In a scientific update of your high school coach's slogan "no pain, no gain," the doctrine holds that the benefits of exercise depend on working hard enough to boost your heart rate to 70% to 85% of its maximum, sustaining that effort continuously for 20 to 60 minutes, and repeating the workout at least three times a week.

Keep your heart strong and young by giving it a good, regular workout.

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Your heart, like any other muscle, can weaken over time, especially if you are sedentary. As you age and become less active, the muscle in your heart's left ventricle — the chamber that pumps oxygen-rich blood back out to the body — becomes stiffer.

"This change in the heart muscle, coupled with simultaneous stiffening of the body's arteries that leads to high blood pressure, begins a harmful cardiovascular aging cycle," says Dr. Aaron Baggish, director of the Cardiovascular Performance Program at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital. "Without intervention, this sets the stage for heart failure later in life."

Men may avoid activity because of their knee pain, but movement is exactly what they need.

It is perhaps the ultimate exercise catch-22: it's hard to move with knee osteoarthritis, but moving helps relieve osteoarthritis knee pain.

More than 30 million Americans have osteoarthritis, the most common kind of arthritis. While osteoarthritis can affect the hips, lower back, neck, and fingers, it occurs most often in the knees. In fact, an estimated 10% of men ages 60 and older have symptoms of knee osteoarthritis.

Men may avoid activity because of their knee pain, but movement is exactly what they need.

It is perhaps the ultimate exercise catch-22: it's hard to move with knee osteoarthritis, but moving helps relieve osteoarthritis knee pain.

More than 30 million Americans have osteoarthritis, the most common kind of arthritis. While osteoarthritis can affect the hips, lower back, neck, and fingers, it occurs most often in the knees. In fact, an estimated 10% of men ages 60 and older have symptoms of knee osteoarthritis.

The popular mind-body practice can be one of the best ways to soothe an aching low back, as long as you are careful.

 Image: © FatCamera/Getty Images

Yoga is a gentle practice that is ideal for maintaining back strength and flexibility. It's also one of the more effective tools for helping reduce low back pain, the most common source of pain and disability among older adults.

"Yoga helps strengthen and stretch back muscles that might be tight, which improves mobility," says Dr. Lauren Elson, medical editor of the Harvard Special Health Report An Introduction to Yoga (www.health.harvard.edu/yo).

The ideal workout program for osteoporosis combines weight-bearing, muscle-strengthening, flexibility, and balance exercises.

Research we're watching

Surveys show that about one in five Americans uses a smartphone app or tracker for monitoring exercise. Evidence for the benefits of these tools is mixed, but a new review suggests they may encourage people to move a bit more.

Researchers pooled findings from 28 studies involving a total of nearly 7,500 people who took part in studies using a smartphone app or activity tracker. They found that these tools have a small to moderate effect in boosting physical activity, motivating people to take an average of 1,850 additional steps per day.