Who says retirees can’t keep champion form? A Scottish study involving 12 retirees shatters prejudices about the period after working life. It shows that it is possible to maintain good physical shape by practicing “high intensity interval training”, a high intensity interval training.
Rather than doing 30-minute jogs, the researchers asked volunteers over the age of 65 to submit to intensive efforts, in this case cycling, over a short period (less than a minute) followed by ‘a phase of cardiac recovery. Their training was continued twice a week for six weeks.
Researchers at Abertay University have observed the benefits of this short intensive training: men have lowers their blood pressureby 9% and increased their ability to oxygenate their muscles. They also showed more enthusiasm and energy for daily activities such as walks.
For the researcher Dr Babraj, author of the study, these results provide additional evidence that encourage physical activity in the elderly, even if it is done over a short period of time. This would reduce health costs related to pathologies that occur from a certain age. “We have an aging population and if we don’t encourage them to be active the economic burden will be astronomical. Many diseases are associated with sedentary behavior, such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease, he continues, but if we can keep active seniors then we can reduce the risks “.
The study appeared in the scientific journal Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
