Who says retirees can’t maintain champion form? A Scottish study involving 12 pensioners debunks prejudices about the period following working life. It shows that it is possible to stay in good physical shape by practicing “high intensity interval training”, high intensity interval training.
Rather than doing 30-minute jogs, the researchers asked the volunteers over the age of 65 to undergo intense exertion, in this case cycling, for a short period (less than a minute) followed by a cardiac recovery phase. Their training was continued twice a week for six weeks.
Researchers at Abertay university have observed the benefits of this intensive training of short duration: the men have lowers their blood pressureby 9% and increased their ability to oxygenate their muscles. They also showed more drive and drive for daily activities like going for walks.
For the researcher Dr Babraj, author of the study, these results provide additional proof that it is necessary encouraging physical activity in the elderly, even if it is done for a short time. This would reduce health expenditure 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, 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.
