Aging Actively and its Many Benefits

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    Team Green Visors before the walk. An awesome group of supportive folks

A week ago Sunday, I as part of a team, walked a half marathon -- 13.1 miles, the longest I've ever walked at one time. While completing the half marathon in itself felt like a little accomplishment, especially as I nudge dangerously close to my 62 birthday, finishing wasn't the biggest high for me or my greatest pleasure. 

Know what was? Training with a group of active folks, most who were over 55 years old (some near 70) and who challenged and supported one another. That was the best.

Want to know why this was important, especially for someone over 60?

How about some worthwhile data. BMJ's publication Heart soon will publish the findings from a study "Loneliness and social isolation as risk factors for coronary heart disease and stroke" (that's a scary mouthful, huh?). In this study, researchers found that "Poor social relationships were associated with a 29% increase in the risk of incident coronary heart disease and a 32% increase in risk of stroke" (Heart 2016). One main issue is that social isolation and loneliness can influence, and not in a good way, risky behaviors like smoking and physical inactivity.

Questioning the benefits of physical activity? Time to read physician David Brown's article "We all know exercise makes you live longer but this will actually get you off the couch" (Washington Post, Feb. 22, 2016) which adds compelling, if somewhat unsettling info. Dr. Brown reviews current research on exercising including, 

-- Just exercising isn't enough. You must stop sitting around so much (hence the get off the 
couch remark) because sedentary behavior increases cardiovascular risk. The heart likes to 
work.
 -- Some experts suggest that 10,000 steps each day or the equivalent of five miles should be a goal. Many people fall way short of 10,000 steps which can be difficult to reach if one works a desk job.
-- Only about 50 percent of Americans exercise aerobically at least the recommended 150 minutes per week.
 The good news from the article is that tracking activity and steps using simple devices like pedometers or more complicated ones like a FitBit or Smartphone -- helps motivate folks. This article is easily found on the web and is worth reading.

BMJ Open published one more little gem about retirement and risks -- "Social group memberships in retirement are associated with reduced risk of premature death." Well then. This study found that the number of groups retirees joined and participated in after retiring 
positively impacted their quality of life and health. When they stopped participating in social
groups, their risk of premature death increased.

    There I go over (or under) the finish line.

What do physical activity, memberships in social groups in retirement, and avoiding isolation have to do with my walking a half marathon? I reached all the important targets with training for and then walking the half. At the end of the walk, I had almost 36,000 steps and who knows how many floors (Fitbit counts floors). While training, I routinely reached between 12,000 and 20,000 daily steps. Also, I joined team walks weekly (social) and trained with various team members during the week. However, training for the walk and the actual walk yielded much more than the 10,000 recommended daily steps. It yielded a new community, a new social group of active people. While I live in a haven for sporty activities where one can easily find groups for any chosen pursuit and ability, I think this cure for social isolation with its physical benefits could work in most communities. 
What's the Nike slogan? Just do it! Now on to the next challenge. But first, I'm off to cycle.

Stay calm and travel and walk and cycle, but not alone!

    R ready to cycle.