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NEW HAVEN, Connecticut (AP) -- Runners over age 50 improve their
performance more quickly than younger runners, a Yale study found,
reinforcing past research on older athletes and the benefits they get
from exercise.
"You can maintain a very high performance standard into the sixth or
seventh decade of life," said lead researcher Dr. Peter Jokl.
The 16-year study of top runners in the New York City Marathon found
that the average times of older age groups improved more than the
average times for younger age groups.
The top women runners aged 50 to 59 showed the greatest improvement,
running the marathon as a group more than 2 minutes faster each year
from 1983 to 1999. The top male runners in that age group improved about
8 seconds each year.
The study reinforces the notion that many older people grow weaker not
simply because of age, but because they do not use their muscles as much
as they did in their youth, said Jokl, a professor of orthopedics at the
Yale School of Medicine.
Researchers expect older runners will continue to improve over time, as
they try new training techniques and as American culture increasingly
encourages older people, especially women, to exercise.
You do not have to be a marathoner to see the benefits either, Jokl and
other researchers said. Regular exercise of any kind helps lower
cholesterol, blood sugar and blood pressure, keeps weight down and
improves mental outlook.
June Norman, 58, of Milford, said she has seen many benefits from her
exercise regimen.
She has been running for 25 years and tests herself in the New Haven
Road Race each Labor Day. On Monday, she ran the 20-kilometer race 5
seconds faster than she did the year before, to finish second in her age
group. Her times overall have stayed about the same since she hit her
50s.
"I'd be interested to know why. You would think you would get slower or
drop off quickly," Norman said.
She said she trains conservatively to avoid injuries and runs
competitively twice a year for fun.
"I certainly feel a lot healthier than some of my friends," Norman said.
"There is life after menopause."
Norman grew up in an era that discouraged women from exercising.
Sweating or being muscular was thought to be unladylike, noted Daniel
Perry, executive director of the Alliance for Aging Research, a
nonprofit advocacy group in Washington.
"That earlier generation suffered from disapproval. By and large,
femininity was defined as not being active in the playing field," Perry
said. "Since the 1970s and 80s, girls have been encouraged and well
thought of for being active in sports and exercise."
start quoteI certainly feel a lot healthier than some of my friends.
There is life after menopause.end quote
-- June Norman, 58
Even so, while many people know about the benefits of exercise, few are
doing it, Perry said. A survey of baby boomers by the Alliance for Aging
Research found that only a third of people born between 1946 and 1964
exercise regularly.
"The baby boomers are still being a little lazy, particularly the
younger ones," he said. "If they all fail to get healthy, the country
will be in dire straits."
Dr. Kerry Stewart, who teaches clinical exercise physiology at Johns
Hopkins School of Medicine, said the Yale study mirrors findings he and
other researchers have done on the athletic performance of older people.
A study of exercise training in people 55 and older found they can see
the same amount of improvement in muscle strength, oxygen consumption
and other benefits as people in their 20s and 30s.
"It proves the point that if people remain active, they certainly can
get the full benefits of training," Stewart said.
Jokl's study was published in the August issue of the British Journal of
Sports Medicine.
..html
NEW HAVEN, Connecticut (AP) -- Runners over age 50 improve their
performance more quickly than younger runners, a Yale study found,
reinforcing past research on older athletes and the benefits they get
from exercise.
"You can maintain a very high performance standard into the sixth or
seventh decade of life," said lead researcher Dr. Peter Jokl.
The 16-year study of top runners in the New York City Marathon found
that the average times of older age groups improved more than the
average times for younger age groups.
The top women runners aged 50 to 59 showed the greatest improvement,
running the marathon as a group more than 2 minutes faster each year
from 1983 to 1999. The top male runners in that age group improved about
8 seconds each year.
The study reinforces the notion that many older people grow weaker not
simply because of age, but because they do not use their muscles as much
as they did in their youth, said Jokl, a professor of orthopedics at the
Yale School of Medicine.
Researchers expect older runners will continue to improve over time, as
they try new training techniques and as American culture increasingly
encourages older people, especially women, to exercise.
You do not have to be a marathoner to see the benefits either, Jokl and
other researchers said. Regular exercise of any kind helps lower
cholesterol, blood sugar and blood pressure, keeps weight down and
improves mental outlook.
June Norman, 58, of Milford, said she has seen many benefits from her
exercise regimen.
She has been running for 25 years and tests herself in the New Haven
Road Race each Labor Day. On Monday, she ran the 20-kilometer race 5
seconds faster than she did the year before, to finish second in her age
group. Her times overall have stayed about the same since she hit her
50s.
"I'd be interested to know why. You would think you would get slower or
drop off quickly," Norman said.
She said she trains conservatively to avoid injuries and runs
competitively twice a year for fun.
"I certainly feel a lot healthier than some of my friends," Norman said.
"There is life after menopause."
Norman grew up in an era that discouraged women from exercising.
Sweating or being muscular was thought to be unladylike, noted Daniel
Perry, executive director of the Alliance for Aging Research, a
nonprofit advocacy group in Washington.
"That earlier generation suffered from disapproval. By and large,
femininity was defined as not being active in the playing field," Perry
said. "Since the 1970s and 80s, girls have been encouraged and well
thought of for being active in sports and exercise."
start quoteI certainly feel a lot healthier than some of my friends.
There is life after menopause.end quote
-- June Norman, 58
Even so, while many people know about the benefits of exercise, few are
doing it, Perry said. A survey of baby boomers by the Alliance for Aging
Research found that only a third of people born between 1946 and 1964
exercise regularly.
"The baby boomers are still being a little lazy, particularly the
younger ones," he said. "If they all fail to get healthy, the country
will be in dire straits."
Dr. Kerry Stewart, who teaches clinical exercise physiology at Johns
Hopkins School of Medicine, said the Yale study mirrors findings he and
other researchers have done on the athletic performance of older people.
A study of exercise training in people 55 and older found they can see
the same amount of improvement in muscle strength, oxygen consumption
and other benefits as people in their 20s and 30s.
"It proves the point that if people remain active, they certainly can
get the full benefits of training," Stewart said.
Jokl's study was published in the August issue of the British Journal of
Sports Medicine.