Old Dogs, New Tricks

Can't teach an old dog new tricks? Nonsense. It's never too late to add years to your life through physical activity. Authors of a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association decided to look at the relationship between changes in physical activity and mortality among a group of women aged 65 and over. The results were most encouraging. Compared with sedentary women, participants who made a commitment to regular exercise were found to reduce their risk of heart disease by 36 per cent and their risk of cancer by 51 per cent. Even more favourable was that both groups benefited from regular movement and showed a similar decreased risk of developing chronic health problems. Even if you've been sedentary all your entire life, it's never too late to reap the health rewards of exercise.