This might be a little bit like preaching to the choir, but it's something that's important to remember these cold winter days when we face the choice of getting on the bicycle or plopping down in front of the TV or computer.
We all know that exercise is good for us, and we've chosen cycling as at least one of the ways we stay healthy. But we have to remember that the older we get, the more important it is to get out on the bike.
Considered individually, high blood pressure, high levels of blood glucose, high cholesterol and too much abdominal fat are risk factors to avoid when we get older. When three or more of these factors combine, it causes metabolic syndrome and can lead to heart disease, diabetes, and stroke.
Recently, researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore studied what happens when a group of men and women aged 55 to 75 exercised 60 minutes three time a week, compared those who didn't.
You can guess the results. The rate of metabolic syndrome dropped by 41 percent in the supervised exercise group, compared to 18 percent in the other group. The researchers recommended that older adults shouldn't cut back on exercise, they should step it up. It increases fitness and muscle mass, while burning off the fat.
Here's a Johns Hopkins press release on the findings.
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