In this Cooper Aerobics , Cooper Clinic director of cardiovascular medicine, discusses a recent study published in British Medical Journal that evaluated the effects of increasing physical activity in middle-aged men over a 35-year period.

In the study, 2,200 Swedish men were evaluated at age 50 (between 1970 and 1973), and then re-evaluated at ages 60, 70, 77, and 82. Researchers wanted to determine the impact of physical activity in inactive, moderately active, and very active men, and see if increased physical activity resulted in improved health benefits.

Increased physical activity was determined by asking a couple of simple questions.

• Men who answered “Yes” to “Do you spend most of your time reading, watching TV, going to the movies, or engaging in mostly sedentary activities?” were labeled low-activity.
   
• The men labeled moderately active answered “Yes” to the question “Do you often go walking or cycling for pleasure?”
   
• Men who reported that they engaged in any active recreational sport or heavy gardening at least three hours every week, or who stated they regularly engaged in hard physical training or competitive sports were labeled high-activity.

Researchers followed these men over 35 years. In their conclusions, researchers stated “Increased physical activity in middle age is eventually followed by a reduction in mortality to the same level as seen among men with constantly high physical activity. This reduction is comparable with that associated with smoking cessation.”

Looking at the study results, Dr. Radford says it took about 10 years of exercising at the high-activity level for the previously low- or medium-active men to realize the increased health benefits of the men who had constantly had high physical activity. The benefits were significant though—researchers saw a reduction in cardiac risk for these men—as much as the benefits seen when someone stops smoking.

This new research showing the link between physical activity and longevity, which is something Cooper Clinic has long known and advocated for. The good news is even beginning healthy lifestyles at age 50 or older will result in health benefits. It’s never too late to start a healthy and active lifestyle.

Research shows over and over that 150 minutes of exercise per week seems to be the magic number we need to meet in order to get all the health benefits of exercise. Dr. Radford noted that the three hours (180 minutes) of exercise seen in the study was pretty minimal given the incredible health rewards.

Dr. Radford suggests that people following as few as two reality shows a week probably spend five to six hours in front of the TV watching the programs. If time is tight, her recommendation is to get on the treadmill or exercise bike while you’re watching a TV program. It’s one way to “find” the time needed to exercise.