Modest exercise boosts seniors' physical abilities
Yahoo News, December 27th, 2005
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Simple exercises conducted on resistance
training machines lead to a variety of favorable effects on muscle
strength and performance in the elderly, Australian researchers report.
Moreover, they say, even relatively low-level workouts lead to significant improvement.
As investigator Dr. Dennis R. Taaffe told Reuters Health, "only a
modest amount of resistance exercise, performed on a regular basis, is
required to enhance muscle strength and physical performance in older
adults, which may assist in the prevention of disability and thereby
prolong independence."
Taaffe, at the University of Queensland, Brisbane, and Daniel A.
Galvao of Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, looked into whether a
single-set or three-set exercise regimen improved physical function in
28 women and men between 65 and 78 years of age.
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