Aging & Physical Health

Exercise training in older people has been associated with health benefits such as decreased cardiovascular mortality [24]. Explanatory mechanism likely to be involved following exercise was a change in the cardiac autonomic balance producing an increase, or a relative dominance, of the vagal component [25]. Furthermore, endurance exercise training in older people decreases resting and submaximal exercise heart rate and systolic and diastolic blood pressure and increases stroke volume [26]. This is especially notable during peak effort in which stroke volume, cardiac output, contractility, and oxygen uptake are increased, while total peripheral resistance and systolic and diastolic blood pressure decreased. Thus lowering after-load in the heart muscle, which in turn facilitates left ventricular systolic and diastolic function, emphasizes the importance of high intensity training also for the elderly. E. Tamuleviciute-Prasciene et al. focus on the frail elderly individuals and exercise in their contribution “Frailty and Exercise Training: How to Provide Best Care after Cardiac Surgery or Intervention for Elder Patients with Valvular Heart Disease.”

Exercise may also have benefits for the brain centers that support executive control. It may be that strong executive functioning in itself may facilitate consistency for this challenging activity. Poor executive control has been associated with lower self-reported PA rates over a 2-year period [27, 28]. The executive control’s contribution to PA has been found to be 50% greater in magnitude than the contribution of PA to subsequent changes in executive control [29]. In the paper of M. A. McCaskey et al. “Making More of IT: Enabling Intensive MOtor Cognitive Rehabilitation Exercises in Geriatrics Using INFORMATION Technology Solutions,” the authors also include new technology to enhance and maintain exercise in cognitive rehabilitation.

In order to attain a high level of cardiorespiratory fitness, it is recommended to be physically active for 6 months or longer. These recommendations may also be applied to balance exercises in order to reduce falls [23]. Many elderly individuals are incapable of sustaining activities for this long on their own. Successful maintenance of PA typically requires substantial support and supervision. Even then, a high percentage of people drop out due to difficulties negotiating everyday costs of activity participation like scheduling conflicts and competing sedentary activities or health issues. This issue is highlighted in the study of T. Adachi et al. “Predicting the Future Need of Walking Device or Assistance by Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity: A 2-Year Prospective Study of Women Aged 75 Years and Above.”