At one point or another most people will experience the desire to maintain good physical health and positive psychological well-being into their later adult years. These concepts and goals have been gaining further attention in psychological studies as well as developments for various physical activity programs. With our ever increasing fascination with remaining young and happy as long as possible there are steps that can be taken that do support the achievement of these very goals. In older adults with ages ranging from late 50s well into their 70s studies have shown that some form of physical activity, especially in group settings, offers improved personal well-being and body control. These results, however, are not entirely intrinsic upon the actual intensity of the physical activity. This has led researchers to propose that while some form of cardiovascular exercise routine is very beneficial continuation can sometimes be difficult to maintain and these same benefits can be achieved through less demanding activities.
In a study funded by the National Institute on Aging, researchers sought to determine the actual connections between physical activity and the purposed positive outcomes as a result. The approach that was taken required the investigation of two issues. The first was that comprehending psychological health involves the dual assessment of the absence of negative affect or the presence of positive affect and the satisfaction of one's life. These concepts are combined into the measure of what is termed subjective well-being (SWB)(Edward et al, 2000). The second issue involved with SWB was its relationship to different types of physical activity. The major concern here was to determine whether both aerobic and non-aerobic activities produced similar beneficial results and thus refuting any claims that vigorous cardiovascular exercise is required.
The social interaction that often accompanies these physical activities may not appear as crucial from the onset but latter becomes one of the central factors involved in SWB. Research in this area is also proposing a strong relation between social support and physical health improvements in endocrine, immune, and cardiovascular functioning. This becomes exceptionally important in the later years because recent reports indicate a reduction in the number of social interactions over time is also connected to declines in cognition(Edward et al., 2000).
This study monitored SWB for 174 participants over a 12-month period with measurements taken at baseline, after the 6-month exercise treatment, and after an additional 6-month check up. The mean age for this study was 65.5 years and criteria included (a) 60 to 75 age group, (b) sedentary, or a lack of regular exercise of the last 6 months, (c) healthy to the degree that they would be able to complete the tasks, (d) personal physician's clearance for participation, (e) adequate mental status, and (f) willingness to be randomly assigned to a treatment condition. The treatment conditions met 3 times a week for 6 months with walking being the aerobic intervention and stretching and toning being the non-aerobic. One of the surprising outcomes from this study was that while there was a significant increase in happiness and satisfaction at the end of the exercise intervention these gains took a significant drop at the 12-month mark. A finding such as this would give further support to the importance of both the social interaction as well as the ability to maintain an exercise routine over time. Because there was no significant difference depending on the intensity of the physical activity this can be encouraging for other activities such as stretching and tai chi can offer the same beneficial results without the need for intense cardiovascular exercise (Edward et al., 200).
Tai Chi is a popular exercise routine among Chinese that has been practiced for over 300 years and focuses on joint position and controlled body movements. This practice has been shown to give participants improved knee proprioception and stability during weight shifting in stances. Proprioception is an individual's sense for the positioning of their own limbs and body in the absence of vision. This issue is of importance to elderly adults because they show a decline in this sense with increased age. This diminishing of proprioception was found significantly in the elderly that had experienced falling or other stability related injuries. With connections of this nature studies have been conducted to point out that exercise has led to improved acuity of joint proprioception. A cross-sectional study preformed by Petrella compared knee joint proprioception among young, active-old, and sedentary subjects, using an active joint repositioning test. One encouraging outcome was that active-old subjects that exercised 3 times a week for a year or longer could achieve significantly lower absolute angle errors in their knee joints. Compared to individuals that do not participate in any form of physical activity these exercises can lead to less falling and painful injuries in the later adult years. The Tai Chi participants also showed significantly beneficial differences in reaction time, maximum excursion, and directional control (Tsang & Hui-Chan, 2003).
One popular area of investigation is the possible connection between physical fitness and improved cognitive ability. For this line of investigation the researchers examined aerobic exercise specifically. The four areas of interest in this study were speed of reactions, visuospatial tasks, controlled-processing tasks, and executive-control tasks which are actions that have not become automatic over time. The study included groups of young-old (55-65), middle-old (66-70), and old-old (71+) that were put into conditions of walking, dancing, and circuit training. From the data there was support that in fact cardiovascular exercise increased cognitive performance on average, regardless of the type of cognitive task, training method, or participants' characteristics. As hypothesized it was executive control processes that showed the largest gain with improved fitness, overlapped with and followed by controlled processes (Colcombe & Kramer, 2003).
Aging is a process that can not be escaped, and one that we will all experience to one degree or another depending on our individual life courses. One general pattern of aging is the gradual decline in functioning and capability of our senses or performance. Even though this can not be avoided there are actions that can be taken to improve the quality of our lives while we have the chance. Exercise is one of those options that can offer very beneficial results. As many studies have shown, it is also the social aspect of many physical activities that allows for the most encouraging outcomes. For those that feel able, cardiovascular exercise does offer many physical as well as mental benefits, but is not ultimately required. There are other less-demanding activities such as Tai Chi that also offer similar outcomes without necessarily demanding high cardiovascular output. With studies such as these it appears logical to claim that remaining active in one way or another into later adult years is one way to sustain a healthy and cognitively stable life style.
Social Relations, Physical Activity, and Well-Being in Older Adults. Edward McAuley, Bryan Blissmer, David X. Marquez, Gerald J. Jerome, Arthur F. Kramer, and Jeffery Katula. Preventive Medicine, 31 608-617 (2000)
Effects of Tai Chi on Joint Proprioception and Stability Limits in Elderly Subjects. Tsang, William; Hui-Chan, Christina. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 35 no12 1962-71 D 2003.
Fitness Effects on the Cognitive Function of Older Adults: a Meta-Analytic Study. Colcombe, Stanley; Kramer, Arther. Psychological Science. Vol. 14, NO. 2, March 2003.
Diagnosis and Treatment of Depression in Late Life (http://text.nlm.nih.gov/nih/cdc/www/86txt.html)
Contributed by Brian Isherwood, February 16, 2006.