Exercise benefits

For the new year, here are some quotes from scientists about the benefits of exercise:

Euan Ashley, a professor of cardiovascular medicine, genetics, and data science at Stanford, says, “Exercise is just the single most important intervention you can think of for your health.” In analyzing data of more than half a million people over the course of ten years, he found that exercise reduces our chances of having atrial fibrillation, diabetes, hip fractures, and colon cancer by at least 50 percent. Unlike other interventions that might target one aspect of health, exercise affects nearly every system in your body.

According to neuroscientist Justin Rhodes, exercise can reverse the effects of a genetic bad hand by lowering the risk of a variety of ailments, including heart disease. Exercise also slows aging in several ways: by promoting the growth of stem cells in muscle, expressing genes linked to longevity, and lengthening telomeres. Rhodes contends that we can introduce exercise at any point in our lives and that, for every hour we exercise, we tack two hours onto our life span. 

I read in a recent JAMA article (2025) that “individuals with the highest levels of physical activity at midlife and late life had 41% and 45% lower risk of all-cause dementia, respectively, compared with those with the lowest levels of physical activity.” The study used data collected since 1971 from 5,124 participants.

For my exercise regimen, at age 89, I load Jazzercise on Demand onto my iPad and perform one of their 30-minute dance cardio routines followed by 10 minutes of upper body strength training using two five-pound weights. After that, I do a series of yoga stretches. I follow this routine on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays. (I’d rather just sit.) Lots of people walk for their exercise, but the road we live on is too steep. I do my walking on our weekly golf outings.

Plenty of old people live long lives without exercising, but I’ve decided not to chance it. Besides, I’m trying to stave off further deterioration.

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