Seniors Live Better With Exercise & Swimming Isn’t Safe

And four new studies–all published in Archives of Internal Medicine–show that one of the best ways to fight Father Time is by keeping yourself fit.

In short, the studies found that:

• The sooner you start, the better: A long-term study found that women who were exercising at the age of 60 were healthier and had a lower risk of chronic diseases as well as physical and cognitive impairment when they reached 70. They were also less likely to have had heart surgery.
• Working your body saves your mind: Adults over 55 who exercised had a much lower risk of developing cognitive impairment. The harder they worked out, the lower that risk.
• Fitness keeps you focused: Senior women who exercised with resistance training had improved mental focus and conflict resolution skills. And naturally, they had better muscles, too.
• Sweating strengthens your bones: Women who exercised had higher bone density in the spine and hip and a 66 percent lower risk of falling. Those who did take a tumble had half the risk of bone fracture than those who did no exercise.

These studies affirm what we already know–exercise can help you stay in shape, live longer, boost your energy levels and fight heart disease, arthritis, diabetes, obesity and cancer.

I’ve told you about the importance of fitness before… and I hope you’ve taken it to heart and started your own workout plan if you weren’t already getting some steady movement.

But if you haven’t, you can start today, and you don’t need to spend a dime on a gym or sign up for the Senior Olympics. You can transform any fun activity into exercise… turn that daily walk in the park into a brisk stroll. Then, convert that stroll into a daily jog.

Even making love can be considered exercise… as long as you can do it for 20 to 30 minutes a day, every day (and if that’s part of your daily routine, I salute you).

Try biking, hiking, or dancing. But one thing I wouldn’t recommend is swimming. Keep reading to find out why…

Like it or not, pools, rivers and lakes can be packed with nasty bacteria… and a new study out of Australia shows just what you risk when you take that dip.

The researchers found that swimmers had a 25 percent higher risk of gastroenteritis–better known as stomach flu–in the week or so following a splash in their local pool. And people who take their chances in rivers, lakes and the ocean are 77 percent more likely to get intimate with their toilets in the week following their swim sessions.

And if you think chlorine is the answer, think again. Not only is this toxin bad for your body, it’s also not a kill- all for germs. Some bacteria, like Cryptosporidium, can survive for days in a chlorinated pool.

The worst part of all is that the bacteria most likely to survive that chlorine assault are the ones that enter the pool through the rear exit… of your fellow swimmers. That’s right–the bacteria that live in fecal material.

Anyone who has or recently had diarrhea could be these oozing nasty germs. Anyone who’s changed a diaper between dips and jumped back in without washing could also be spreading them (and let’s face it–that’s something you see all the time poolside).

At the end of the day, your local pool is only as clean as the filthiest person who paddled into it. And I don’t know if you’ve been people-watching at the poolside lately, but some of these folks are in pretty bad shape.

They contaminate the water… then all it takes is a little splash in the mouth or eyes for the bacteria to win their own version of a swimming medal: a brand-new human host.

This isn’t just a problem in far-away Australia–it’s an issue here, too. One U.S. survey last year found that nearly half of all people who enter public pools admit to some pretty gross behavior.

For example, 17 percent say they’ve urinated in the pool, and a third say they don’t shower before swimming.

These are the ones who admit to this, mind you. The real number is probably higher–much higher.

And you want to swim with these people?

Do yourself a favor–take up biking instead.

On a mission for your health,

Ed Martin
Editor, House Calls