The Impact of Exercise Timing and Regularity on Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Older Adults
As research unfolds, the importance of the body's circadian rhythm in maintaining optimal health is becoming increasingly evident.
Prior studies have demonstrated that a disrupted natural sleep-wake cycle can elevate the risk of several health issues, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, depression, and certain types of cancers. Moreover, the circadian rhythm plays a crucial role in regulating not only sleep patterns but also when activities such as exercise occur.
A recent study published in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports and Exercise reveals that consistent exercise habits, particularly working out at the same time every day, may improve cardiovascular and lung health in older adults.
Exercise and Cardiorespiratory Fitness
To investigate this, researchers enlisted around 800 seniors, averaging 76 years of age, to wear wrist-worn accelerometers for seven days to measure their daily activity levels. The participants also underwent cardiopulmonary exercise tests to evaluate their heart and lung health.
"Cardiorespiratory fitness is a measure of how efficiently the heart, lungs, and muscles work together in response to exercise," explained Karyn Esser, PhD, the study's senior author and chair of the Department of Physiology and Aging at the University of Florida. "Higher values correlate with lower mortality risks and longer lifespans."
The study also assessed participants' walking efficiency, another indicator of healthy aging.
The Influence of Exercise Consistency and Timing
At the study's conclusion, Esser and her team found that participants who were most active during their active hours relative to their resting time and whose maximum daily activity happened earlier in the day were linked to better cardiorespiratory fitness and walking efficiency.
"Earlier peak activity was associated with better health outcomes even when accounting for the amount of activity," the researcher detailed. "This suggests that initiating exercise earlier in the day could provide health benefits. Furthermore, we found that maintaining the same active time each day may also contribute to health."
Scientists also observed that better health outcomes were correlated with greater consistency in daily activity patterns, with the highest activity time happening at the same time every day.
Maintaining a Healthy Lifestyle as We Age
Esser concluded that maintaining a consistent daily exercise program is essential for preserving health as we age. "While we are living longer, we are not necessarily living healthier," she explained. "Finding ways to help people maintain or improve their health throughout the aging process is crucial to improving quality of life and minimizing the impact of age-related chronic diseases."
Researchers have suggested that the earlier time of activity and repetition of activity provide additional benefits beyond the exercise itself. They propose that these factors work in conjunction with our internal circadian clock system to maintain overall health. Future studies will focus on expanding the clinical study of circadian activity behavior and its impact on aging, including sleep, pain, cognition, and mental health.
"This study indicates that the timing and consistency of exercise can positively influence cardiovascular health in seniors," commented Cheng-Han Chen, MD, a board-certified interventional cardiologist. "As our population ages, developing strategies to improve physical fitness could help reduce the burden of disease and improve general well-being."
- A disrupted sleep-wake cycle, influenced by the circadian rhythm, can elevate the risk of several health issues like heart disease, diabetes, obesity, depression, and certain cancers.
- Consistent exercise habits, especially working out at the same time every day, may improve cardiovascular and lung health in older adults, as shown in a recent study published in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports and Exercise.
- Cardiorespiratory fitness, a measureof how efficiently the heart, lungs, and muscles work together in response to exercise, is crucial for older adults as it is linked to lower mortality risks and longer lifespans.
- Researchers observed that better health outcomes were correlated with greater consistency in daily activity patterns and an earlier peak activity time, suggesting that initiating exercise earlier in the day could provide health benefits and maintaining the same active time each day might contribute to overall health.
- Maintaining a consistent daily exercise program is essential for preserving health as we age, as it can help people maintain or improve their health throughout the aging process.
- Future studies will focus on expanding the clinical study of circadian activity behavior and its impact on aging, including sleep, pain, cognition, and mental health, to further understand how timing and consistency of exercise can positively influence general health and well-being.
