As many as one in four women and one in eight men develop osteoporosis in their lifetime, which sometimes result in fatal fractures of the hip. Weight-bearing exercise, where people carry their weight on one leg at a time as in walking, and resistance training are needed to maintain and even strengthen bones. There are growing indications that regular exercise helps to retard the loss of hormone function. Growth hormone, a builder of lean tissue, decreases with age but is released during exercise in young and old alike. Cortisol, a stress-fighting hormone, tends to stay too long in the blood in older people.
Physical activity helps to keep it down.
A similar balance is imposed on insulin, the sugar-controlling hormone. For them, the optimum exercise program consists of walking for short periods with adequate rest intervals, resistance training to strengthen other weakened muscles and supervised breathing exercises. If you or someone you know has any of the above conditions, physical activity may be the most positive step toward better health. Find an activity you really enjoy and seek out a friend to keep you company.