May 1, 2017 – Which Exercise

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Anchor lead: What’s the best exercise as you age? Elizabeth Tracey reports

All around us exercise is extolled as the fountain of youth. Alicia Arbaje, a geriatrics expert at Johns Hopkins, agrees, but in a recent article in the Washington Post, says one type of exercise is especially important as we age.

Arbaje: Everyone knows that exercise is good for you, but I think there’s a special piece that’s important as people get older. We’re used to thinking of exercise as like cardio and weights and those things are important, but really as we get older what’s very important is balance and flexibility. We know older people can fall, break their hip, and that these kinds of things can lead to continued decline. Balance and flexibility can help so much in preventing falls, and just being able to stay mobile and independent, which is what people really care about when they get older. :30

Arbaje says things like yoga and tai chi are especially good at improving and promoting balance, but says even simply lifting one foot while standing in line or raising one knee while washing the dishes are helpful and may be good places to start. At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.