Small Amounts of Exercise Can Greatly Improve Heart and Lung Capacity in 65 year olds.

Even small amounts of exercise can greatly increase heart and lung capacity in middle aged and older folks.  A French study had 19 formerly sedentary older adults (average age 65 years) work out on a stationary bike for 30 minutes for twice a week.  After 9 weeks of workouts, the average heart and lung capacity increased by an average of 10%!.  An increase in heart and lung capacity of 10% means that a 65 year old person has heart and lungs about as strong as a sedentary person 10 or 20 years younger!  It is amazing that exercising only one hour per week can make an older persons’ heart and lungs 10 to 20 years younger in capacity!

P Vogel et al.  Impact of short-term aerobic interval training on maximal exercise in sedentary aged subjects.  International Journal of Clinical Practice  October 2009;63(10):1472-8.