The best exercise to slow down aging: cycling for men… but what about women?

As we age, muscle mass declines, and bones and joints weaken. Exercise is essential to slowing the aging process. What type of exercise is recommended? Cycling is recommended for men, and hiking is recommended for women.

A research team led by Professor Daishi Tsuji of the Institute for Health and Sports Science at the University of Tsukuba in Japan, noting previous research showing that the health benefits for the elderly differ depending on the type of exercise, conducted a study to specifically analyze the effects of each type of exercise.

The research team conducted a study on 70,545 elderly people with an average age of 73.1. Among the participants, 33,746 were men and 36,799 were women. The research team asked the participants to choose 20 types of exercise and which ones they participated in. They then completed a health assessment consisting of 25 items, including a depression scale and a self-reported health scale, and tracked and analyzed changes over a three-year period.

The twenty types of exercise include ▲walking ▲running ▲fitness exercise ▲strength training ▲hiking ▲golf ▲ground golf ▲gateball ▲dance ▲yoga ▲aerobics ▲petanque ▲tai chi ▲swimming ▲water exercise ▲table tennis ▲bowling ▲cycling ▲tennis ▲other sports.

The analysis found that older adults who hiked, walked, played tennis, played ground golf, and did strength training maintained their health scale scores for three years, regardless of gender.

In women, the activities that helped maintain health scale scores were hiking, walking, tennis, gymnastics, strength training, and swimming, in that order.

For men, the order was dancing, cycling, swimming, hiking, golf, table tennis, walking, running, tennis, and strength training.

The research team said, "The types of exercise that help older adults maintain their health differed depending on gender," and "The results of this study provide practical evidence on what types of exercise should be recommended to prevent frailty in older adults."

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Strength training is important for women.

I walk every day

I'm planning to walk 10,000 feet... I guess I'll have to go hiking too.