As you age, muscle mass decreases, and bones and joints weaken. To slow down the aging process, exercise is essential. What kind of exercise should you do? Men are recommended to ride bicycles, and women are advised to go hiking.

Professor Tsuji Daishi's research team at the University of Tsukuba Institute of Health and Sports Sciences in Japan focused on previous studies indicating that the health benefits for the elderly vary depending on the type of exercise, and conducted a study to specifically analyze the effects of different exercises.

The research team conducted a study on 75,045 elderly individuals with an average age of 73.1 years. Among the participants, 33,746 were men and 36,799 were women. The team identified twenty types of exercise and asked the participants which activities they engaged in. Subsequently, they conducted a health assessment that included 25 items such as depression scales and self-rated health scales, and tracked changes over three years.

Twenty types of exercise include walking, running, fitness exercises, strength training, hiking, golf, ground golf, gateball, dance, yoga, aerobics, pétanque, tai chi, swimming, water exercises, table tennis, bowling, cycling, tennis, and other sports.

The analysis showed that elderly individuals who engaged in hiking, walking, tennis, ground golf, and strength training maintained their health score for three years regardless of gender.

In women, hiking, walking, tennis, gymnastics, strength training, and swimming in that order helped maintain health index scores.

The men's activities were in the order of dance, cycling, swimming, hiking, golf, table tennis, walking, running, tennis, and strength training.

The research team stated, "The types of exercise that help elderly men and women maintain their health differ by gender," and added, "This study provides practical evidence on which exercises should be recommended to prevent frailty in the elderly."

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Women, strength training is indeed important.

I walk every day.

I'm planning to walk 10,000 steps... I should also go hiking.