Experts urge lifelong exercise as medicine for healthy ageing

Steiermark experts are urging people to stay active throughout their lives, saying regular exercise can help prevent illness, manage pain and support healthy ageing, ORF reported.

About 60 percent of the population does less exercise than recommended under Austria’s national guidelines, said Dietmar Wallner, a sports and training scientist at the FH Joanneum educational institution. He said exercise could often work better than medication.

“If there were a medication that worked nearly as well as training or exercise, every doctor would be required to prescribe it,” Wallner said.

General practitioner Kristina Hütter-Klepp of Graz said movement benefited almost every cell in the body. It affected the muscles, cardiovascular and immune systems, metabolic organs, bones and mental health, she said.

Hütter-Klepp described prolonged sitting as one of the biggest health risks, saying that sitting for eight to 10 hours a day significantly increased overall mortality. Everyday life, work and even leisure time all contributed to people sitting more, she said.

Muscle mass begins to decline from about the age of 30, Wallner said, making strength training increasingly important with age. He said people ultimately struggled to maintain everyday fitness not because of a lack of endurance, but because of insufficient strength.

It is never too late to start, Hütter-Klepp said. People can still build muscle at 70 or 75, increasing their chances of staying healthy as they grow older.

Uwe Manninger, who runs Injoy Fitness, compared regular training to dental hygiene. He said it formed the basis for a long, healthy and independent everyday life and for taking part in other sports.

Exercise was also important for people with underlying conditions, including metabolic and cancer-related illnesses, Hütter-Klepp said. They should undertake supervised training with a sports scientist or physiotherapist. She also recommended consulting a family doctor when starting a new exercise routine.

Finding enjoyment in movement is key to staying motivated, Manninger said. Wallner added that people had found the right routine if they immediately wanted to train again after a session. Hütter-Klepp advised focusing less on the number of minutes exercised and more on enjoying activities people liked.