FRIDAY, Aug. 5 (HealthDay News) -- For older Americans who
decide to get more physically active, a new study finds that
performance often trumps appearance.
The boost in body functioning that older adults gained from
about six months of exercise proved more satisfying than any change
in appearance, especially among men, according to the research.
This suggest that with advancing years, a shift in emphasis may
occur, one that puts a premium on a well-functioning body over a
"hot" body, experts said.
"If we can get older adults to become more physically active, there are other benefits related to quality of life," said study author Renee Umstattd, assistant professor of health education at Baylor University, Waco, Texas. While many adults think of exercise as helping to prevent or delay chronic disease, Umstattd said her study shows there is much more to it than that.
Her study, published online in the journal
Annals of Behavioral Medicine, looked at more than 1,800 men and women, average age 69, enrolled in the Active for Life program at 12 sites across the United States. None of them had exercised regularly before the study, and they participated in motivational sessions by phone or in classes throughout the trial.
Participants were asked to do 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous
exercise most days of the week through any activity of their
choice, including walking, for the duration of the program, which
lasted either five or six months.
At the start, most participants reported being "a little
dissatisfied" with their body's appearance, but at the program's
conclusion participants liked their bodies more -- or at least
disliked them less. They reported, on average, an almost "neutral"
feeling, meaning they were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied with
their body appearance, Umstattd said.
And when paticipants asked about how well their bodies
functioned (as opposed to appearance), at the outset most were
either dissatisfied or neutral. After the program ended, the
average response was ''almost a little satisfied'' with body
functioning, Umstattd said.
Gender seemed to influence older people's views on their bodies.
Men thought that having a body work well was more important than
women did, and men also cared less about appearance than did women,
the researchers found.
Overall, greater improvements in satisfaction with body function
were associated with younger age, better health at the outset of
the program, reduced body mass and greater amount of physical
activity.
Previous research has linked declines in body function with
reduced self-esteem and identity, the researcher said. And this
study confirmed that as satisfaction with appearance and function
grew, symptoms of depression declined. But the mental-health boost
was even greater with perceived gains in bodily function than with
changes in appearance, the study found.
Whites were more likely than blacks to report greater
satisfaction with body functioning and appearance at the study's
conclusion. The reasons for this were unclear but might be because
the whites tended to have more room for improvement, the study
said.
The overall study findings make sense to Colin Milner, founder
of the International Council on Active Aging.
"You may not be as vain as you were before," he said of older exercisers. With age, many people come to appreciate that their body is functioning well. They are likely to say: "It is more important that I am able to get up and walk and play with my grandkids than my overall appearance," he said.
And even if you are still carrying a few extra pounds, he said,
you are probably happier ''because you are able to do what you want
to do."
More information
For more on active aging, visit the
International Council on Active Aging.