Just 20 minutes of exercise can help elderly adults retain their independence and mobility [ALAMY]Scientists say walking as little as a quarter of a mile every day can mean the difference between keeping up everyday activities or becoming housebound.
The US study Lifestyle Interventions and Independence for Elders, or LIFE, spent two and a half years following 1,635 sedentary men and women aged 70 to 89 who could walk a quarter of a mile within 15 minutes but were at risk of losing that ability.
A modest increase in physical activity has the potential to help older adults maintain functional independence.
One group walked 150 minutes a week and did strength, flexibility and balance training which was monitored weekly.
The second group attended health education classes and performed stretching exercises. Their mobility, weight and blood pressure was regularly checked.
Professor of epidemiology and public health Dr Jack Guralnik at the University of Maryland School of Medicine said that exercise led to a 28 per cent reduction in people permanently losing the ability to walk easily.
Professor of medicine Dr Wendy Kohrt at the University of Colorado who reviewed the findings, said: “The LIFE trial demonstrated that a modest increase in physical activity has the potential to help older adults maintain functional independence.”
The study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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