"People who have reached their later years may think its primarily a time to relax not to increase their physical activity. Not so. Previous research has suggested that exercise can improve memory http and reverse muscle loss http in older adults among other benefits. And a study out Monday finds that a regular program of physical activity reduces the time spent with mobilitylimiting disability. Researchers took more than  sedentary people between  and  years old who had some functional limitations but who could walk about a quarter of a mile in  minutes or less unassisted by another person or a walker. Canes were OK. Half of the participants got a health education program involving regular inperson sessions and some stretching exercises while the other group was told to aim for  minutes of aerobic activity as well as strength flexibility and balance training both at the studys facilities and at home. Walking was the cornerstone of the program says Thomas Gill httpsmedicine.yale.eduintmedpeoplethomas_gill.profile a professor of geriatrics at the Yale School of Medicine and an author of the study which appears in Annals of Internal Medicine. The study followed participants for about . years and found that the physical activity program cut the amount of time that people spent with a major mobility disability  defined as being unable to walk a quarter mile  by  percent compared to the education program. Previous findings from the same study https showed that the exercise program lowered the risk of becoming disabled in the first place this one showed that it sped recovery from an episode of disability and lowered the risk of subsequent episodes. Article continues after this message from our sponsor Theyve done a really nice job of showing the incredible power of physical activity says Bradley Cardinal httphealth.oregonstate.edupeoplecardinalbradley a professor of kinesiology at Oregon State University who wasnt involved with the study. Its the secret ingredient to successful aging in terms of quality of life. An editorial accompanying the study by the University of California San Franciscos Patricia Katz httpprofiles.ucsf.edupatti.katz and the University of South Carolinas Russell Pate http_CPARGdirectory_detail.aspid also noted that people who engage in physical activity have a lower risk for heart disease diabetes certain cancers depression cognitive impairment and functional decline. The exercise program pretty closely followed the governments recommendations https_adults for all adults including older ones  minutes of moderateintensity or  minutes of vigorousintensity exercise per week plus two strength sessions that hit all the major muscle groups. But most Americans dont get that much exercise and that becomes increasingly true as people age. According to statistics http_.pdf from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention just  percent of those  and up meet the recommendation for aerobic activity and only  percent also did the suggested amount of strength training. Cardinal says older adults need to realize that exercise can greatly improve their quality of life by maximizing function as long as possible. But he says that many believe that older age is for relaxing and that physical activity is somehow dangerous or unnatural. That belief is pervasive among older adults he says even though for many of them meeting the minimum requirements is doable. Semantics can help. We try to frame this as more physical activity than exercise says Gill. We talk with older folks and many say I cant exercise but maybe I can become more physically active.  Study participants were advised to start low and go slow and some were even able to get rid of their canes after six months of exercise which Gill says they found particularly rewarding. Physicians can also help. Prescribing exercise may be just as important as prescribing medications  perhaps even more important in some cases the editorial said. The authors called on medical schools to start preparing students to prescribe exercise as effectively as they prescribe statins and for health systems to support physicians in addressing inactivity just as they provide support in addressing other health risks. The American College of Sports Medicine has an Exercise is Medicine initiative http to help physicians integrate exercise recommendations into their treatment plans. There are also some basic behavioral strategies http for getting yourself to get moving no matter your age including giving yourself an incentive to change and engineering your environment to encourage the activity."