Effects of physical activity on aging processes in elderly persons

Aging is inevitable part of a human life. However, there are a number of factors which can affect the rate of aging. One of these factors is physical activity. An increase in physical activity improves the health status, functional abilities in activities of daily living, slows the aging process, and delays the development of premature aging in elderly persons. Regular physical exercises can delay age-related changes in the body and are important and necessary to maintain good health and keep a high working capacity for a long time. Physical activity is of paramount importance to good health, increasing work capacity, and extended longevity. The aim of our study was to examine the effects of physical activity on aging processes in elderly persons on the basis of comparison between the biological and chronological age of the elderly, and assessment of their rate of aging. Material: The study involved two groups of respondents. The first group (n=38) consisted of the members of either Sportlife or Titan fitness clubs. The second group (n=35) included people who continued their education at the Kolping University of the Third Age in Chernivtsi. The respondents of the last group were not engaged in health-enhancing physical activity. A total of 63 people aged 60-73 years participated in the study. Results: It was found that the respondents of the experimental group had physiological indicators compared to those of the control group and their chronological age was 8.7 years ahead of the biological, whereas in the control group, the biological age of the respondents was 5.5 years ahead of the chronological age. The aging rate was substantially slowed down in 10.5% of the respondents of the experimental group and accelerated in 5.7% respondents of the control group.