Taking up exercise in middle age 'turns back the clock' on years of inactivity

Taking up exercise in middle age can "make up" for inactivity earlier in life, a study found.

Midlife is a crucial time to meet physical activity guidelines to maintain good physical health-related quality of life, findings from the University of Sydney published in PLOS Medicine found.

Women who take up exercise in their 40s or 50s have the same physical health as women who regularly exercised before their 50s.

Women who take up exercise and maintain it consistently over the next 15 years have better physical health than women who don't stay active.

Researchers said: "Our findings suggest that to maintain good physical health-related quality of life at around age 70, one may be able to "make up" for not being active earlier by becoming active in the mid-50s.

"This finding supports public health initiatives for messaging around "turning back the clock" in midlife through lifestyle changes such as physical activity.

"Combined with existing evidence, this study contributes to growing evidence of the benefits of maintaining or adopting an active lifestyle in mid-age."

Women who only started exercising consistently in their 60s did not see the same health benefits as those who started in their 50s.

The study tracked 47- to 52-year-old women in Australia from 1998 to 2019.

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