Physical declines begin sooner in life... often when people are still in their 50s, according to a Duke Health study that focused on a large group of U.S. adults across a variety of age groups. ...finding suggests that efforts to maintain basic strength and endurance should begin before age 50, when it’s still possible to preserve the skills that keep people mobile and independent later in life. All ... performed the same ... tasks to demonstrate strength, endurance or balance: rising from a chair repeatedly for 30 seconds; standing on one leg for a minute; and walking for six minutes. Men generally performed better than women on the tasks, and younger people outperformed older participants...declines... began to appear – ... decade of the 50s – were consistent regardless of gender... Specifically, both men and women in that mid-life decade began to slip in their ability to stand on one leg and rise from a chair. The decline continued through the next decades... People often misinterpret ‘aging’ to mean ‘aged’... This bias can exist among researchers and healthcare providers, too. The good news is... the ability to function independently can often be preserved with regular exercise.”
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