Which Is More Effective: Senior Workouts or Medication? The Answer May Surprise You!

Senior workouts may be even more beneficial than medication.

If you made a New Year’s resolution to exercise more this year, hopefully you’re continuing to stick with it! As it turns out, adding more physical activity to your daily routine is one resolution we should all be keeping – and this is even more important for older adults, many of whom take multiple medications for a variety of conditions.

Research is showing that, surprisingly, doctor-approved senior workouts can be as effective as many typically-prescribed medications in treating or preventing some of the leading causes of death. In the study, scientists compared how effective various medications and exercise routines were in reducing deaths among those who had been diagnosed with several common and serious health conditions, such as heart disease and diabetes. The results consistently indicated that both medications and exercise led to nearly the same results.

For instance, the study revealed that individuals with heart disease who exercised but did not use commonly-prescribed medications, such as statins, angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitors or antiplatelet drugs, had the same risk of dying from — or surviving — heart disease as others who were taking those medications.

Researchers also highlighted how infrequently doctors are to “prescribe” exercise as an effective medical intervention. Huseyin Naci, a graduate student at the London School of Economics and Political Science, along with Dr. John Ioannidis, director of the Stanford Prevention Research Center at the Stanford University School of Medicine, worked together on the study, determining that, according to Naci, “We are not suggesting that anyone stop taking their medications. But maybe people could think long and hard about their lifestyles and talk to their doctors about whether exercise could and should be incorporated into their care.”

At Hired Hands Homecare, the expert provider of Sonoma home care and senior care in the surrounding areas, we’re pleased to help older adults remain as active as possible and to achieve the very best possible quality of life. We offer transportation and accompaniment to exercise classes, companionship to motivate, encourage, and make exercise time fun, and many more home care services that are uniquely developed to meet each person’s individual needs.

Call us at (866) 940-4343 for a complimentary in-home consultation to learn more about how we can help improve health and wellbeing for a senior you love! Whether the need is for just a few hours of help each week, full-time, 24 hour care to ensure safety at all times, or anything in between, we’re always here with the right level of care at the right time.