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Michael Jordan's Personal Trainer
It is tempting to believe that people who started exercising at a young age especially those whom participated in sports during high school and college are likelier to be physically active and healthier later in life. But recent studies suggest that being a former athlete does not necessarily confer any health advantage, with one possible exception.
In one study at the Institute for Aerobics Research in Dallas, for instance, 420 men were divided into two groups, those who lettered in, or participated in, a sport in school and those who had never been active in sports. The researchers found that the two groups did not differ significantly in blood cholesterol levels, weight, blood pressure, fitness level or current activity level. Is it easier for former athletes to start exercising again, compared to non-athletes? Apparently not, for when sedentary men from both groups were advised to start an exercise program, participation rates were about the same. And nearly five years later, the former non athletes had benefited from their exercise regimens as much as the former jocks, as seen in changes in weight, cholesterol, blood pressure, and other cardiovascular risk factors. This suggests that it is never too late to start exercising, even if you were shied away from athletics all your life, and never too late to begin again. Former athletes have no advantage in middle age. They do not stockpile the fitness benefits for later years. Current exercise habits are what count most, not previous participation. In other words, exercise is good for you only as long as you do it.
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