Oct. 23, 1998
Contact: Mary Jane Dunlap, (785) 864-8853, [email protected]
Note: Complete stories are available on the University Relations Wegb site: http://www.urc.ukans.edu/KUNews.html Radio news editors: Actualities are available from Wayne Osness on the KU Radio Newsline (785) 864-4888.
NO AGE LIMIT ON EXERCISING OPTIONS
LAWRENCE -- John Glenn's upcoming space flight at age 77 not only will yield valuable information about aging but may inspire some older adults to begin a fitness program, says Wayne Osness, exercise physiologist at the University of Kansas.
"I think John will teach us a lot about the quality of life with his bout in space," Osness says. He is editor of a new book, "Exercise and the Older Adult" and researches fitness in people of all ages.
Glenn had rigorous physical training as a young man and has been in training all of his adult life, Osness notes. But older adults who haven't trained as Glenn has shouldn't assume they can't regain some flexibility and stamina.
Osness says that despite the differences between a 77-year-old astronaut and a 77-year-old nursing-home resident unable to get out of bed and walk to the bathroom, both can benefit from an exercise program matched to their level of fitness.
"The good news is as a result of our research, we can we can turn fitness levels around for people who have lost the flexibility to get out of bed. They won't be able to run any races, but many can get out of bed and go to the bathroom and back. Or they can leave the house and sit in a car and go for a ride. These are major changes in the quality of life for older adults," Osness says.
Exercise activates physiological processes necessary for flexibility, Osness says, which is important to our quality of life, whether we want to pull a lever in a spacecraft or reach for something on the top shelf in a kitchen cabinet.
Muscle tissue atrophies in space because the force of gravity is gone. "Our bodies are trained in gravity. Gravity dictates the way we sit or stand. Anyone who has been bedridden for six weeks experiences tissue atrophy similar to what astronauts experience," Osness notes.
During Glenn's flight, scientists will gather information about physiological changes on an older body in space that will be important to all of us, Osness says. "Although we have some good evidence about why people age, there is still a lot we need to know."
Older adults, in their 70s or 80s or older, are comparatively easy to motivate to improve their fitness, Osness says. "Teenagers find it difficult to look ahead. Generally they are in good shape and have fewer self-image problems. Middle-aged adults find they can do less than they could, their body structure is changing and they have a desire to do something about it."
Osness is a professor in the School of Education's Department of Health, Sport and Exercise Sciences and an adjunct professor in molecular biosciences at KU.
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