m. A thirty seven percent decrease in the number of spinal cord nerves occur as people age. The speed at which their nervous system functions slows. There is a significant loss in the elastic properties of their connective tissues. These neural function changes mean they will move and react far less quickly as time passes. Their movements will not only be slower but also not as precise. Most of these changes are subtle, occur over a period of time and are slow to be recognized. The aging process also affects the cardiovascular system. As people grow older their heart doesn’t pump as fast, as efficiently or with as much force. Results from studies suggest that regular exercise enables older individuals to retain cardiovascular functioning to a greater extent than if they were not regularly exercising. The bottom line in the aging process is how well they feel. If they exercise regularly there is no doubt they’ll feel better than if they didn’t (Katch and Katch 24) Regular exercise improves physical abilities and changes the structure and composition of their body but besides this exercise also brings about phychological changes. Exercise itself can make people more mentally alert. Pilot studies investigated the relationship between long-distant swimming and short- term memory, research found immediately following exercise the swimmers experienced an increase in ability to take in and process information. Other athletes M Wing 4also report an increased sense of smell, touch, taste and visual sharpness immediately following a workout. Research indicates that even relatively short endurance activities result in changes in short term memory capacity. (Pavlou, Konstantin and Zak 144) According to David C Nieman in Exercise Testing and Prescription Physical activity improves health in the following ways: Reduces the risk of dying prematurely (i.e., improves life expectancy)Reduces the risk of dying...
