People in their fifties should step up their exercise efforts to counter the physical declines that often start during that midlife decade, suggests a recent study in the Jour­nals of Gerontology: Medical Sciences.

Researchers from Duke University gave 775 people, ages 30 to 100, simple tests of strength, endurance, and balance, such as repeatedly rising from a chair, walking a set distance, and standing on one leg. Perfor­mance on most tests began to decline signifi­cantly in participants in their fifties, with greater declines in later decades.

These results support a “lifespan approach” to main­taining physical ability, targeting risk factors for late-life disability in middle age “in an effort to prevent, attenuate, or delay func­tional decline,” the researchers concluded.

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