Not many people enjoy growing old. Who would enjoy the onset of creaking limbs, failing eyesight and diminished physical strength? But nowadays, more and more people are refusing to accept that ageing necessarily means decline.
When the World Athletic Championships start next week, one athlete is already rewriting the record books. At the age of 43, Merlene Ottey, the Jamaican-born runner, will be older than any other sprinter to ever take part in the world championships. She recently re-entered the world rankings and is hoping to add some more medals to her extensive collection.
Meanwhile, Arnold Schwarzenegger, currently hoping to be the next governor of California, has shown (despite having heart surgery in 1997) that you can be fit while in your 50s. He is joined by 54-year-old George Foreman, who recently announced his intention to return to the boxing ring, and Martina Navratilova, 46, who claimed her 20th Wimbledon title this year in the mixed doubles.
These may be rare exceptions, but they also reflect a deeper reality: middle-aged men and women are turning to exercise like never before. A generation ago, the sight of a 50-something in running shorts and trainers would have raised smiles or eyebrows. Not any more. In running, swimming and cycling, the veterans and superveterans categories show the fastest growth in numbers of participants and the sharpest improvement in performance. British children may be getting more obese, but their parents and grandparents seem to be getting healthier and fitter and this is one of the reasons why, on average, they are living longer.
A study of the relationship between physical activity and disease, published in the Lancet, found that for men aged 50 to 59 who were suffering from heart disease, the chances of subsequent cardiovascular mortality were almost five times lower among those engaged in moderate exercise than those who did no exercise. The research, which involved following 7,735 middle-aged British men over a 20-year period, led to the conclusion that starting on an exercise programme after 50 played a major role in cutting the risk of heart attack, stroke, hypertension, high blood pressure and diabetes.
But there are potential risks as well as benefits in starting out in middle age. If you suffer from high blood pressure, you may increase your risk of a heart attack if you push yourself too hard too soon. Your immunity to viral or bacterial infection is also temporarily reduced after vigorous exercise and there is the prospect of injury if you overdo it. The experts suggest a graduated approach.
1) Ask your doctor: "Don't suddenly change what you are doing until you've seen your GP," says Dr Susan Ward, professor of sports science at the University of Glasgow. Aside from checking pulse, blood pressure and weight, your doctor may recommend a fitness assessment to see what you can take.
2) Choose carefully: Regular weight-bearing exercise helps the body absorb calcium, reducing the risk of osteoporosis (particularly relevant for post-menopausal women), but if you have had problems with injuries to your knees, ankles or tendons, then you may think twice about sports such as road running. As rower Andy Ripley, 55, puts it: "Age is less of a problem in sports like rowing, swimming and cycling because you're not supporting your weight, so your joints and bones take less strain."
3) Take advice: "If you're a novice, get assessed at your gym or club and get qualified advice on how to continue, including a step-by-step routine," says triathlete Daphne Belt (see case studies, below).
4) Don't go it alone: You are more likely to keep it up if you exercise with other people. "Join a club or a gym or a training group," says Belt. "And once you've done that, take it easy. Don't try for speed at first - go slowly."
5) Watch your diet: "Most of us in the west eat too much protein," says Dr Henryk Lakomy, manager of science and medicine for the UK world-class swimming programme in Loughborough. "Our diets should consist of around 60% carbohydrate, not the usual 45%, so think of more pasta and pulses."
6) Beware the drinking culture: One reason why the likes of Ripley and Belt (see below) improve their performance in their 50s and 60s is that they reduce or eliminate alcohol consumption. "If you want to excel, you can't really afford the empty calories that alcohol produces," says Lakomy.
7) Warm up and stretch: The older you are, the more important this becomes. This means a five-minute warm-up, followed by stretching. Even more important is to stretch after your session. "Ideally you should stretch all your major muscle groups, but don't jerk - go into the stretch gradually," says Lakomy.
8) Give your body time to recover: "Rest is part of training, particularly at my age," says runner Bill Birmingham. "I always have a rest day between training sessions. It's helped to keep me injury-free."
9) Avoid too much too soon: Cardiovascular systems get into shape quicker than muscles and joints, so while our hearts and lungs may be ready to step it up, our tendons and ligaments protest. "Don't assume you can reach peak fitness in a few days or you're in danger of injuring yourself," Ward warns. To which Lennox Lewis (a mere 37) adds: "The only thing with getting older is that I take longer to recover from injuries."
10) Grit your teeth: "Even when it's dark and wet and you'd rather sit at home watching television, you should still get out there," says Birmingham. "It's worth putting up with the discomfort."
Beating the clock
Daphne Belt, triathlete, 64
A major birthday is a common spur and Daphne Belt was no exception. "My 50th was monumental," she recalls, 14 years and several hundred races later. "I was over 11st and I'm only 5ft 2in and couldn't climb the stairs without difficulty."
A reluctant beginner, she failed to keep up with the mild routine her gym instructors suggested. Instead she started jogging - very slowly. Then her husband, Steve, taught her to swim front crawl. Next she changed her diet - lots of fruit and veg, less fat - and finally, after a year, she entered a 10-mile run and completed it.
To her surprise, it dawned on her that she was falling in love with exercise. Daphne completed her first triathlon, which was followed by her first Iron Man event (2.5-mile open water swim, 112-mile cycle and a full 26.2-mile marathon run). Since then she has picked up world titles in the 50-55, 55-60 and 60-65 age groups.
Daphne now has a few gentle runs, swims and cycles during the week, and then runs 18 miles on Saturday, swims for an hour on Saturday night and cycles for 90 miles on Sunday.
Bill Birmingham, runner, 53
"You can't let Bill get close in the last quarter of a race, 'cos he'll break you down the straight," says a panting 21-year-old after a session on the Finsbury Park track in north London. He points to a shaven-headed man with ripcord musculature and a huge smile.
Two days earlier Bill had broken four minutes 50 seconds in a 1,500m race; before that he ran a 36-minute 10km race."I can knock off at least another 10 seconds - which will put me in line for a medal at the National Veterans championships," he says.
Unlike most top veterans, he is a relatively recent convert. As a teenager he put in the odd mile to keep in shape for football, but his window-cleaning business, along with smoking and drinking, put him off for 25 years. When he hit his 40s he gave up smoking, cut down on the beer and started jogging .
"I feel better now than I did 20 years ago. It affects your whole attitude to life."
