Exercise habits change over the decades. In your 30s and 40s, work, kids and the responsibilities of managing a home and family can put a kink in your workout schedule. There’s less time to spend at the gym. Pick-up games with friends at the park or rink become less frequent. Long runs, swims or bike rides are more of a luxury than a regular thing.

A decade or two later, when work and family commitments become more manageable and there’s more time to work out, the reality your body doesn’t move the way it did a couple decades ago forces a realization exercise once again looks a bit different.

That’s doesn’t mean you need to say goodbye to vigorous exercise on the other side of middle age. Many people discover a love of physical activity and athletic competition only after reaching mid-life. But it’s rare for someone to be exercising the same way later in life as they did in their 20s.

An Australian research team decided to investigate how exercise habits evolve over time. And unlike most studies that have focused on changes in exercise intensity and/or total exercise minutes they tracked how participation in sports and physical activity changed as exercisers move from middle age to their golden years.

“By identifying which activities are most likely to decline, and among whom, our findings can help align........

© Montreal Gazette