Exercise drops off sharply at age 49, study says
New research says 49 is the age when physical activity markedly declines.
Why it matters: Putting a number on when exercise drops off could encourage people to establish active habits early — before brain changes can make it harder to get moving.
"We've always said this phrase, 'Physical activity declines with age.' It's really nice to be able to put a number to it," said Timothy Morris, an assistant professor of physical therapy, human movement and rehabilitation sciences at Northeastern University.
Morris co-authored the study, which builds on a body of longevity research showing it's hard to maintain a physically active lifestyle as we age. Some evidence points to ages 44 and 60 as times of accelerated aging.
What they did: Researchers analyzed MRI scans and self-reported activity levels from adults ages 18 to 81. 52% were female and 48% male.
What they found: Physical activity drops off suddenly around age 49.
The study used data from nearly 600 people in and around Cambridge, U.K., so the findings may not apply broadly.
The big picture: The brain could be partly to blame for a drop in exercise, Morris said.
When you age, the part of the brain that helps control impulses — the " salience network" — changes.
So at a certain point, your brain won't naturally "inhibit that desire to sit on the sofa," Morris says.
How can we get motivated to move, despite a desire to stay put?
Start young.
During childhood is best. Kids who play sports growing up are more likely to be physically active as adults, studies find.
Make it fun.
Opting to be active simply because it feels good might help you bypass the innate human desire to minimize effort, Morris said.
Morris is finding preliminary evidence that offering adults "points" for exercising (equivalent to a few cents) gets people out the door. And it seems to be much more effective at getting people moving than reminding them of the health benefits of exercising.
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Ungs said while estimates are helpful, knowing the exact cost in advance is more useful. 'Patients have a right to real prices, and they need to start demanding them. You can only fight an overcharged bill with an actual price, not an estimate.' On May 30, Florida's attorney general released a video on X in which he addresses Floridians about Trump's actions to enforce price transparency. 'My office is going to help the President deliver on his mandate,' Uthmeier said. Subpoenas are part of an investigation 'related to patient charges, disclosures, billing practices, price transparency, and surprise billing protections,' he said. The hospital systems targeted by Uthmeier's subpoenas include AdventHealth, with more than 30 hospitals in Florida, and Southern Baptist of Florida in Jacksonville, with about a dozen hospitals in the state, according to Fox Business. Neither health system responded to requests for comment or to answer questions about the subpoenas or their efforts for price transparency. Southern Baptist of Florida's website appears more transparent than many others in the state. It provides a tool to estimate costs, even for those who are not existing patients. It can be searched by insurance plan or cash. The tool offers a good example of why a patient would want to shop around: For a procedure such as a colonoscopy, cash prices differ between hospitals within the Southern Baptist system — a colonoscopy at Baptist Clay is $5,121 and at Baptist Jacksonville, $5,546. Uthmeier would not provide any confirmation or elaboration on which Florida hospitals received subpoenas, whether those hospitals will receive fines, or how he plans to enforce price transparency rules. Numerous requests from the South Florida Sun Sentinel for more details went unanswered and a request for an interview was denied. Jaime Caldwell, president of the South Florida Hospital and Healthcare Association, said local hospitals have devoted time and resources to make price tools consumer-friendly. They have had much to overcome and still have more work to do, he said. 'Hospitals need to better integrate their IT systems to make the required data more readily available … these improvements are happening,' he said. 'It's a long road and hospitals have made the journey toward providing their patients with the financial information that they want to make an informed decision.' A spokeswoman for the Cleveland Clinic of Florida offered this written response about price transparency: 'For patients to understand their potential financial obligation for care, it is recommended to first check with their insurance provider, who has access to all of the detailed information about their personal coverage. Estimates for care are available to patients when scheduling surgical and diagnostic services and upon request for all other services.' It was noted that patients can access their own estimates for 300 services through their MyChart account or the Cleveland Clinic's website. 'Our financial advocates are also available to help patients understand and calculate their potential financial obligations before they receive care,' the spokeswoman said. After Uthmeier announced his investigation into hospital price transparency, Mary Mayhew, president/CEO of the Florida Hospital Association, provided the South Florida Sun Sentinel a written response: 'Florida hospitals have invested time and resources to develop responsive, easy-to-use tools to deliver meaningful, consumer-friendly pricing information: providing patients with straightforward, personalized, and actionable information based on their specific insurance coverage and financial circumstances,' she said. 'Florida hospitals are deeply committed to preserving and enhancing the health and well-being of the communities they serve, and working collaboratively with local and state leaders to advance this shared vision of an affordable, accessible, efficient and high quality health care system.' The push for price transparency comes as roughly 100 million Americans are currently in debt due to medical costs, representing the nation's leading cause of personal bankruptcy, according to KFF Health News. Patient rights advocates said no one should pay a hospital bill without an itemized list of costs. In Florida, under the Patient's Bill of Rights, you can obtain that list, but you must request it. Price variations within a hospital system for the same care are not uncommon. Vivian Ho, an economics professor at Rice University, found at Memorial Regional in Hollywood, colonoscopies range from $550 to $6,400 depending on the insurer. Advocates also recommend printing out pricing information available on a hospital website, if available, and bringing it with you during registration. Ungs said with research and persistence, Floridians can make price transparency work for them. To dispute a bill, he suggests getting the list of Florida hospitals that are noncompliant from 'If a provider is non-compliant, that can be a reason to dispute the bill,' he said. A provision of a Florida law that went into effect last year requires hospitals to have an internal grievance process for patients to dispute charges. 'Patients need to stick up for themselves,' he said. 'Don't give hospitals a pass because they are using complex billing systems that they choose to use.' He recommends writing a letter to the hospital, and continuing to write to the hospital until you get a result. 'Perseverance is a big factor in success with this,' he said. 'Patients have to stick with it. Those who do tend to get action.' South Florida Sun Sentinel health writer Cindy Goodman can be reached at cgoodman@ or at 954-304-5908.
