ABSTRACT
Masters athletes are a heterogeneous group, comprised of adults who have been active all their lives through to those just embarking on new exercise regimes, perhaps as a way of treating an existing chronic disease. They provide a model for studying the health benefits of adoption and sustained engagement in physical activity during middle to older age [1]. Unfortunately there is limited research conducted on masters athletes and studies available are often methodologically flawed. However, available evidence would suggest that masters athletes have better general health, a lower prevalence of lifestyle diseases and decreased all-cause mortality by virtue of their engagement in physical activity [2,3]. Adults who have healthy lifestyles (healthy diet and physical activity) whether lifelong, adopted during middle age, or adopted as healthy older adults may have lower rates of these diseases and decreased all-cause mortality when compared to those who do not [1,4-7].
