Become Younger As You Grow Older

There was a time when the age of 50 was associated with being old. Not anymore! Evidence now illustrates that consistent workouts and smart nutrition turn the old fifty into the new fourty. A key ingredient to healthy aging is regular physical activity. However small the lifestyle change, it could add years to your life. Every little bit of additional activity has a measurable impact on health.

A 2001 article in “Living Longer and Loving It” stated that Dr. Maria Fiatarone Singh at the University of Sydney in Australia, tested strength training with weights on men and women in their 80s and 90s. Most were frail, had arthritis and heart disease and took multiple medications.

Guess what happened? Within 10 weeks, virtually all of the participants got stronger and were able to walk faster and climb stairs more easily. Those who were depressed became more sociable, and those who took nutritional supplements had improved appetites.

The article also noted that exercise training should be challenging. For example, to keep fitness levels on an upward curve, you need keep pushing yourself and mix it up. You can’t use the same form, dose, and intensity for all people.

This is something I’ve advocated for many years. If you’ve been sedentary and you get into a fitness program, you can expect renewed energy, increased strength, lean muscle, burn more calories and expect an invigorated state of well being. All it takes is some dedication and time.

Inactivity is more of a sinister enemy than we realize. It increases our ratio of body fat to muscle mass, increases cholesterol levels, risk of blood clots, heart disease and lessens the body’s ability to control blood sugar levels.

What this means is that you can’t afford not to work out. The sooner the better – it’s recommended at any age.

Maintain Muscle Mass Into Old Age

If we’re not careful, by retirement, we could lose one-third to one-half of our muscle tissue. This debilitating condition, called sarcopenia – the loss of muscle tissue, a lowering of our metabolic rate lowers and excess body fat accumulation. Sarcopenia is also a condition of weakness, disability, and early death. We either lose it or we lose our quality of life.

Although sarcopenia is mostly seen in physically inactive individuals, it’s can also be present in those who remain active during their lifetime. This suggests that physical inactivity is not the only contributing factor to sarcopenia. Current research is finding that the development of sarcopenia includes many factors, including inactivity, motor-unit remodeling, decreased hormone levels, and decreased protein synthesis.

The bad news: By age 70, most people have at least 20% less muscle tissue that they did at age 30, when muscle mass generally is greatest. After age 30, muscle mass begins to decline slowly at the rate of about 1-2 kilograms per decade. Men and women appear to lose the same percentage of muscle tissue, though men generally carry a higher muscle-to-fat ratio than women.

The good news: Research from the International Longevity Center points to the impact that exercise can have on the risk of sarcopenia. Men and women 60-96 years of age who suffered from loss of body mass and strength, and who did a moderate amount of strength training twice a week had an increase in muscle strength ranging from 113 % to 174% after eight to 12 weeks. Astounding, considering the advanced years of the subjects.

This shows that resistance training generally has a big impact in stopping and even reversing sarcopenia. Research indicates that older adults who have been lifting weights for 15 to 20 years are at least as strong as inactive 20-year-olds. But it’s never too late to start. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends sets of 8-12 repetitions, two to three alternating days per week. Older and frail individuals who are just beginning a strength-training program, should consider starting with lighter weights and fewer repetitions.

Is Pain A Normal Part Of Aging?

Pain and aging – it seems that we see these two words together more and more these days. And for good reason. The health benefits of an appropriate fitness program are well documented – but on the face of it all – largely ignored with seniors.

Well, what happened? Are you so different than you were in your younger years? Ah yes, that was a time so unique, so special. You were strong then, and full of promise; thinking you would live forever. Well, forever sure ain’t what you thought it would be. Along came college, marriage, kids, jobs, more kids, grandchildren and the inevitable wow-what-happened-to-the-time reflection.

Remember when you used to look at your parents and marvel how age was creeping up on them? Well guess what – you’re now in their place and no longer the person you used to be. It seems everything works begrudgingly, if at all. Perhaps a little bit more unsteady, weaker on the stairs; and less energy. And the brain now seems to have a mind of its own, often telling the body to walk into a room only to let it wonder why it’s there.

So does it all have to be that way? Is the body designed to give out and give pain? Does your brain really need to take inventory of every new creak, twinge, ache, and strain that now assaults your body? Not at all! It’s just that many seniors think, “Well, if I had known I was to live so long, I’d have taken better care of myself.”

And that’s the crux of the matter. Our body becomes frail because we have not used it properly, the way it was designed to be used. And interestingly, those who need it most partake of it least. There’s enough information available for seniors today to understand that exercise and nutrition go hand in hand to build strong bones and muscles. Together they help reduce blood pressure and that nasty gunk that tends to build up in the arteries. It’s that stuff your doctor keeps hollering at you about – called plaque. Yechh.

Anyways, it’s been said (by your doctor – remember?) that exercise is good for you in many ways. But I’m willing to bet that many seniors already know every reason why they should avoid it.

Well, let me also give you a few reasons why you should partake of it. When you carry a sack of groceries up a flight of stairs, your heart will not feel like it’s pounding a mile a minute. Your leg and hip muscles will be strong enough to actually propel you up the stairs without having to hang on to the railing. And when you come down again, you won’t have to worry about doing a nose plant down the first five steps because your strength gave out.

So now you’re ready to get going? No more beating around the bush, right? You’re going to lift yourself up by the bootstraps and get all fired up? I can see you pushing it to the limit and pulling out all the stops; get the ball rolling and let it all hang out.

What’s that, right after your morning paper? C’mon now, you’ve already had your coffee, took your pills and feigned a couple of squats and stretches. If you’re waiting for something to fit your lifestyle, then you should have done that 30 years ago. Your concern now is to lose a few pounds and get moving in order to avoid shortness of breath, weak knees, painful arthritis and high pharmaceutical bills.

Ok, so we’re mobile, now what’s in the exercise plan? There’s lots to do out there that fits into the category of fun. You can walk or take a daily swim, bike a blue streak, or yoga and Tai Chi till you’re wobbly with serenity. Ask at your local YMCA or Parks & Recreation Society about available programs for seniors. These places might even have qualified instructor who will teach you to become one with your “Inner Arnold.”

If that doesn’t sound like fun, then you can accept chronic pain and get cranky to the point of curmudgeonism. But I pity the next salesman that rings your doorbell.