Aging and exercise: preventing muscle loss in older adults


Age-related loss of muscle, called sarcopenia, may convince us we're growing old. With loss of muscle mass, even simple activities can seem like difficult chores. Daily functions, such as getting dressed, driving, using the toilet, shopping, cooking and climbing stairs become a challenge. But human beings never lose the ability to respond effectively to the aging process. Study after study has demonstrated exercise can slow down and even reverse the aging process, no matter what your age or physical condition.


Perhaps as important as making appointments with your physician for overall checkups is being more active on a daily basis. For some, this might be as simple as taking a 30-minute walk once a day. For others, it might be getting up from the couch to change the channels on the TV instead of using the remote control. Parking your car far away from the entrance to a store instead of finding the closest parking space can add a few more steps to your day and maybe a few more years to your life. Every physical activity a person does will make a difference.


Many physicians are caught up in outdated thinking regarding senior activity. If a doctor advises against doing a particular exercise, ask why. Get a second opinion from another physician or a specialist such as an exercise physiologist or a certified fitness practitioner. Ask the physician if they have experience treating older athletes.


Progressive Resistance Training


An older person should get clearance from a doctor before they begin resistance training. It is a good starting point because it builds muscular strength, which is necessary for stretching, aerobics, walking, sports and other activities. Many limit their activities due to loss of strength, not lack of cardiovascular endurance. Contrary to the opinion of some doctors, resistance training, increases cardiac capacity and has a positive effect on blood pressure and heart rate.


Progressive resistance utilizes weights, machines or elastic bands. Those just starting an exercise program can use common objects such as soup cans for weights. Resisting gravity by lifting a weight for a number of repetitions will begin to increase muscle mass and strength. Progressively increasing the weight will further enhance results. A good rule to follow in determining how much weight to use is to lift an amount that will tire you in 10 repetitions. Once it becomes light enough to lift more than 10 repetitions, it's time to increase the weight. This is true for elastic bands as well. Adding a weight belt or carrying small weights in the hands when walking are other methods of resistance training.


With resistance training, blood pressure is reduced, stamina is increased, spontaneous activities in daily life are more frequent and balance is improved. In addition, for many post-menopausal women, bone density is increased. Falling down is common in seniors and can result in bone breakage and the end of an active life. Falls can be caused by dizziness, loss of balance, reduced bone density and weakened muscles. Resistance training improves each of these areas.


Exercise and Body Weight


Exercise, such as resistance training, produces an increase in basal metabolic rate (the speed at which food is used). This enables food to be utilized more effectively. Persons who regularly exercise often find themselves eating more and weighing less. Others find their weight does not change but their muscle to fat ratio is altered favorably.


Unless they have been an active runner, an older person should not take up running or jogging since the additional stress placed upon the joints can be more damaging than beneficial. For many older people, connective tissue is not elastic and they are stiffer. However, most other common physical sports and exercises are safe. Consult your physician or exercise specialist if you have questions about a particular activity.


Steam rooms, saunas and hot Jacuzzi baths can be dangerous for older people, especially after exercise. Blood is concentrated and pooled in the skin and muscles after exercise, and going into a hot room or bath can cause fainting.


Other Forms of Exercise


Maintaining a good balance of different activities can be a key factor in living a long and fit life. In addition to resistance training, bicycling, yoga, stretching, dancing and martial arts are also recommended. Almost any physical sport will have a positive effect on health. However, injuries can occur when a person starts playing after a long layoff. If you haven't participated in a sport in a long time, or never have, take it easy and always warm up. It's not worth it to go all out only to be laid up for months thereafter. Injuries older people sustain usually take a relatively long time to heal.


(Please schedule a training session with Denise who has over 2 years of experience working with the older adult population.)


 

  "Youth is not entirely a time of life; it is a state of mind. Nobody grows old by merely living a number of years. People grow old by deserting their ideals. You are as young as your faith, as old as your doubts; as young as your self-confidence, as old as your fear; as young as your hope, as old as your despair."


~ General Douglas MacArthur

Aging and Exercise: What You Need to Know to Stay Fit


Is it possible, like fine wine, to get better with age? In some ways, by staying healthy and remaining active, we can. In fact, studies show that older people who continue to have active lifestyles, experience less health problems as they age.


The progression of aging and it’s affects on how we function differ widely among individuals. Over the course of time, the normal aging of tissue causes changes to the anatomy. This is especially true in degenerative changes of the spine. In most people, these changes are gradual. In fact, many people have degenerative changes and don’t know it. They may only become aware of these changes when being examined during a routine checkup.


Degeneration of the spine is complex and often unpredictable. Changes in the anatomy as a result of aging affect the structure and the function of the spine. They may appear in one specific part of the spine (segmentally), in a regional area of the spine, (cervical, thoracic or lumbar), or throughout the spine (globally). When degenerative changes occur in the joints, accompanied by pain and swelling, it is referred to as osteoarthritis. Other degenerative conditions that affect the spine include:


        -Osteoporosis

        -Degenerative Disc

         Disease

        -Stenosis

        -Spondylolisthesis

        -Osteoarthritis


The good news is, there are steps you can take to avoid or reduce your risk of suffering from back pain as you get older. The most important thing you can do is to keep your spine, and the rest of your body, healthy through exercise. Regular checkups with your doctor are also important.


How Exercise Helps


Here are the facts:


  1. *Most older adults don't get enough physical activity.

  2. *Lack of physical activity and poor diet combined are the second largest underlying cause of death in the United States (after smoking).

  3. *Exercise can help older people feel better and enjoy life more, even those who think they're too old or out of shape.

  4. *Regular exercise can improve some diseases and disabilities in older people who already have them. It can improve mood and relieve depression, too.

  5. *Staying physically active can help prevent or delay certain diseases (like degenerative spinal disorders) and disabilities as people grow older.