Sense & Sensibility

Aging Gracefully with Exercise
Staying healthy and active is the key to graceful aging. According to geriatrics experts, we can change how we think, feel, and act when we become older simply by changing how we think, feel, and act now.

One of the surest ways to age faster is by having nothing to look forward to. Therefore, we can keep the body, mind, and spirit young by actively engaging in productive work. Physically, we can stay in good shape by eating smart and exercising regularly. Likewise, our mind can be kept active by working on interesting assignments. Continuous demands on thought processes will keep mental diseases like Alzheimer’s and dementia at bay.

Exercise can help to improve the quality of life of anyone at any age, so it’s never too late to begin today! In this two-part series, Part One describes the physical changes taking place as the body ages while Part Two relates the types of exercises especially useful for graceful aging.

PART ONE

We take a brief look at the functioning of muscles, endurance, flexibility, balance, bones, and joints as age increases.

What Happens to Muscles As We Age?
Muscle mass decreases as we age. Adults lose 3% - 5% of muscle mass per decade from the age of 40 onwards, and the decline increases to 1%-2% per year after age 50.
Adults lose up to 3% - 5% of muscle mass per year from the age of 40 onwards, but the rate of loss declines to 1% - 2% per year after the age of 50. Our muscles keep us strong, they burn calories, help us maintain our weight, and contribute to balance and bone strength. Without them, we can lose our independence and our mobility.

1.1 Is It Too Late to Build Muscles?
The good news is that muscle mass can increase at any age in response to exercise. In an important study of weight-lifting and older adults conducted among 100 male and female residents of a nursing home in Boston (age range: 72 to 98 years of age; average age 87), subjects lifted weights with their legs three times a week for 10 weeks. At the end of the study, there was an increase in thigh mass of 2.7%, walking speed increased 12%, and leg strength increased a whopping 113%! In a similar study of adults 65 - 79 years old, subjects who lifted weights three times a week for three months increased their walking endurance by 38% (from 25 minutes to 34 minutes) without appreciable increases in mass.

1.2 Can I Get Stronger Without Building Big Muscles?
Yes, this is possible. Mass isn’t the only function of strength; it is also a function of "neurological patterning." In layman's terms, patterning is when the brain sends electrical signals via the nervous system to muscles to make them contract. The muscles move (and so do you) once the signal reaches them. The good news is that muscle patterning improves within days of starting a weight-lifting program, even without any increase in muscle mass.

2. What Happens to Endurance As We Age?
Endurance declines as we age. But there is good news when it comes to fitness, walking endurance, and health. In one study of more than 3,000 70-79-year-old men and women, researchers investigated the relationship between the speed at which these subjects walked ¼ of a mile and their risk of premature mortality, cardiovascular disease, and mobility limitation. The results showed that those with the slowest walk times (>6 minutes) had a higher risk of death, cardiovascular disease, and mobility limitation than those who walked the distance in less than four and a half minutes. In fact, every additional minute of walking time was associated with higher and higher degrees of risk. In another study, data collected on more than 40,000 men and women was analyzed to find the relationship between walking and mortality. It was reported that men and women who walked 30 minutes or more per day during the study period had fewer deaths than those who walked less than 30 minutes per day.

3. What Happens to Flexibility As We Age?
You guessed it – it decreases. The good news is that some studies, but not all, show improvements in function when individuals engage in exercise programs that involve stretching exercises. Unfortunately, the studies on flexibility in the aging population aren't as complete as they are for studies of strength and endurance, but the studies do suggest that significant improvements in the range of motion of various joints (neck, shoulder, elbow, wrist, hip, knee, and ankle) can occur when stretching exercises are prescribed.

4. What Happens to Balance As We Age?
Balance decreases as we age and consequently, falling is a major problem that arises. According to statistics, one out of every three seniors over the age of 65 falls each year, and among individuals aged 65 - 84, falls account for 87% of all fractures and are the second leading cause of spinal cord and brain injury. The good news is that physical activity can improve balance and reduce the risk of falling.

5. What Happens to Bones As We Age?
Bones tend to decrease in density as we age, and for some individuals, it can lead to osteoporosis. The bad news is that osteoporosis is responsible for more than 1.5 million fractures annually, including over 300,000 hip fractures, 700,000 vertebral fractures, 250,000 wrist fractures, and 300,000 fractures at other sites. The good news is that exercise can increase bone density in some older individuals. The precise amount and type of exercise necessary to accumulate benefits is unknown, but encouragingly, research shows that weight lifting, and even just walking, can increase bone density in the hip and spine. The reason for the benefits may be that weight-lifting causes stress on the bones as the muscles contract (which causes the bones to thicken), and the impact of walking also causes stress on the bones, which stimulates them to grow.

6. What Happens to Joints As We Age?
Many aging adults are susceptible to osteoarthritis (the type of arthritis that affects the bone by wearing down the cushion that pads the space between bones).

In a large study of 439 adults (aged 60 and older) with osteoarthritis who did either aerobic exercise (walking) or resistance exercise (weight-lifting) for 18 months, participants in the aerobic exercise group had a 10% decrease on a physical disability questionnaire, a 12% lower score on a knee pain questionnaire, and outperformed individuals in the study who did not exercise on the following tests: a six-minute walk test (they walked further); the time it took them to climb and descend stairs; the time it took them to lift and carry 5 kilos; and the time it took them to get in and out of a car. In the weight lifting group, there was an 8% lower score on the physical disability questionnaire, 8% lower pain score, greater distance on the six-minute walk, and faster times on the lifting and carrying task and the car task than in the individuals in the study who did not exercise.