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Writer's pictureDaniela Radoman

The Fountain of Youth: Exercise!

Updated: May 27

Want to stay younger, for longer? Then you need to pick up those weights, my friend.


It may seem like an exaggeration to say that exercise is the fountain of youth, but it’s not. 


Woman lifting weights

There seems to be a belief in society that as we age we have to become frail. When I recently visited a retirement home, one lady complained to me that the new guy who organised their fitness class was too intense and that he should know that “old people simply can’t get stronger.” This simply isn’t true. 


We see this challenged in tons of different studies, as well as in every day people that have continuously exercised throughout their life. 


Sarcopenia

There are many things about our health that we can’t control as we age. Some of the most striking changes that come with age is the loss in muscle mass, which starts as early as in your 30’s.1,2 


  • ~0.5-1% loss in muscle mass per year or 3-8% on average per decade

  • ~1-3% decrease in strength per year

  • ~3-4% reduction in power per year

  • Increased infiltration of fat in the muscle


Let’s take a look at one of the main consequences of not working out: sarcopenia.


Sarcopenia is age-related loss of muscle mass and strength. This happens naturally as part of the ageing process in the absence of strength training and adequate nutrition.


Your skeletal muscle comprises approximately 40-50% of your total body weight. Think of it as your body’s protective armour. Loss of muscle mass can contribute to poor health outcomes, fatigue, negative emotions, loss of function, less autonomy, disability, fall risk, frailty, and death.3 Also as you age you tend to see bone density decreases, joint stiffness increases, and metabolism changes.


The Fountain of Youth

You know what addresses ALL of these negative side effects of ageing? Every single one? STRENGTH TRAINING!


Muscle between active and inactive seniors
Scans of the upper leg, note the significant difference in the active vs inactive scans. Wroblewski, 2011

With regular strength training, you can4:


  1. Increase muscle mass, strength & power

  2. Reduce bone loss

  3. Reduce fall risk

  4. Improve and maintain flexibility & mobility

  5. Gain confidence

  6. Lower your risk of certain diseases


Focusing on exercise can do more for your health than just about anything else, especially as you get older!


Two recent studies - the LIFTMOR studies - looked at older women and men and put them through an 8 month workout regimen. What they found was that both the women and the men demonstrated improvements or maintenance in their bone mineral density, increased muscle strength, reduced fall risk scores, and they demonstrated how properly curated resistance training can be both safe and effective for seniors.5,6 


Another study took a group of seniors in their 90’s and put them through specific training for 12 weeks. Not only did they see improvements in their strength and muscle mass, they saw faster walking speeds, an increase in their capacity to get in and out of a chair, better balance, a significant reduction in the incidence of falls, and greater muscular power in their lower limbs.7 So much for not being able to get stronger! 


One more: another study took a group of adults with an average age of 71 and split them into 2 groups: one group followed a structured resistance training plan while the other group did functional exercises with a weight vest.8 After 6 weeks, they found that the results were specific to the task they were doing. So the traditional resistance training group saw better results in the deadlift, leg press, and other lifts they were anyway regularly performing. Meanwhile, the functional group did better in the timed-up-and-go tests and saw greater improvements in walking speed. All in all, they found the improvements were task-specific, which is pretty much in line with other research. You get better at what you practise most often. Now there is some translation here as both groups also saw pretty even improvements in muscle size and isometric knee extensor strength. Either way, both groups saw improvements with exercise! 


ANYONE, at ANY AGE, can start ANYTIME.



Where Do You Start?

All you need is to set aside 2 days a week for some sort of resistance training. If you’re brand new, even body weight exercises will do. Start with 4 or 5 exercises, and slowly increase the intensity as you get more comfortable and stronger.


Stay tuned for our next blog on Training Tips for Your 30’s, 40’s, 50s, and Beyond for some things to consider when you're planning your workouts. 


Not only should exercising a few times a week be a priority, you should also try your best to avoid prolonged periods of being sedentary, as well as making sure you're eating well - getting enough protein, adequate vitamins and minerals, and a good variety of foods.


If you want your healthspan to keep up with your lifespan, get movin’!



Final Remarks

The best time to start was 10, 20 years ago. The next best time to start is NOW


Delta Kinesiology Logo

If you don’t know where to start, or are having trouble staying consistent, check us out! Our goal at Delta Kinesiology is to help women reach their health and fitness goals regardless of age, ability, and experience level. We tailor each session using evidence-based principles and methods to help you reach your goals. Whether that be going about your day pain-free, building muscle, improving stamina, or feeling better about yourself, we are here to help.


Check out some of the services we offer below!



Meme

References

  1. Grosicki, G. J., Zepeda, C. S., & Sundberg, C. W. (2022). Single muscle fibre contractile function with ageing. The Journal of physiology, 600(23), 5005–5026. https://doi.org/10.1113/JP282298

  2. Volpi, E., Nazemi, R., & Fujita, S. (2004). Muscle tissue changes with aging. Current opinion in clinical nutrition and metabolic care, 7(4), 405–410. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.mco.0000134362.76653.b2

  3. Srikanthan, P., & Karlamangla, A. S. (2014). Muscle mass index as a predictor of longevity in older adults. The American journal of medicine, 127(6), 547–553. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjmed.2014.02.007

  4. Wroblewski, A. P., Amati, F., Smiley, M. A., Goodpaster, B., & Wright, V. (2011). Chronic exercise preserves lean muscle mass in masters athletes. The Physician and sportsmedicine, 39(3), 172–178. https://doi.org/10.3810/psm.2011.09.1933

  5. Watson, S., Weeks, B., Weis, L., Harding, A., Horan, S., & Beck, B. (2019). High-Intensity Resistance and Impact Training Improves Bone Mineral Density and Physical Function in Postmenopausal Women With Osteopenia and Osteoporosis: The LIFTMOR Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of bone and mineral research : the official journal of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research, 34(3), 572. https://doi.org/10.1002/jbmr.3659

  6. Harding, A. T., Weeks, B. K., Watson, S. L., & Beck, B. R. (2017). The LIFTMOR-M (Lifting Intervention For Training Muscle and Osteoporosis Rehabilitation for Men) trial: protocol for a semirandomised controlled trial of supervised targeted exercise to reduce risk of osteoporotic fracture in older men with low bone mass. BMJ open, 7(6), e014951. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2016-014951

  7. Cadore, E.L., Casas-Herrero, A., Zambom-Ferraresi, F. et al. Multicomponent exercises including muscle power training enhance muscle mass, power output, and functional outcomes in institutionalized frail nonagenarians. AGE 36, 773–785 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11357-013-9586-z

  8. Pagan, J. I., Bradshaw, B. A., Bejte, B., Hart, J. N., Perez, V., Knowles, K. S., Beausejour, J. P., Luzadder, M., Menger, R., Osorio, C., Harmon, K. K., Hanney, W. J., Wilson, A. T., Stout, J. R., & Stock, M. S. (2024). Task-specific resistance training adaptations in older adults: comparing traditional and functional exercise interventions. Frontiers in aging, 5, 1335534. https://doi.org/10.3389/fragi.2024.1335534


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