Exercise & Aging Well

By Gloria Kamil

We all have heard and been told we should exercise and be more physically active but most people do not. The typical excuse is not enough time and "I'm too busy." Being physically active will give you health benefits and add years to your life, but if you include exercise it will defend against preventable disease and aging even better.

The difference between physical activity and exercise is that physical activity is any movement that uses energy. Exercise is physical activity that is structured and is done with intensity for a specific length of time. Exercise is the best way to actually age-proof your body, sharpen your mind, and keep your spirit uplifted.

Everything that gets worse with age gets better with exercise. Some problems can even be reversed! Many physical declines and weight gain occur not because of the aging process but as a result of a sedentary lifestyle and poor habits.

Exercise can increase your metabolism, but the artful way to lose fat weight is to start an exercise program first rather than cutting calories. This will prepare the body by establishing its fat burning energy metabolism without resorting to protein metabolism first. The essential components of a balanced exercise program should consist of strength and/or muscular endurance, aerobic and flexibility training, along with agility and balance.

Strength training involves working against resistance from your body or some other source such as weight machines, free weights, barbells, a body bar, resistance bands, and stability balls. Strength training prevents sarcopenia, loss of muscle mass related to shrinking of muscle fibers, due to lack of use.

Muscular endurance is your ability to persist and is defined as repetition and/or holding time of an exercise.

Aerobic training is synonymous with muscular endurance, persevering for a prolonged period of time with the capacity to take in, transport, and utilize oxygen. Exercises such as brisk walking, jogging, running, rebounding, jumping rope, and the usage of cardio equipment for 30 minutes or longer are excellent aerobic exercises.

Flexibility is the range of motion through which the limbs are able to move and/or through an exercise. Excessive body fat can restrict your range of motion and can be associated with acute and chronic injuries and low back problems. Agility is your ability to change position and direction quickly, with precision and without losing your balance. Balance is usually thought of in two forms static or dynamic. Static balance can be perform by standing on one foot with hands on hips and eyes closed, this measure your ability to maintain balance while being stationery, whereas dynamic balance is being able to maintain your equilibrium while in motion.

Older individuals whom I have trained, and who have continued to exercise over the years, have found they have increased muscle tone, strength, balance, agility, and aerobic and muscular endurance. When you begin exercising your connective tissue—ligaments, tendons, etc.—get stronger along with your muscles. This helps protect your joints from injuries. Muscle strength can be greatly improved in as few as eight weeks of strength training, even if you're 90. Your strength peaks around 25 years of age, plateaus about 35 - 40 years of age, then shows an accelerating decline, with a 25% loss of force by age 65. A fit, well-preserved older person who maintains a high level of fitness can outperform a sedentary 25 year old and have greater bone density, muscle mass, muscle strength, agility and balance. Therefore a person's fitness should be based upon biological rather than chronological age. Long life means growing old in years but not in your body, mind, and spirit—especially when daily exercise is woven into your life.