How Exercise Can Help You
Maintain (and even improve)
Your Health As You Age
How Exercise Can Help You Maintain (and Even Improve) Your
Health As You Age
Many older adults resign themselves to an inevitable decline in physical health and activity. But
researchers have discovered that much of the physical decline we associate with aging may have
more to do with increased inactivity than with the aging process. Regular exercise can not only
delay and reduce the affects of aging, it can even reverse some of the decline brought on by a lack
of activity..
An inactive lifestyle can cause older adults to lose strength, balance, flexibility, and endurance.
Without regular activity, tendons and ligaments stiffen and shorten, muscles lose tone, and
cardiovascular fitness (the ability of the heart and lungs to supply oxygen-rich blood to the
muscles, and the ability of the muscles to use that oxygen to produce energy) declines –
especially after middle age.
This can begin a “chicken and egg” cycle of reduced activity > stiffness
and loss of strength and balance > less activity > increasing loss of
flexibility, strength and steadiness > even less activity...
Use It or lose it
Increasing weakness and decreasing physical function are largely
related to immobility, not age. Lack of activity causes muscles to
stiffen and atrophy (waste away). Some older adults are afraid to exert
themselves, fearing that they might be hurt. But research shows that
exercise is safe for people of all ages, and that the health of older adults
suffers more from a lack of exercise than from exercising.
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Image: governmentza
Five Myths about Exercise and
Aging
Myth: There’s no point to exercising. I’m going to get old anyway.
Regular physical activity lowers your risk for a variety of conditions, including Alzheimer’s and dementia, heart disease, diabetes, colon cancer, high blood pressure, and obesity.
Myth. Older people shouldn’t exercise. They should save their strength and rest.
1
FACT: Exercise and strength training helps you look and feel younger and stay active longer. 2
FACT: Exercise and strength training helps you look and feel younger and stay active longer.
Regular physical activity lowers your risk for a variety of conditions, including Alzheimer’s and dementia, heart disease, diabetes, colon cancer, high blood pressure, and obesity.
Myth. Exercise puts me at risk of falling down.
improves balance, actually reducing your risk of falling.
3
Fact: Regular exercise, by building strength and stamina, prevents loss of bone mass and Myth. It’s too late. I’m already too old to start exercising.
4
Fact: You’re never too old to exercise! If you’ve never exercised before, or it’s been a while, start with light walking and other gentle activities.
Myth. I’m disabled. I can’t exercise sitting down.
5
Fact: Chair-bound people face special challenges but can lift light weights, stretch, and do chair aerobics to increase range of motion, improve muscle tone, and promote cardiovascular health.
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The National Institutes of Health (NIH) reports that even frail seniors, and those with age-related conditions such as arthritis, can and should exercise. The NIH recommends that seniors engage in
four types of exercise to stay healthy and mobile:
Flexibility exercises to stretch the muscles and help the body retain (or regain) range of movement. Flexibility exercises include simple stretching, yoga and Tai Chi – an ancient Chinese form of exercise involving slow, controlled body movements. Image: Fastswimming.net
Benefits of flexibility exercises: Flexibility exercises can help increase your range of motion, prevent injury, and reduce pain and stiffness. .
Strength exercises to make the muscles stronger. Strength training usually involves
repetitive movements using light weights or resistance bands to build muscle and prevent the loss of bone mass.
Benefits of Strength exercises: Increased strength, stronger bones, less risk of fractures and osteoporosis, improved balance. And strong muscles support and take the stress off your joints.
Balance : exercises to decrease the likelihood of a fall. Balance exercises can involve standing on one leg, walking heel to toe, and leg raises (hold on to a chair if needed).
Benefits of balance exercises: Training your brain, muscles, and bones to work together to maintain your body’s balance will not only help you avoid falling, it will also build your lower body strength and improve your agility and posture.
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Aerobic or endurance, exercise to raise your heart rate. Aerobic exercise can include brisk walking, climbing stairs, dancing, golfing, bicycling, intensive gardening, or the use of exercise equipment. Pool exercises such as swimming or water aerobics are excellent for those with arthritis and other conditions, as the water relieves stress on the joints.
Benefits of aerobic exercises: Being active for at least two-and-a-half hours a week can help you maintain or achieve a healthy body weight, reduce the risk of chronic disease such as high blood pressure and heart disease, and help balance blood sugar levels in diabetics.
Well-Documented benefits of exercise include:
•Increased metabolism
• Increased movement of joints and muscles
• Increased oxygen delivery throughout the body
•Increased sense of well-being
•
Increased strength and endurance
•
Increased quality of sleep
•
Decreased risk of colon and breast cancers
•
Decreased risk of diabetes
•
Decreased risk of osteoporosis
•
Decreased body fat
Image: M. Keefe
Physical exercise also improves your brain functioning. A four-year Italian study of 749 adults
over the age of 65 found that those who walked and/or engaged in other forms of exercise were
at lower risk of dementia. Researchers say that those who exercised the most cut their risk of
developing memory loss significantly. Another study reported in the medical journal Neurology
found that elderly people who exercise at least once a week, have at least a high school education
and a ninth grade literacy level, are not smokers and are more socially active are more likely to
maintain their cognitive skills through their 70s and 80s.
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Exercise is also an important factor in improving and maintaining Mental health. Exercise
can relieve stress and anxiety, ease depression, and
enhance self-confidence. Yoga and Tai Chi can reduce
both emotional and physical tension, improving
mood. Aerobic and cardiovascular exercise releases
endorphins and other “feel good” chemicals in your
body, including adrenaline, serotonin and dopamine. In
fact, 30 minutes of intense exercise has been shown to
be as effective as anti-depressant medication for relieving mild to moderate depression.
It’s Never Too Late, According to personal fitness trainer Dean Anderson, “If you can still move,
it’s not too late to improve your fitness level and your quality of life.” In fact, Anderson stresses, the
benefits of regular exercise – and the negative consequences of not exercising – are probably more
notable between ages 50 and 70 than at any other time in your life.
The Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines for Older Adults aged 65 and older suggest at least 150
minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per week, in bouts of ten minutes or more. The
Guidelines also recommend muscle and bone strengthening activities twice a week, and exercises to
enhance balance for those with poor mobility.
If you’ve been inactive, consult with your doctor before starting to exercise, especially if you are
diabetic, have arthritis of the hip or knees, or take medications for blood pressure or heart disease.
Start your exercise program slowly, increase it gradually, and pay attention to any signals from your
body that you’re overdoing it. If you experience severe pain, dizziness, extreme shortness of breath,
or you break into a cold sweat, stop exercising and call your doctor.
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Don’t eat just before you exercise, and drink plenty of fluids before, during, and after a workout. It’s
normal to feel some stiffness and soreness for several days after you first increase your activity
levels, but pain, redness or swelling in your joints might be a sign that you’ve overdone it.
Develop an exercise plan, factoring in your limitations. Focus on achievable short-term goals
so that you can enjoy small successes (stretching every day for a week, walking to the mall, swimming
five laps…) and avoid getting discouraged. An ideal routine would include warm ups, cool downs and
stretches; short bouts of higher intensity exercise, and longer bouts of moderate intensity exercise.
Choose activities that you actually enjoy doing, such as walking the dog, golfing, dancing, yard work, or
playing tag with the grandkids.
You can also attend exercise classes specially geared towards seniors, rent exercise DVDs (or borrow
them from the library), or visit www.eldergym.com for a wealth of free exercise videos. Even those
with limited mobility, including those who are frail, severely overweight or use a wheelchair can
benefit from performing chair exercises.
Use proper lighting to help you see clearly and avoid tripping. Use night lights,
especially in the hallways between the bedroom and the bathroom.
Wear proper footwear. Make sure your shoes and slippers are good quality, fit properly, are
properly laced or buckled, and that the soles aren’t worn out or slippery.
Make sure your clothing fits. We get shorter as we age, and pants, skirts, dressing gowns,
etc. that once fit us can become too long, causing us to trip.
Avoid risky behaviours like climbing ladders, standing on chairs or stools, and using stairs with
no handrails or bathtubs without grab bars.
Eat a healthy diet. Get enough protein, and drink enough fluids.
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Exercise your Brain, It’s also “use it or lose it” when
it comes to your brain. Exercising your brain improves your
memory, and keeps you thinking more quickly and more clearly.
A Mayo Clinic study found that reading books, playing games,
participating in computer activities and crafting in middle age
or later life led to a 30 to 50 percent decrease in the risk of
developing mild cognitive impairment.
As with physical exercise, it’s important to find activities that you
enjoy doing. Some effective ways to exercise your brain include:
1. Reading something challenging.
2. Crossword and other word games, such as Scrabble.
3. Number puzzles and games, such as Sudoku.
4. Strategy games, such as chess and bridge.
Image: Rona Proudfoot
5. Learning new things – recipes, computer skills, a foreign language…
6. Projects such as designing a garden or building a shed.
7. Creating something – write, draw or paint, quilt, craft some pottery…
8. Playing a game designed to enhance your memory, such as Nintendo’s puzzle video game Brain
Age: Concentration Training. You can find free brain games online at Pro Profs Brain Games.
Growing older doesn’t mean an automatic loss of strength, agility or the ability to perform everyday
tasks. Just a little exercise can help older adults reduce aches and pains and maintain their physical,
emotional and intellectual health – even those who think they’re too old or too out of shape. For
more helpful information on fitness after the age of 50, visit helpguide.org.
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