Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Living Well

Just Move!

Recent research shows that most of the effects of aging are the accumulation of lack of physical activity and poor nutrition. The growing loss of independence is not due to chronic disease or to cognitive impairment, but is due to the loss of muscle because of profound inactivity.

How do we know this?

According to Susan Klein, Iowa State University Extension Nutrition specialist, aerobic capacity, which is easy to measure, declines with age unless you are physically active. For example, a sedentary 65-year-old woman has the same aerobic capacity as a recent heart attack patient.

Associated with loss of aerobic capacity is loss of muscle. Between the ages of 20 and 70 years, the average person has lost 30% of their muscle cells. Muscle is the main user of oxygen and energy, so loss of muscle translates into loss of aerobic capacity and loss of metabolic activity.

Seven consequences of the loss of muscle are reduced strength, reduced basal metabolic rate, reduced aerobic capacity, reduced insulin action, increased risk of non-insulin-dependent diabetes, increased body fat, increased frailty and increased falls.

The single best predictor of disability in later life is body fat content. Physical activity, especially resistance training, is the safest way to lose body fat while maintaining adequate nutritional intake.

Two convincing studies of exercise in frail older adults was conducted in nursing homes with women and men aged 86 to 96. The nursing home staff said the patients would never be able to exercise, because they were dependent on ambulatory devices, and 80% had a history of falls.

After 12 weeks of exercise these frail elders had tripled their leg strength and achieved a 10% increase in muscle size. As the researchers said, they turned back the hands of time. The kind of exercise was strength training for the leg muscles.

The participants also increased gait speed, balance and ability to climb stairs; exhibited increased spontaneous activity; and had fewer depressive symptoms.

The concerns often expressed for why frail elderly cannot be physically active are that they have arthritis, hypertension and poor balance. All these reasons for not exercising are actually the very reasons to exercise, for all these problems can be alleviated at least in part by strength training.

The conclusion from the research is that physical activity is more valuable for those over the age of 60 than for any other group in the population.

So, if you are younger, get started now! And if you are older than 60, it is never too late to start.

If you are interested in low impact aerobics, call 887-2818 to express your interest. If there are enough people, we will set up a class.