BBC News has a piece on the anti-aging affects of long-term endurance training that will get anyone to sit up and listen. They noticed changes at the cellular level as the result of aging that was much slower and less pronounced in athletes with a history of endurance training and sports.
running and ageing
CNN Health Minute has an interesting article on running as people age. No need to hang up your running shoes as you ageThey point to the weekend warriors, who don’t stretch, and exercise regularly, who go out and play tennis, football, or basketball like they did when they were in their twenties, and end up in the hospital with knee and other joint injuries.You’ve heard me say it before, it is more and more crucial as you age, to stretch and stretch seriously. And put real time into it, warm up slowly, and cool down slowly. Stretching the joints related to running in all directions, and with slow, deliberate, and sustained intensity before, during, and after the workout is key. This maintains joint health, which helps those joints continue to do what you’re asking them to do. Of course a balanced diet is important too. Keeping your overall bodyweight down, puts less stress on the joints, even when you’re not working out. Remember, working out taxes the joints causing them to tighten. Running especially causes this to the hamstrings. That means you need to stretch more than someone who doesn’t run. Plain and simple.
Cane Fu Fighting?
Omg, this is hilarious & amazing at the same time! And Dr Sanjay Gupta explains why it’s hard, but worth it in: Getting Your Parents and Grandparents to Exercise.
Age, Muscle & Bone Mass
I was talking to a friend recently and they were saying how they tried to do some jump roping, and how quickly they got winded. They explained how they remembered it being so easy in high school, and how many reps they could do, and how fast. And they were only 25.
The truth is we’ve all felt the affects of aging on our health, which is obviously the reason why a lot of us, myself included, are so into training, and fitness. Anyway, I thought it might help to mention a few points from my personal training textbook on this topic. Firstly the obvious:
“the rate of strength gain appears to be greater during the years of normal growth and development, generally considered to be from the ages of 10 to 20″
but goes on to say:
“recent research has revealed that men and women of all ages can increase their muscle size and muscle strength through progressive strength training.”
But in terms of being realistic about our goals, this point puts that in perspective:
“Muscle mass declines with age, resulting in decreased muscular strength and endurance. For each decade after the age of 25, 3 to 5% of muscle mass is lost. This is primarily attributed to changes in lifestyle and the decreased use of the neuromuscular system.”
A similar affect is felt in the bone density of the bod:
“With age, bones become more fragile… With age the loss of calcium results in decreased bone mass, but weightbearing and resistance training exercises are known to help maintain bone mass.”
Loss of bone mass eventually leads to osteoperosis, but…
“The greater the physical stress and compression on a bone, the greater the rate of bone deposition (this is why weightbearing exercise is recommended).”
Running is a weightbearing exercise for example, and swimming is not. This is why folks who are older and have joint problems, are recommended swimming or walking, over running. Keep in mind that running also causes tightening of the hamstrings, and tendons around the knee joint, so more stretching is required to avoid the potential downside of running, which puts weightbearing stress on the knees and hip joints.