The importance of routine exercise, stretching and appropriate nutrition as we age cannot be overstated. As I leave my recent role working with an assisted living and memory care community, I take with me one adage that I hope will transform me personally in my own years to come.
Scientists from Harvard Medical School explain that muscles begin to decline after age 40, with a decline of one percent to two percent per year in lean body mass and up to five percent per year in strength. However, the number I heard most often was age 70.
At the age of 70 and beyond, as we get older we must “use it, or lose it.” Of course, the actual age may vary depending on specific individual circumstances. Simply put, as people get older, their muscles become weaker, leading to problems with movement and strength.
The loss of muscle mass is due to a combination of reduced number of muscle fibers and a decrease in the size of the muscle fiber. If fibers become too small from inactivity, they die. And since the ability for muscles to undergo repair also diminishes with age, it is critical to self-evaluate and identify and put into action plans for your own continued physical health.
Scientists from John Hopkins have studied muscle samples from healthy people aged 20 to 87, and have found that older muscles have fewer of the proteins that are involved in making energy and building muscle. Those older muscles also have more of the proteins linked to the body’s immune system, and linked to ways to break down damaged parts. In other words, aging muscles work less efficiently, have more inflammation, and break down more.
During these studies, scientists also learned that the way muscle cells process information and repair themselves changes with age, possibly as a way to deal with increased damage.
So how can we best prepare for the inevitable decline in strength, swiftness and stamina as we age and lose muscle mass?
If we want to continue to have sufficient muscle and core strength to be able to do day-to-day activities, we must integrate consistent exercise into our lives. Whether our goal is to merely walk with a safe and stable stride or to be able to bend down to pick something up off the floor, we all take for granted that our muscles will allow us to perform these basic tasks. However, that simply is not true.
Now I am not a fit person. I don’t like exercise, so I must find ways to integrate physical activities into my own life. I have more than a decade before I reach that turning point of age 70, but I am well past the age of 40 so my physical strength is significantly deteriorated from the active days of basketball, daily horseback riding and swimming.
But having seen my beloved friends living with the challenges I will one day face has inspired me to be a healthier person. I vow to be in a better place physically before I reach that magical age 70.
I’m at the self-evaluation and planning stage. Will you join me? What will you do to build, maintain and sustain your fitness as you age?
Thank you for the opportunity to share this information with you. I am certainly not an expert but enjoy sharing information about senior citizens with you. If you have specific questions or would like me to address a certain topic in an upcoming column, please reach out to me. I will be tickled to assist.
— Amy McDonald is a guest columnist for The Dublin Citizen and can be reached via email at amykeithmcdonald@ gmail. com.
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