Posts Tagged ‘fit’

Aging is disuse in disguise, what that means is that most signs of advancing age are connected to a decline in function. The adage use it or loss it fits, with a growing body of evidence that shows you are not only what you do, but you are what you don’t do.

 Aging Process

What the aging process is associated with is a decline in physical and mental abilities. It can show in both appearance and function. It can also be seen in awkward and limited movement. The crunching, grinding, and squeaking sounds heard as seniors move about makes the younger generation think the aging crowd is from the Jurassic period.

As you dig into the history of people that are aging beyond their years, you will find that you are dealing with an inactive crowd. Active living would produce different results.

Ideologically we can reverse the aging process by 15 to 25 years,” says Mariam Nelson, Ph.D., a Tufts University scientist and specialist in aging. We can do that by becoming stronger. At age 35, says Nelson, we begin to lose one quarter to one third of a pound of muscle each year. Yet, Nelson’s studies of weight training in women over 45 shows that even into their 90s, people can add muscle mass and bone density, reduce the risk of heart disease and osteoporosis, and lead more useful, independent lives.

In other words, the problem isn’t aging but disuse. “People who don’t exercise regularly suffer a 1 percent loss in aerobic fitness every year starting at age 20,” says Barry Franklin, Ph.D. president of the American College of Sports Medicine. “But that loss can be restored years later,” he adds, “through just three months of steady exercise.”

Anti-Aging

Anti-aging strategies are nothing more than increasing your activity and decreasing your caloric intake. Sounds easy enough but the challenge is to get people to do it. The benefits would outweigh the effort. When American’s demand healthy options they may mean public or private insurance, low fat or smaller portions.

The road to fitness is the route to youth. It is within reach, everyone can turn back the clock. People who are fit have less body fat, have better cardiovascular function and may look decades younger than the sedentary crowd.