Aging is associated with many chronic things in our society: chronic pain, chronic inflammation, chronic sleep problems, chronic constipation, chronic heart disease, chronic respiratory infections, chronic muscle and bone loss, chronic balance issues, etc. Everyone would agree that none of these chronic things are a good thing (what causes them is another discussion all together). But there is one chronic thing that has amazing benefits for aging people...chronic exercise.
Most research on aging has been done on sedentary populations and so the results of most studies up to date have shown that "normal aging" causes muscle mass and strength to decline. But what if we looked at active older people? Would we still see the normal loss of muscle size and strength from age 40 to 70?
Researchers decided to do just this and look at an active population of men and women between 40 and 80 years old and measure their muscle mass and muscle strength. The results show that chronic exercise can have amazing benefits for older people and even completely stopping and possibly reversing muscle mass and strength normally associated with aging.
As they say, a photo is worth a thousand words:
Most research on aging has been done on sedentary populations and so the results of most studies up to date have shown that "normal aging" causes muscle mass and strength to decline. But what if we looked at active older people? Would we still see the normal loss of muscle size and strength from age 40 to 70?
Researchers decided to do just this and look at an active population of men and women between 40 and 80 years old and measure their muscle mass and muscle strength. The results show that chronic exercise can have amazing benefits for older people and even completely stopping and possibly reversing muscle mass and strength normally associated with aging.
As they say, a photo is worth a thousand words:
The authors of the study discuss the results of their study:
"It is commonly believed that with aging comes an inevitable decline from vitality to frailty. This includes feeling weak and often the loss of independence. These declines may have more to do with lifestyle choices, including sedentary living and poor nutrition, than the absolute potential of musculo- skeletal aging. In this study, we sought to eliminate the con- founding variables of sedentary living and muscle disuse, and answer the question of what really happens to our muscles as we age if we are chronically active. This study and those discussed here show that we are capable of preserving both muscle mass and strength with lifelong physical activity."
This study shows us that aging is not to blame for loss of muscle mass and strength and if we stay chronically active we can maintain our strength even into our 70s and 80s. If you have pain with exercise, remember it also is not because of age or wear-and-tear, but rather imbalances in your movement patterns, function and posture which can be corrected. Correcting your musculoskeletal imbalances and balancing your posture will allow you to continue to exercise and stay active and thus maintain your muscle strength as you age.
https://physsportsmed.org/sites/default/files/rpsm.2011.09.1933_secure.pdf
https://physsportsmed.org/sites/default/files/rpsm.2011.09.1933_secure.pdf
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