There are few certainties in life. ‘Death and taxes’ is the cliche, but there is another certainty. After middle age, most people will lose around 3% of muscle mass per year. Ultimately this is a critical factor which can contribute to increased chances of joints pain, poor blood circulation, a syndrome known as sarcopenia (loss of muscle mass and strength), increase falls risk and increase mortality risk. A loss of muscle mass can also lead to an increased risk of developing a cognitive disorder such as dementia, Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. These diseases make it hard to remember things, can cause fatigue and a decrease in balance and eventually make it hard to live independently. Exercising allows us to increase our muscle mass and strength by moving our bodies and hence ameliorate the effects of muscle wastage. By moving the muscles, we increase circulation and strengthen muscles which can then take the load off of joints, minimising pain. We also decrease the risk of falls and also have better reflexes and are better able to recover if we do happen to fall. Exercise can also help minimise fatigue by reducing inflammatory markers that may contribute to feeling tired and improve balance in people with and without chronic conditions by using specific balance training techniques.
So it stands to reason that, as we age, it becomes more and more important to create and maintain an exercise program that works for you. This could include strength training, pilates, boxing, CrossFit, swimming, running, walking, etc. As we get older, we become more at risk of developing chronic lifestyle conditions such as type 2 diabetes, dementia and cardiovascular disease (CVD). We can also lose muscle mass and bone density as we age, which can be minimised with exercise. Exercise can also help us to strengthen our muscles, keep up our cardiovascular fitness and teach us proper movement patterns to make it easier to complete activities of daily living like household tasks and running around with the kids.
Exercise can also help treat chronic lifestyle diseases such as type 2 diabetes, CVD and dementia. Type 2 diabetes is when your body has trouble using a hormone in the body called insulin, to move glucose (sugar) into cells for use and storage, so it stays in the blood instead. Aerobic and strength exercise uses glucose from the blood to produce energy to complete movement, hence lowering blood glucose levels and improving the effectiveness of insulin in being able to move glucose into cells. CVD is caused by plaques building up in arteries and causing a blockage. Regular exercise has been shown to decrease the risk of developing CVD by up to 35%. Exercise can decrease the ‘bad’ cholesterol known as low-density lipoproteins (LDLs) and increase the ‘good’ cholesterol known as high-density lipoproteins (HDLs). HDLs consume cholesterol and transport it to the liver where it is removed from the body, whereas LDLs can cause plaques that narrow arteries which can increase blood pressure and cause a heart attack or stroke. Dementia and other cognitive diseases can also be prevented and treated with exercise as aerobic training has been shown to increase hippocampal volume and hence memory. Strength training has also been shown to increase an area of the brain known as the posterior cingulate cortex which is important for autobiographical memories and planning for the future. Strength and muscle mass has also been linked to cognitive disorders and can be improved with exercise.
Active ageing is also important for bone density in both men and women but females are at an increased risk of developing osteoporosis when menopause starts. By around age 20, our bone mass starts to stabilise until around age 50 in women when they start to go into menopause. Oestrogen is a hormone that is important for bone as it prevents bone being dissolved by cells called osteoclasts. When women go through menopause, oestrogen decreases which can lead to osteoporosis (OP), which is characterised by impaired bone strength (a T-score <2.5) and can lead to an increase in fractures. Bone mineral density decreases over time in all men and women but it has been seen that people who are active decrease at a much slower rate than people who are sedentary, decreasing their risk of fracture and development of OP. It is important for people to start exercising as early as possible to increase the amount of bone produced by age 20, but it’s never too late! Studies have shown that strength training, even at an older age decreases risk of hip fracture, risk of moving into a nursing home and risk of death. Exercise does this by minimising bone loss and preserving the current bone whilst improving balance, coordination and confidence with movement.
By finding an exercise program that we enjoy and makes us feel good, we are able to commit to moving our body in a way that works for us. Our bodies are made for movement and it is never too late to build strength, improve movement patterns and gain confidence around exercising. Exercising can not only prevent and help reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases and symptoms but it can also just help us live our lives in the best way possible. Movement allows us to complete tasks for longer without getting tired, to lift heavier things without feeling weak and to help us complete tasks safely in order to avoid pain. In life there are a lot of areas to juggle so sometimes exercise and movement get put to the side, but exercise is not something you regret missing today, but when it’s shafted for 30 years, that’s when you regret all the days you missed. If you’re finding it hard to find time to fit exercise into your schedule or think that it’s too late in life to exercise and you missed the boat, we’ve got a trick or two we can share so reach out.