Older people often ask if they should be exercising, what type of exercise should they be engaging in, and what reasonable benefits they can expect?
Ageing presents a number of physical and mental challenges. Included amongst these are
• sarcopeania (muscle wasting)
• the onset of a number of chronic diseases
• decreased mobility and function
• frailty caused by inactivity
• an increased susceptibility to falls
• reduced capacity for independence
• decreased social contact
There is strong causal evidence for the impact of physical inactivity on an ever-broadening variety of health problems, including:
- coronary heart disease.
- associated risk factors including obesity, hypertension, and diabetes.
- cancer of the colon.
- falls and accidents, particularly among elderly people.
- mental health problems, including depression, anxiety, negative mood, low self-esteem.
- musculo-skeletal problems such as chronic low-back pain.
Both aerobic (endurance) exercise and resistance training appear to have similar positive effects on bone mineral density, glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity.
Structured resistance training has a number of key benefits for an ageing population.
Done regularly (e.g., 2 to 3 days per week), resistance training (commonly referred to as weight training) exercises halt muscle loss that occurs with ageing.
Resistance training builds muscle strength and mass and therefore helps preserve independence and vitality with age.
Strength and resistance exercise programmes have been shown to significantly increase muscle strength equating to a significantly improved activity level in terms of day-to-day functioning.
Normal muscle loss that occurs with age is halted and there is evidence that this muscle loss is reversed.
Considerable longitudinal data exists which shows that this type of exercise is instrumental in improving the symptoms of chronic diseases such as diabetes, arthritis, heart disease and other auto-immune diseases as well as impacting positively on the symptoms of depression and other mental health conditions.
Current research has demonstrated that strength-training exercises have the ability to combat weakness and frailty and their debilitating consequences.
Regular, progressive resistance training helps build muscle strength and muscle mass which assists the preservation of bone density, independence, and vitality with age.
In addition, strength training also has the ability to reduce the risk of osteoporosis and the signs and symptoms of numerous chronic diseases such as heart disease, arthritis, and type-2 diabetes, while also improving sleep and reducing depression.
Resistance training is particularly beneficial for improving the function of most cardiac patients, who benefit substantially from both upper and lower-body exercise.
Although the mechanisms for improvement may be different, both aerobic endurance exercise and resistance training appear to have similar effects on bone mineral density, glucose tolerance, and insulin sensitivity. Thus, resistance training exercise is strongly recommended for implementation in primary and secondary cardiovascular disease–prevention programmes.
Resistance training can decrease the strain put on your heart during daily activities such as carrying groceries or lifting moderate-to-heavy objects.
Many middle-aged persons develop chronic diseases that can be favorably affected by resistance training.
Moreover, resistance training can be beneficial in the prevention and management of other chronic conditions, e.g. lower back pain, osteoporosis, obesity and weight control, diabetes mellitus and impaired physical function in older persons, as well as in the prevention of and rehabilitation from orthopedic injuries.
Resistance training has been found to be beneficial in the prevention and management of:
- heart disease
- type-2 diabetes (adult-onset diabetes)
- arthritis
- osteoporosis (gradual loss of bone mass/strength)
- the development certain cancers
- obesity and weight management
- impaired mobility and physical function in later life
- depression, anxiety and other mental health conditions
- lower back pain
- orthopedic injuries including their rehabilitation
Consequently, most professional and government health associations or agencies now support the inclusion of resistance training in their current recommendations and guidelines.
As with the initiation of any exercise program, a medical clearance should be sought.
***For more posts relating to older athletes see older athlete articles)***
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Regards Kym
