Move while you can

The following is from the longevity  News Alert written by David A. Kekich.

Despite the fact that our bodies may be beginning to wear out as we age, there is still much we can do to slow the trend.

As part of a long-term study to determine how post-middle age changes in physical activity affect mortality rates, 2,205 Swedish men were initially surveyed from 1970 to 1973 at the age of 50. Each participant was categorized into one of four groups according to their level of physical activity: sedentary, low, medium or high. Researchers followed up as they turned 60, 70, 77 and 82.

The team found what you would expect: exercising more translated into lower mortality rates in all exercising groups. But the study also revealed some surprising findings.

Those who raised their level of physical activity between the ages of 50 and 60 experienced the same mortality rates as those men who had always maintained high levels of physical activity.

The results were so pronounced that the study team compared the reduction in mortality to people who stop smoking. “Increased physical activity in middle age is eventually followed by a reduction in mortality to the same level as seen among men with constantly high physical activity.

This reduction is comparable with that associated with smoking cessation,” writes the study team. However, the researchers found that in order for low-level exercisers to “catch up,” they would need to maintain regular physical activity for at least five years.

The study was published in the British Medical Journal. It confirms we can reverse some of the damage done in earlier years and become as healthy as people who have maintained a healthy lifestyle for most of their lives. In fact, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh finally answered the question, "Is physical frailty inevitable as we grow older?”

A large number of studies in the past few years showed that after age 40, people typically lose 8 percent or more of their muscle mass each decade. Then the process accelerates significantly after age 70.

Less muscle mass generally means less strength, mobility and independence. It also has been linked with premature mortality. But a growing body of newer science suggests that such decline may not be inexorable. A study published in the October 2011 issue of The Physician and Sportsmedicine found there was little evidence of deterioration in the older athletes’ musculature. The athletes in their 70s and 80s had almost as much thigh muscle mass as the athletes in their 40s, with minor, if any fat infiltration.

The athletes also remained strong. There was a drop-off in leg muscle strength around age 60 in both men and women. They weren’t as strong as the 50-year-olds.

That means the 70 and 80-year-old athletes were about as strong as those in their 60s. So people don’t have to lose muscle mass and function as they grow older. The changes that we’ve assumed were due to ageing, and therefore unstoppable, seem actually to be caused by inactivity. And that can be changed.

We are designed to move. When we exercise, our body signals our cells to grow. These growth signals cause a ripple effect, spreading the growth process to every cell in our body, making us functionally younger.

Sedentary people who get fit cut their heart attack risk by 75–80% over five years. That’s impressive since heart disease is our single biggest killer. According to the Harvard Alumni Health Study, you need a vigorous activity to significantly lower your risk from coronary heart disease.

Many people in their sixties, seventies and older exercise their way to being in better shape than the average thirty-five-year-old. If you're not exercising now, you can double your strength in three months and maybe double it again in three more months. It doesn't matter if you're twenty-five or eighty-five.

So you’re never too old to add strength and flexibility. Researchers also found that the percentage of body fat and aerobic capacity was related more to training than to age.

Regular exercise also seems to maintain the levels of hormones that typically decline with age. This is great for your appearance, attitude and your sex drive. (Did you know sex sends longevity signals to your cells that may postpone senescence and death?)

Regular exercise helps to reduce cortisol, the stress hormone. Some of the other general effects of exercise include increased metabolism and increased lymph flow. If you are over forty years of age, have a chronic disease or any serious conditions, check with a doctor before beginning your exercise program.

The best way to stay on track is to decide what kind of activities or sports you enjoy most. Then mimic the basic movements pertaining to those activities, and incorporate those into your routine.

Not only will you enjoy training more, but your sports performance should improve as well. Weight training wakes up your neural connections too. This is one reason it improves your performance in your favourite sports. Not only are you stronger and more agile… but you become better coordinated.