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If you’re like me, the thought of hip replacements, aching joints, broken bones, and being confined to a walker or motorized scooter doesn’t exactly fire you up. Make no mistake, I’m not trying to be disrespectful to older adults, but these types of issues are reality for some as they age. For some, current diseases and other medical problems may make it inevitable that you’ll be faced with future problems, but for those of you who are perfectly healthy right now, there’s a lot you can do to make sure you increase your chances of living a healthy, active lifestyle during your older years.
Immobility, it’s a sad story, and I’ve seen it far too often with some of the older clients I’ve trained over the years. 
Too many times I’ve worked with elderly clients who can barely walk or lift their leg up over a weight bench because of knee problems, who drop 5 lbs. dumbbells because their painful arthritis caused their hand muscles to give out, who I have to hold on to while they exercise because their balance is so bad, who can’t even do certain exercises because their muscle are too weak. The truth is, for some, even though they’re motivated to get in better shape, it can be too late to reverse the damage done to their bodies. For others, they’ve been able to start early enough that by participating in an exercise program, for the first time in their lives, can be unbelievably beneficial for them.
Alright, time to take a break from this depressing truth. I want to share with you a few quick stories about some older adult clients who had their lives changed by exercise.
The first client I want to talk about is this lady who came to me with a horrible shoulder problem. Her shoulder was so weak that she couldn’t even lift it over her head because of the pain it caused. After working with her for some time, we were able to strengthen the shoulder and increase the flexibility of it. By the time she was ready to go off on her own and exercise, she was able to lift her arm all the way above her head without any pain. This may seem like a small achievement, but for her, it was huge! Now she could put her jacket on without pain, she could reach into a cupboard and get a glass out without pain, she could do all kinds of things that she wasn’t able to do before because she was willing to put the time and effort into an exercise program to improve her lifestyle.
Another client I worked with had horrible balance. When I first saw him, he couldn’t stand on one foot if his life depended on it. Over the months that we worked together, I worked heavily on improving his balance. By the time we finished, not only was he able to do one-footed exercises, he was also doing squats, riding his bike, and losing weight! Balance and coordination exercises are essential as you age because with older age comes decreased balance and coordination, and if you aren’t working to maintain the two, injuries such as broken bones, concussions, and dislocations can result from a fall.
Hopefully by now you can see why exercising is important not only for the present, but also for the future. Just in case you still aren’t convinced, we’re going to go in depth on all kinds of issues with old age and the benefits that exercise can have on them. Here’s how you can keep old age at bay. …
As you age, your lean body mass starts to decrease; lean body mass is considered to be areas such as muscle, ligaments, tendons, and bones. With decreased lean body mass comes increased risk for osteoporosis and arthritis, decreased metabolism, body fat gain, bone fractures and dislocations, decreased balance and coordination, decreased strength, and more.
By doing resistance training, you not only strengthen your muscles, you also can improve all the areas just talked about. When muscles are worked, they put more force on the tendons that are connected to them; these tendons connect to your bones. Not only will your tendons be strengthened through exercise, the force put on your bones will help strengthen your bones as well. As a result, the risk for osteoporosis and bone fractures is decreased. On top of that, stronger muscles lead to stronger joints, so the risk of arthritis and dislocations is decreased. Also, increased muscle tissue leads to increased metabolism, which leads to less body fat.
Excess body weight is such an important concept to grasp. By carrying around excess fat, your body has so much extra stress on it, and as a result, so many injuries, diseases, and other medical problems can result. Someone who is in their 40’s can actually have a body that functions as if it were in its 60’s; the opposite can also be said. Someone in their 60’s can actually have a body that functions as if it were in its 40’s! The key is making smart choices such as proper eating and exercise. These two choices alone can be so advantageous to a healthy lifestyle as a person ages.
Like I said before, balance and coordination are very important for older adults. Decreased balance and coordination can cause all kinds of problems, so it’s important to make sure you address these issues with your workouts. By improving muscle strength and flexibility, you allow your nerves and muscles to function together properly. This helps your body be able to carry out daily functions as you age. It helps keep your circulation in good condition because tight muscles lead to poorer circulation. It also keeps your reflexes in tip-top shape so as to avoid a fall resulting in serious injury or even death. According to The American Council on Exercise, by age 90, 32% of women and 17% of men will have suffered a hip fracture, and a large number of these cases will lead to death as a result of complications. Balance really is a serious issue, and the earlier you start to maintain it, the better chance you have of preventing a traumatic fall from occurring in the future.
Some other benefits of exercising for the future are increased cardiovascular strength and lung function. Most likely, everyone knows that exercise can improve cardiovascular strength. Increased cardiovascular strength leads to better endurance, a stronger heart, decreased risk for cardiovascular and heart disease, and decreased blood pressure. Did you know, however, that as we age, our vertebral disks start to degenerate? This degeneration leads to the shrinking of our thoracic cavity (the area of the lungs), which means that our lung function decreases. Exercise combats this effect by decreasing the degeneration and strengthening the thoracic cavity.1
Exercise also leads to better sleep, decreased stress, a stronger immune system, and a better mood. Not only does exercise release “feel good” hormones, it also leads to a greater feeling of self-worth, something that can decline as people age.
Getting older doesn’t have to be something you dread. By starting or continuing a good exercise program, you can keep your body “young” and healthy, but as always, it’s a good idea to check with your doctor before starting.
References:
1 American Council on Exercise (2003). ACE personal trainer manual: The ultimate resource for fitness professionals, (3rd ed). San Diego, Ca.: American Council on Exercise.
Dan Falkenberg, BA, ACE-CPT, NASM-PES
Dan Falkenberg can be reached at DanFalkenberg.com.
