Seniors Strong™
Seniors: Stay Strong
Increasing age does not have to mean rapidly decreasing health.
Muscle strength is one of the keys to healthy aging. But after we achieve peak muscle mass in our early 30s, it’s a slow march downhill from there. If we are sedentary as we age, we become frail, we start to hurt, we lose independence, and our lives become less satisfying.
But old age need not mean weakness, physical decline, and lack of vigor - there is a solution to the seemingly inevitable problems of frailty as we age. In fact, contrary to modern thought, it is possible to age well, remaining independent and healthy with few disabilities. You can sidestep or even reverse frailty by beginning a well-rounded fitness program.
Seniors Strong™ is a functional strength, cardio, and mobility class designed to improve cardiovascular fitness and functional fitness for older adults.
Frailty due to muscle loss (sarcopenia) is becoming increasingly common. Below is the conclusion of a 2021 study
Prevalence of sarcopenia and associated factors in older adults attending a day hospital service in Ireland
( https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s41999-021-00463-x)
The prevalence of sarcopenia in the day hospital ranged from 27 to 37%. The assessment tool used to assess muscle strength influenced both the prevalence and associated factors of sarcopenia, suggesting the scope for further research
Many seniors face a perfect storm of falls, disability, hospitalization, and death. Loss of muscle affects balance and tensile bone strength; it can also mean falls causing hip and back fractures. Frailty can cause everyday activities, such as getting out of a chair, to be painful or even impossible, leading to a dependency on others, social isolation, and depression
Strength Training: Natural Medicine
From the time you are born to around the time you turn 30, your muscles grow larger and stronger, research shows that this trend starts to reverse after about age 35, as we lose 5 percent to 10 percent of our muscle mass each decade unless we engage in regular physical activity to prevent it.
This point is critical because muscle matters in all we do: Less muscle means less strength and mobility.
The best prevention is exercise. While cardiovascular training is important in a balanced fitness plan, the primary treatment for muscle loss is resistance training or strength training.
The more muscle is retained, the more obvious the benefits. Research shows that seniors who strength trained at least twice per week increased overall strength by 113 percent, significantly improving gait velocity and stair-climbing ability after just 16 weeks. Strength training also acts as a natural antidote to many detrimental conditions. Long-term benefits include an astounding 41 percent lower odds of cardiac death and 19 percent lower odds of dying from cancer. (The Journal of Aging and Health)
It’s an uncomplicated formula that helps the body to thrive, but many seniors do not take advantage of it and suffer unnecessary consequences.
Exercise: The Frailty Antidote
Functional fitness is the best way for seniors to stay fit and active as it focuses on multi-joint activity and can be tailored to your specific condition.
Even older people suffering from osteoporosis can strengthen themselves: Resistance training is considered the gold standard for this situation. The long-term benefits of resistance training are a seminal part of general health and well-being for seniors, improving almost every health condition.
Of course, there’s a catch: You need to get moving and keep moving. If you don’t yet lift weights, start now. Weight-bearing exercise, along with an adequate amount of healthy food, will go a long way toward preventing a rapid physical decline as you age. Growing old may be inevitable, but growing frail is not.