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How To Slow The Aging Process
Your waistband is getting tighter, you haven’t been able to touch your toes in
10 years, and the last time you sprinted after a Frisbee you got winded in a few
seconds. Not to mention the fact that your memory isn’t as sharp as it used to
be.
But if you’re blaming those changes solely on the fact that you’re
over 40, 50 or 60, you could be missing the real cause – and the solution.
Aging is inevitable, but a mounting stack of scientific studies proves
that much of the decline we blame on nature is really the result of a sedentary
life.
By getting off our duffs, we can slow the downhill slide, delay or
prevent debilitating diseases, enhance our quality of life, and even save on
health care costs.
The Aging Process
The prospect of gray
hair and wrinkles is the least of your worries. Underneath the skin, changes
traditionally attributed to aging include a reduction in bone mass, the loss of
muscle tissue, and the deterioration of one’s sense of balance.
Cognitive changes – such as impairment in recent memory – are common.
Dementia, a progressive decline in cognitive function, is much more serious but
fortunately affects only 15 percent of elderly people. In addition, the senses
may be diminished by disorders such as macular degeneration, which reduces
central vision, and hearing loss.
As we age, our likelihood of
developing certain diseases increases. Cancer, cardiovascular disease, stroke,
type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure are much more common among the elderly.
But don’t let this list of woes discourage you. It turns out we do have
control over the rate of our demise.
Many of the changes we once saw as
inevitable can be slowed or even reversed, researchers say. They’ve even coined
the term “sedentary death syndrome” to describe the maladies that are caused or
made worse by a couch-potato lifestyle.
America The Sedentary
Healthy People 2010, published by the US. Department of Health and Human
Services, lists 10 public-health concerns that need immediate attention. At the
top of the list? Physical inactivity. And in the No. 2 spot is obesity.
As of 2005, less than half of U.S. adults got the recommended level of
physical activity, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC). One quarter of adults report no leisure-time movement at all.
And more than 60 percent of older adults are inactive.
In 2007 more than
63 percent of Americans were overweight or obese. That’s up from 44.7 percent in
1990, an increase of more than 41 percent.
No wonder many people are
feeling older.
Effects Of The Couch-Potato Lifestyle
Being
overweight is one of the most visible consequences of sedentary life. Let’s
consider some others and how they accelerate aging.
A 2002 publication
by the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports described “sedentary
death syndrome,” which is characterized by weak muscles, low bone density, high
blood sugar, low HDL (“good”) cholesterol, low physical endurance, elevated
heart rate and other symptoms.
Conditions caused or worsened by
inactivity include many associated with aging, such as:
- Heart attack
- Coronary artery disease
- Cancers of the breast, colon, prostate and pancreas
- Depression
- Gallstone disease
- High cholesterol
- High blood pressure
- Reduced cognitive function
- Obesity
- Osteoporosis
- Physical frailty
- Stroke
- Diabetes
And problems such as osteoarthritis and chronic back pain
are actually worsened by taking it easy.
Inactive people lose muscle
strength at the rate of about 1 percent to 2 percent each year after age 60, and
along with that comes a greater risk of falls.
After menopause, women
are prone to loss of bone – as much as 1 percent to 2 percent each year.
Can Activity Help Us Age More Gracefully?
You bet. Men and
women of all ages who engage in regular activity can prevent or delay serious
disease and enhance the quality of life right now. Consider these research
findings:
Older people with knee osteoarthritis decreased pain by 43
percent after completing a strength-training program. The exercise also
decreased their level of disability.
In a study of Hispanic men and
women with diabetes, several months of strength training created dramatic
improvements in blood sugar control. The subjects added muscle, lost fat and had
less depression.
Sleep disturbances are common among older people, but
those who exercise have deeper sleep and wake up less frequently during the
night. Better sleep also means better productivity at work.
Physical
fitness counteracts the decline in brain density that begins after age 30. A
combination of aerobic and strength conditioning provides the best results.
Older patients with major depression felt significant improvement after
performing cardio for 30 minutes, three times a week. They also saw improvement
in memory, attention/concentration, and the ability to perform intellectual
tasks.
Heart failure is the leading cause of hospitalization for people
over age 65. But research now shows exercise can “prevent the stiffening of the
heart muscle that has been thought to be an inevitable consequence of aging,”
says Dr. Benjamin Levine of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.
Older athletes had more muscular, flexible hearts – almost indistinguishable
from those of younger people.
Perhaps most intriguing is a 2008 report
published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. Researchers examined telomeres –
a component of chromosomes – in subjects’ white blood cells. Telomeres shorten
over time and act as a marker of biological age.
Less active people had
shorter telomeres, and the most active people had telomeres as long as those of
people 10 years younger. The scientists concluded that those who follow U.S.
government guidelines for physical activity are actually biologically younger
than couch potatoes.
Still not convinced? A 2001 consensus statement
from a major symposium on health found that “regular physical activity is
associated with a reduction in all-cause mortality, fatal and nonfatal total
cardiovascular disease, and coronary heart disease” as well as with reduced
incidence of obesity, type 2 diabetes, colon cancer and osteoporosis.
Healthy People 2010 adds that regular physical activity increases muscle
strength and lean muscle mass, improves bone density, reduces body fat, helps in
weight control, and improves mood.
Other Payoffs Of The Active
Life
The social, personal and economic costs of premature aging are
incalculable.
A 2001 report from the Department of Health and Human
Services estimated the total cost of obesity alone as $117 billion. The national
costs of highly preventable heart disease and diabetes were estimated at $183
billion and $100 billion, respectively.
CDC researchers find that
physically active people have lower annual direct medical costs and fewer
hospital stays and doctor visits. Also, they use less medication.
If you
have employees, you’ll benefit if they’re physically fit. U.S. workplace
programs to encourage physical activity tend to reduce health care costs as well
as increase productivity.
The Exercise Prescription
Staying
younger longer takes an investment of three to four hours a week.
The
CDC and the American College of Sports Medicine recommend at least 30 minutes of
moderate aerobic exercise (not necessarily in one bout) most days of the week
and at least two weekly sessions of strength training. Muscle-building exercise
should consist of eight to 12 repetitions of six to eight strength movements.
Both are essential: aerobic exercise, or cardio, for your heart and
lungs, and strength training to maintain muscle, bone and balance. Both burn
calories and help maintain healthy weight.
Moderate aerobic activity
means brisk walking, biking casually, dancing, hiking, doing light yard work, or
using exercise machines such as treadmills and stationary bikes.
Strength training involves lifting weights, doing calisthenics such as
push-ups and sit-ups, using strength equipment in a gym, or doing heavy yard
work.
Help Yourself, Help Your Employees
Need to work on your
own fitness? Get an exercise buddy. Or opt for an accountability partner to
connect with by phone or e-mail. Many fitness Web sites host forums where
members offer each other support and encouragement.
Get a dog. You’re
more likely to take daily walks when you know your pet needs the exercise, too.
Wear a pedometer. People who track their steps get more exercise than
those who don’t. Gradually work up to 10,000 steps a day for significant health
benefits.
Schedule exercise in your calendar like any other appointment.
Put activity on an equal footing with showering, eating and other daily tasks
that you always make time for. If you can’t spare 30 minutes straight, fit in
two 15-minute sessions between appointments.
Walk or stand during
meetings or phone calls.
Put a treadmill or other piece of exercise
equipment in the break room. Encourage employees to use it during lunch hour or
breaks – or to go out for short walks.
At company parties, don’t just
sit around and eat. Schedule activities like softball or horseshoes.
As
a company, sign up for a charity fundraising walk and see how much money you can
raise for research on heart disease or cancer.
Talk to the American
Cancer Society, which helps businesses create wellness programs.
For
More Information
To learn more, visit these Web sites.
HealthierUS.gov, information to help you live a healthier life
www.healthcare.gov
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention physical activity page
www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/physical/index.htm
Workplace Solutions by the American Cancer Society
www.acsworkplacesolutions.com