Old Age and Exercise, A Love Story

You just woke up.  It’s before 6am and you are exhausted.  Not to mention you have to be at work in twenty minutes.  You fly through your morning routine contemplating the whole time whether or not you should call in sick and go back to bed for some much needed rest.  You finally get it together and head out the door.  The sun is still sleeping and you notice through dimly lit skies, a figure; a figure that resembles your neighbor who happens to be in his late seventies.  He’s out for a morning jog and says he’s going to be heading to Lake Capistrano this weekend for some white rapid kayaking.  It makes you mad as you think to yourself, “It’s friggin 6am!  How is this old man still able to do this mess, and how does he have so much energy this early?”  You later find out that this man has kept exercise a priority all through his middle years and into his old age.  You realize it is exercise that has allowed this man to hold off the aging effects and keep his mobility/mentality.  The moral of the story is: Exercise slows down the aging process, both mental and physical.

Sarcopenia is the loss of muscle mass and coordination that results from the process of aging.  At about the ripe old age of sixty, physical and mental functions really start to deteriorate.  Muscles, cartilage, cognitive activity, balance etc. all begin to decline simply because the physical/cognitive body is slowing down.  Cells don’t reproduce as quickly, viruses spread more rapidly, and the body has a hard time keeping up with the daily demands that work and activities require.  The body is literally deteriorating due to old age.  Mental development has ceased and also begins to slowly slip away.  This is a scary thought as we will all inevitably be old one day.  Here’s the good news, exercise can actually slow these deteriorate processes down; compared to those who do not exercise, those who do seem to be able to maintain their strength and mental abilities longer, even into their eighties and nineties.

Exercise is proven to prolong the mind and body even into older age.  As we grow old and our activity levels taper off, our muscles become inactive and therefor deteriorate.  The mind gets little stimulation and due to lack of activity, mentality starts to slip away as well.  Exercise challenges the cognitive mind to think critically and through stimulation, promotes proper brain function.  Muscles are forced to stay active and depreciate at a much slower rate all due to exercise.  The bottom line is this; it is never too late to begin exercising.  There is no deadline or perfect age, everyone has the same opportunity.  Even if you are already into your sixties, exercise may hold off the effects of aging and allow you to preserve your sanity and body due to activation and stimulation, giving you more fullness of life.  Even if you have never worked out previously and have no idea what to do, a personal trainer would be ideal if even just to get you started.  All you have to do is start.

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FX Studios Certified Trainer

Jonah Taylor