Longevity Bloomington Newsletter #15 - Bending the Aging Curve
Plus push-up modifications to perform at home
Research Roundup - Bending the Aging Curve
It is an unfortunate reality that most of our physical capacities decline as we age. This is true whether we are discussing muscle mass, strength, bone density or balance. This leaves us with an “aging curve” on a graph that looks something like the red line below. Without taking action, most of our physical capabilities peak around the age of 25-35 years old and then decline over time. This fact would be quite depressing if these changes were inevitable. Fortunately, making a decision to stay active now can help prevent this decline. You do not have to follow the path of the red line.
In his book, Bending the Aging Curve, Dr. Joseph Signorile reviews the latest research on the effect of exercise on how we age. As mentioned before, the general trend as we get older is a decline in things like strength and bone density. This likely is not surprising to you. What may be surprising though is how much of this decline is a result of inactivity, not the aging process itself.
The concept that Dr. Signorile introduces in his book is that of bending the aging curve with exercise. It essentially means moving yourself from the red line to the black line in the graph above so that at any given time point, you are much stronger than you would be otherwise had you not chosen to exercise. And importantly, you are as strong as a person much younger than you that does not exercise. This concept holds true for a variety of physical and mental attributes. You could replace “muscle mass and strength” on the graph above with bone density, cardiovascular health, endurance, cognitive function, balance etc. Exercise is the means by which you bend the curve upward and “buy back” years of function.
This is essentially the purpose of Longevity Bloomington summed up in one graph. We are trying to move you from the red line to the black line (or prevent you from ever getting to the red line in the first place).
In a 2017 research article, Physical Activity, Aging and Physiological Function, Dr. Stephen Harridge provided an excellent summary on the effects of inactivity as we age (edited for brevity - emphasis mine):
“there has been a tacit acceptance that the sedentary population, because they are in the majority, represent a default state for the provision of physiological norms. As a result, perceptions of the aging process have become distorted. That a decline in physiological function occurs with age is not in doubt. However, the decline in functional levels of many systems in sedentary individuals is greater, as are the risks of lifestyle and age-associated diseases. One clear conclusion emerges: being physically active is the body's biological default position for the maintenance of physiological function throughout the life course. Of greater importance is the maintenance and prolongation of an independent healthy life: the healthspan and a compression of morbidity. For any given age, V̇o2 max values are higher in exercisers, or, viewed another way, for a given V̇o2 max, the age at which this occurs in exercisers is older. In practical terms, this equates to a “buying back” of years of function compared with sedentary people.”
Here is another great graph illustrating the same concept. Resistance training (and exercise in general) will improve your physical and cognitive function and keep you far above the “disability and dependence threshold”. Exercise has the power to “bend your curve” from the red curve to the green curve in the graph below.
The promise is not that you can be as strong in your 50s, 60s or 70s as you were in your 20s. It is simply to say that without regular exercise, the quality of your life will be less than it would be otherwise. This 2011 study looked at the strength and body composition of forty masters athletes aged 40-81 to determine whether or not the typical losses in muscle mass and strength that are commonly attributed to aging are actually a result of disuse. What did they find?
chronic, intense exercise preserved muscle mass and prevented fat infiltration
no decline in absolute muscle mass
aging muscle is capable of not only getting stronger in the short term but is able to maintain its strength with long-term exercise
In his excellent article, You Don’t Have to Be Old and Broken, Lon Kilgore sums it up far better than I ever could (edited for brevity):
“We can maintain a tremendously large portion of our younger function if we simply train regularly and progressively.
Noticeable slowing with age is driven in part by biology but is significantly affected by the choice to spend time on the couch. Similarly, while some loss in range of motion with age is inevitable, the degree of loss is magnified by sedentarism.
It is fairly simple to break out of the stereotype: We just need to avoid retreating into inactivity with the passing years. The global perception of the aged as doddering and low functioning is less a necessary fact and more a self-fulfilling prophecy when inactivity is added to the mix.
Fight the stereotype. Fight it by choosing to be active and avoiding a self-induced functional deficit that only grows and becomes more profound with the passing years. Choosing the couch has long-lasting ramifications on our independence.”
Push-up Modifications for Adults 50+
Do you have trouble performing a full push-up but still want the benefits of a great upper body strengthening exercise? Here are some ways to modify the push-up to match your current strength level. As the movement get easier, progress to the more challenging modification. Perform 2-3 sets of 8-10 reps. Practice the push-up 2-3 times per week and you will see improvements in your upper body strength in no time.
Longevity Members In Action
Longevity Bloomington Apparel
Longevity Bloomington apparel is now available and includes short and long sleeve t-shirts, as well as a crew neck sweatshirt option. You can view and purchase the items here: https://bit.ly/longevityapparel. This is a pre-sale so I will purchase the items after everyone has indicated what they want. Please purchase by February 25th. Pick-up will be at Full House Fitness.
New Longevity Members
We have added eight new members since our last newsletter:
Bob
Marlene
Joy
Ken
Pam
Lynne
Deirdre
Susan
Welcome to the Longevity family. It has been great having you!
Longevity Bloomington Social Media
Longevity Bloomington member in training. It's never too early (or late) to start. Depending on who you ask, the box push is the best or worst exercise performed at Longevity. This guy seems to enjoy it quite a bit!
Please welcome Rick Killion to the 100 Class Club! Rick shows up to class with a positive attitude and is willing to help anyone! We appreciate you Rick!