Longevity Bloomington Newsletter # 21 - Time is Tissue

Plus a new class, member spotlight and Best of B-Town top 3!

Sep 16, 2023

Research Roundup - Time is Tissue

In emergency medicine, the phrase “time is tissue” is often used to express the importance of early medical intervention in the event of a heart attack or stroke. Fast, comprehensive care from physicians can result in the sparing of critical heart or brain tissue. In the event of a stroke, restoration of blood flow to the brain in a timely manner is critical to avoid brain damage. Similarly, during a heart attack, heart muscle is being lost every minute that a coronary artery remains blocked.

In the setting of our daily lives, “time is tissue” can be used to describe the gradual loss of muscle, bone and cartilage as we age if we do not remain active. Although seemingly not as emergent, the loss of these critical tissues over time can have a profound impact on our health and quality of life.

Instead of happening suddenly like a stroke or heart attack, the loss of muscle, bone and cartilage occurs in a gradual, subtle way. The insidious nature of this loss makes it less likely for an individual to take action to combat their loss of strength or bone density.

If an individual lost 30% of their strength overnight, they would surely be more likely to go to the gym and perform some resistance training the following day. Instead, this loss of strength occurs at approximately 5% each decade after 30 years of age in sedentary individuals. The incremental nature of this loss makes it much less likely for folks to get to the gym to save their muscle, bone and cartilage. Below, we will discuss the effects of losing muscle, bone and cartilage and give you some action steps to help prevent this loss.

Muscle

As you age, if you are not active, you will begin to lose approximately 3-5% of your muscle mass per decade after age 30. After age 60, the rate of muscle mass decline is even higher. Why is this important? As we have discussed in a previous newsletter, the most obvious function of skeletal muscle is its ability to enable you to move and perform daily activities. Generally, the more muscle strength you possess, the easier it will be to perform tasks of daily living such as laundry, going to the grocery store, picking up your grandchildren and going up and down steps. Reduced muscle strength also increases your risk for a fall and significantly increases the likelihood of losing your independence.

In addition to the more obvious advantages of holding onto your muscle mass as you age, recent research has also discovered that skeletal muscles function as a gland. In fact, skeletal muscle is the largest gland in your body.

When you exercise, your muscles release chemicals into your blood called myokines. These chemicals then travel to other organs and exert widespread anti-inflammatory effects. One example of this effect is the ability of myokines to improve fat metabolism and reduce fat around your organs. This reduction in fat around your organs ultimately reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, dementia and some types of cancer.

From the paper above: “skeletal muscle, under the simple, physiological stimulus of exercise, may behave as an endocrine organ, producing a variety of agents with favorable metabolic actions. This has shed light to the mechanisms through which physical exercise protects against the development of disease and promotes longevity.”

So how can we save as much muscle as possible as we age? The research is clear: resistance training should form the cornerstone of your exercise program to combat low levels of muscle mass.

A research paper published this year states: “The recommendation to use resistance exercise as a treatment for sarcopenia (low muscle mass) is underpinned by robust evidence demonstrating that resistance exercise programs can, under controlled conditions, improve muscle strength, mass and physical performance in middle-aged and older adults.”

The paper recommends the resistance exercise program should consist of (at least) two full-body exercise sessions per week performed with a relatively high degree of effort.

When discussing muscle mass preservation, we can’t forget about the nutritional side of the equation. What should you eat to maintain/increase your muscle mass? It really boils down to getting enough protein and calories in your diet to ensure your body has the building blocks it needs to build muscle following resistance training.

As we have discussed in previous newsletters, adults 50+ do not process protein as efficiently as younger adults and therefore actually need more protein than their younger counterparts. As a starting point, try to consume half of your body weight in grams of protein. For example, if you weigh 150 pounds, aim for consuming 75 grams of protein per day.

If you would like more details regarding specific nutritional recommendations to manage low muscle mass, you can click here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4623318/

Bone

Among adults aged 50 and over, 43% have low bone mass. This places an individual at an increased risk for fracture. Luckily, there are things you can do now to stop this process and increase your bone density!

It is important to understand that your bones are living tissue that are constantly being remodeled depending on how they are used. Just like muscles, bones get stronger when given the right challenge. The opposite is also true: if you do not stress your bones enough, they will become weak over time. Your bones will adapt to the stimulus placed upon them.

After receiving a low bone mass diagnosis, most patients understandably assume they should participate in exercise that is “gentle” on their bones. For example, many patients begin water aerobics. This is the exact opposite of what you should be doing to improve your bone mass.

Bones need to experience a lot of force in order to build up and get stronger. Aquatic exercise and walking will not stress your bones enough to improve their strength.

So what exercise is best at improving bone mass? The research has consistently shown that lifting weights will improve your bone mass. If you have not participated in lifting weights recently, start light and slowly increase the weight over time. As you get stronger, you must increase the weight gradually to improve your bone strength.

You are not fragile. A diagnosis of low bone mass does not mean that you should stop physical activity. It is a call to action and a condition that you have the power to improve.

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Cartilage

As you age, the cartilage between your joints begins to thin. This could potentially lead to the development of osteoarthritis (OA). The scientific community's understanding of OA is rapidly changing. Historically, OA has been thought to be caused by "wear and tear" over time and to be primarily caused by mechanical forces. Now, new research reveals that OA is a whole body disorder that has a lot of different causes. These include genetic, environmental, hormonal, and metabolic factors that interact and contribute to the start and progression of the disease.

What can you do to lower your risk of developing OA? Or, if you already have arthritis, what can you do to lessen its effects?

First and foremost, get active. As they say, “motion is lotion”. There is strong evidence that resistance training and aerobic exercise reduces pain and improves function in individuals with OA. Find movements you can perform without flaring up your symptoms and do them consistently.

Often, when an individual is diagnosed with OA, they are understandably hesitant to exercise as they fear it might make their OA worse. A study from IUPUI looked at the effect of resistance training on the progression of knee OA in 221 older adults and found that resistance training REDUCED the progression of OA in the knee.

A large study out of Norway looked at the effect of exercise on the risk of knee or hip OA for overweight/obese individuals. From their conclusion: "physical exercise does not increase the risk of osteoarthritis at any level of BMI, suggesting that exercise could be encouraged also among individuals with excessive body mass, without concern for an increased risk of osteoarthritis."

So what type of exercise is best for OA? In addition to aerobic exercise, multiple studies have supported improving quadriceps strength as a key factor in reducing pain from OA. Increasing the muscle mass of the thigh improves pain and function in individuals with knee OA (Fransen, 2015). General strengthening exercises also seem to be beneficial as the volume of knee cartilage is directly related to total body muscle mass. When in doubt, get your legs stronger!

Individuals should aim for at least 180 minutes of exercise per week for optimal pain reduction and functional improvement (Kirihara, 2017). If you can't find the time for 180 minutes per week, participate in as much exercise as your schedule allows. Something is better than nothing.

In addition to exercise, you should also attempt to lose weight if you are obese or keep the weight off if you are not obese. There is a strong association between obesity and OA. Being overweight or obese results in excessive joint loading and altered biomechanical patterns.

However, biomechanical theories do not fully explain the link between obesity and OA. New research shows that obesity results in a low-grade inflammatory state in the body. Fat tissue is not just a place to store excess calories. Fat tissue releases a host of inflammatory cells that circulate throughout your body and have wide-ranging effects. This inflammation from fat tissue is a primary cause of OA. It has been estimated that half of the knee OA cases in the United States would be eliminated if obesity were removed as a risk factor!

There is strong evidence that weight loss is an effective treatment for knee OA. Weight loss has been shown to result in less pain, improvement of physical function, mobility, and quality of life.

High Protein Smoothie

Do you struggle to get enough protein in your diet? Do you often not feel like eating in the morning? Smoothies are an easy way to get a lot of nutrition (and protein!) in your diet without a lot of work.

Below is a quick video showing one example of a smoothie you can make each morning that will allow you to easily increase your protein intake. Feel free to substitute and swap any ingredients as you see fit. Adding some greens like spinach would be a great way to bump up the nutritional value.

New Class

We are excited to announce we have added a new Longevity Bloomington functional fitness class! The class meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10:30 AM at Full House Fitness. Our functional fitness class focuses on improving balance, agility, strength and endurance. Please contact us at ben@longevitybtown.com if you are interested in joining! If you know of any friends or family that might benefit from the class, please share this with them!

Longevity Bloomington made the top three in the Herald Times Best of B-Town Community Choice Awards for best fitness center in Bloomington. Also, Ben Weller made the top three for best personal trainers in Bloomington. Thank you to everyone that voted for us! We greatly appreciate all of the support!

Member Spotlight - Dee Mortensen & Dean Lawler

This month’s member spotlight is on Dee Mortensen and Dean Lawler. They both are incredibly consistent in their attendance to class and always have a positive attitude. They have been known to bring treats from the garden to class including salsa, kimchi, sprouts and much more. They live in the middle of nowhere with 3 cats and 40+ chickens.

How long have you been a member of Longevity?
We’ve been coming to Longevity since March or April 2022.
What is your favorite exercise at Longevity? Least favorite?
Dee: most—jump rope; least—the dreaded box push
Dean: most—the dreaded box push; least—ouchy arm stretch on the wall
Where are you from originally? Where did you go to school?
Dean was born in Crawfordsville, IN and lived on a farm outside of Alamo, IN. He is a graduate of Fountain Central HS. He moved to Bloomington in 1977. Dee was born in Abington, PA and was an Army brat. She moved 10 times before going to high school in Wayland, MA. She is a graduate of Wellesley College and came to Bloomington in 1981 to do graduate work in Comparative Literature. She has an M.A. and MLS (Master of Library Science) from IU.
What do you do for work? If retired, what did you do for work?
We’re both retired. Dean was a dental technician and owned his own lab before he worked for Sallee Dental Studio. Dee retired from her work as Editorial Director of IU Press.
What’s something about you that not many people know?
Dee won the first Bloomingfoods salsa contest with her green tomato salsa. Dee and Dean met at a contra dance. They are veteran dancers and musicians. Dean played banjo and Dee played guitar with the Dirty Stay Outs, the Knob Creek Rut Riders, and the Westside Alley Cats.
What do you like to do when you’re not working out at Longevity?
Dee: gardening, knitting, cross stitch, quilting, and just about anything involving yarn, needles, and thread, cooking garden produce
Dean: gardening, wood working
What’s the next place on your travel bucket list?
We don’t go anywhere.
Favorite restaurant in Bloomington?
Hands down, Bangkok Thai Cuisine
Anything else you'd like to talk about?
Always willing to talk! We find Longevity is a good anchor to our week and the other activities we do. We miss it when we don’t go. We feel so thankful and fortunate to be able to participate in fitness at this point in our lives. We think you’re the best. You look after us all and you genuinely seem to like old people! Thanks so much for doing what you do.

Welcome to Longevity Bloomington! It has been great having you all in class.

Yoga Pose of the Month: Child’s Pose (Balasana)

If yoga has a “home base,” it is Child’s Pose or Balasana. A deeply restful pose, Child’s Pose can allow you to catch your breath or take a break.

Child’s Pose has many benefits for the body. It provides healthful compression at knees and hips. It lengthens the spine and can help relax the muscles of the back, especially the low back. It encourages opening at the ankles and shoulders. Beyond these physical benefits, Child’s Pose can help us focus our attention on our breath, which can be deeply relaxing.

Child’s Pose involves a deep bend in both the knees. If your knees are likely to object, try this:

1. Place two chairs facing each other.

2. Sit in one of the chairs with your feet and knees comfortably wide.

3. Bend forward at your hips so that your belly comes between your thighs.

4. Reach your arms forward so that your hands can rest on the second chair.

If your knees are willing, try this: spread a thick blanket on the floor to cushion your knees, if you would like, and have a thick pillow or two close by.

1. Place your knees on the blanket, if you are using one, and bring your hips to your heels. If your hips don’t touch your heels, or if bending the knees deeply is uncomfortable, place one pillow between your hips and your heels.

2. Take your knees comfortably wide and bring your big toes toward touching.

3. Reach your arms forward and allow your forehead to touch the mat. If your forehead doesn’t reach the ground, bend an elbow and allow your forehead to come to your forearm. If the head doesn’t reach the forearm, you could bring the second pillow under your head.

4. If your hips don’t touch your heels when you extend your arms, add a pillow or two between hips and heels. If a pillow is too thick, you might try rolling a towel and placing the roll close to the creases of your knees.

Whether you are seated in a chair or on the floor, once you have found a comfortable shape, breathe.

Feel your belly press into your thighs with each inhale and feel the belly move back toward the body with each exhale. Feel the openness in your ankles, the healthful compression at your knees and hips, the length of your spine, and the openness of your shoulders. Let this feel good! You can stay in Child’s Pose, resting and breathing, for as long as you would like.

Here’s a video to walk you through the pose: