Effects of aging

 

Funny how the cycle of life affects us all.  We all start the same, and we all finish the same.    What I see as the two biggest issues from an aging stand point are muscle loss (sarcopenia) and loss of bone density (osteoporosis).  These two can be controlled with a healthy diet AND resistance training. I'm not saying it doesn't happen.  I'm just saying we can minimize the effects of both of these conditions.

Sarcopenia begins around age 30.  Loss is gradual and starts at about 3 - 5% per decade.  It doesn't seem like much, but it is cumulative.  Once you reach age 60, it becomes more noticeable.  In your 80's, loss jumps to between 11 and 50% according to WebMD.  If you are young, you will notice this if you break your arm or leg and they are in a cast for a long time.  When the cast comes off, you will notice a big difference.

This loss can be mitigated by resistance training.  Even people that exercise regularly will still lose muscle.  Before you start to say, "so what is the use?", know that with muscle loss comes loss in strength as well.  By exercising, you will get stronger, as you add weight to your resistance.  Over the course of years or decades, you will maintain strength.  Resistance will also strengthen your bones, staving off osteoporosis.  

There are other benefits from resistance training.  When you exercise, some modes will work on your balance too. This is important to keep from falling and breaking a hip or other bone.  

Last year there was a study that came out touting the benefits of resistance training on Alzheimer's Disease (The effects of resistance exercise on cognitive function, amyloidogenesis, and neuroinflammation in Alzheimer’s disease - PMC (nih.gov).  More studies are needed but it looks promising.

I understand that not everyone likes exercise or resistance training. However, exercise releases endorphins and dopamine. It also helps to fight depression, increase our ability to think and concentrate. Exercise does not have to be a formal workout. The main point is to move our bodies more. Dancing, swimming, playing basketball, or a martial arts class all count. 

  

Do you have a fitness goal? Three questions to get you started.

As we approach the end of 2025, and the beginning of 2026, a lot of people are contemplating improving their health but don't know where to start. Most people are too general when they meet with a personal trainer.  Too general means too vague.  You need to be more specific to know if you reached your goal.

Fitness goals are different for everyone.  Some people may have similar end goals, but their journeys may be different.  A good example of this is the Olympics.  All the competitors had the same end goal...winning the coveted gold medal.  How they get to the winter Olympics is similar in that they had to win in competition.  Their individual training methods were different and geared to the individual's needs and abilities.

Fitness goals also change with time as we age.  When I was a teenager, I trained for sport primarily.  How I looked and felt came in a close second once I saw the body changes.  A third reason then became attraction to the opposite sex.  I'm sure this thinking still holds true today for teens and young adults.

In my 20's I was no longer participating in organized sports, but the other two reasons still continued to be factors and kept me going.  Once I hit my 30's and settled down, my main focus was less on the vein and more on the health benefits and a longevity of life to spend with family.  That's where I have been for sone time now.

I ask again, what is your fitness goal in your current stage of life?

Once you know what your end goal is, how are you going to get there?  How motivated are you to get started?  How motivated are you to keep going when roadblocks occur and how are you going to get around those roadblocks?

Please don't let this seem like you are about to take on K2, the second highest mountain in the world.  These are questions that can be answered and acted on with simple steps.  The key is taking action.

Question 1: What is your end goal?  Put on muscle, lose fat, improve performance.  These are the three main ones I hear over and over.

Question 2: How much muscle do you want to put on?  How much fat do you want to lose?  What performance metric do you want to improve (speed, endurance, reaction time, distance thrown) for your sport?

Question 3:  What is the deadline to reach your goal?  Be realistic here.  It will not happen overnight.  Make your goal something you have to reach for.  If you make it too high, you may not reach it.  You will then be discouraged and give up on reaching your goal.  You also don't want it to be so low that you don't have to put forth any effort.  

Once you have these questions down, you can start to figure out what to do to reach your goal.

Bonus question to think about: 

What will you do when you plateau or have a set back?  This happens to everyone.  You lose weight, then you stop...or gain a little back?  You gain muscle then you plateau and don't seem to gain more.  You're on a set schedule to work out and an issue at work or with family keeps coming up.  This doesn't mean to give up on your goal.  You just have to tweak what you are currently doing.  This is one reason why I prefer to work out early in the morning and get it out of the way with no interference from work or family.  If I wait till later in the day, something always seems to come up.

If you have questions or are looking for a personal trainer or nutrition coach, let me know.  I do offer a free nutrition assessment. Application is on website, RHWellsFitness.comRHWellsFitness.com You can contact me at RHWellsfitness@gmail.com