Sometimes you hear people say "I don't want to live a long time, I don't want to be a burden on anyone". Who would want to live to a very old age if this paints a picture of pain, suffering, loss of mobility, independence and dignity? What if you discovered that it doesn't have to be like that? We now know that it isn't age that brings about the above conditions - it is a life without enough physical activity to keep one strong and vital. If muscle strength is not used on a regular, vigorous and ongoing basis you will lose it. It is really that simple.
How's this for a sobering thought? How would you feel if you had worked for upwards of 50 years, are really looking forward to retirement but in the end your body fails you? You may not be able to take that trip you always dreamed of, or play golf like you thought you would. Play golf, swim, hike, exercise or just work around the house - maybe? Or even if you don't plan to be that active in retirement will your remaining years be upset by chronic back or hip pain or you have a nagging disability that demands much of your time, money and attention? Even worse what if you fall victim to some serious disease or illness that threatens to cut your life short?
As we get older our body composition (ratio of muscle to fat) changes unless we work at keeping our strength. The word "work" is what our ancestors did on a daily basis to survive. Our modern lifestyles don't have much work in them anymore. Technology takes care of the physical tasks with such things as washing machines, vacuum cleaners, electric stoves, cars, etc.
The very word cancer puts fear into the average person. It affects us all as we all know of friends or even family members that have been inflicted with this villain. This terrifying disease is predicted to soar worldwide by 2020 as the number of overweight and obese people also soars.
Expert Author: Carolyn Hansen | Category: Exercise The strength of your muscles is the most important health related element of physical fitness as you get older. As the body ages and once we get past 30 years we lose precious lean muscle tissue at an alarming rate of 300-500 grams per year. This loss mainly goes unnoticed as the body increases body fat levels which mask muscle tissue loss. This situation can lead to premature and accelerated aging.
The body's metabolism is seen as some mystical force that burns calories and helps keep our weight under control. But in reality it is our body's engine and it is the rate that we burn fuel. When we are young we have the metabolism or engine power of a grunty V8 but in the latter stages of our life our engine size could be compared with that of a motor scooter. This is not just a process of aging but a process of us slowing down as we get older. After all we have always been told we should grow old "gracefully".
We get some leeway with time in regard to how well our body continues to function. They work away like a faithful servant throughout our younger years, doing whatever we ask without question or complaint. Putting up with years of repetitive activity, all or nothing weekend warrior attempts or long periods of inactivity.
Expert Author: Carolyn Hansen | Category: Exercise Cancer is probably the most frightening of all diseases. It gets scarier as we get older as we accumulate a closer connection with the disease as more and more friends or even family members experience it. As it is responsible for one in four deaths and is the second leading cause of death in our modern world it seems unstoppable.
Expert Author: Carolyn Hansen | Category: Exercise Healthcare systems world wide are on the cusp of one of the biggest health problems ever faced as tens of millions of the Baby Boomer generation are aging. As our technology driven lifestyles have pushed vigorous physical activity out of our lives our bodies have lost the stimulus needed to stay healthy. They respond by getting sick and often have a hard time recovering from illness or injury because a great deal of muscle mass has been lost from the body.
Sarcopenia is a gradual wasting of muscle tissue that for most people begins shortly after age 20 and continues for the rest of life. By age 75, a typical adult has lost 10 to 20 kilos of the total muscle he or she had at age 25. Hence, a person that has undergone this degree of lean muscle mass loss no longer has sufficient strength to maintain good health. An accelerated decline is experienced in functional ability to perform the required and desired physical acts of daily life.
The term Sarcopenia can be defined as the age-related loss of muscle mass causing a multitude of negative metabolic changes associated with decreased health and vitality in older individuals. This premature loss of muscle mass and strength is due to insufficient physical exertion throughout a person's life.
What sort of shape do you think you will be in when it comes time for you to retire? How you fare will depend on the choices you have made for your health and fitness over the years and decades. No matter how far away retirement is you should have concern for what life might look like after you finish your working life. It is something you should be preparing for it rather than leaving it up to chance as if you are robbed of your health and mobility at this time, retirement will not be much fun at all.
Humans were meant to move and are capable of extremely heavy workloads right up until a very old age. This is being proven by people of over 100 years old running marathons and cases of other incredible displays of strength being recorded.
How do you see yourself at an older age, say 70 plus? Do you see yourself slim, strong, fit and active? Is it important to you that you have a high quality of life? You probably would also like to be totally independent and living in your own home. You would like to be able to perform your daily tasks easily, enjoying your leisure activities and have no major health problems.
The evidence is out there, two out of three adults are obese or overweight, a ratio that has been rising for decades. Part of the reason for this is a new kid on the block called Sarcopenia. This is the premature loss of muscle mass and strength due to insufficient physical activity and sedentary lifestyles. This condition accelerates obesity and causes massive physical disability to older adults.
Expert Author: Carolyn Hansen | Category: Anti Aging As we get older we may silently wonder to ourselves how will we fare in the last stages of our life. Are we going to be lucky and not get some dreaded disease and remain fit and well right up to the time we go to meet our maker? Or the flip side of the coin is the possibility that we are going to become frail, incapacitated and incapable of taking care of ourselves, therefore dependent on our family, community and society for our care. And more importantly do we have any influence or control in this matter?
Expert Author: Carolyn Hansen | Category: Exercise Throughout the ages people have recognized that as someone grows old their muscles waste away, they become frail and weak and their bones become brittle. This condition although a very old phenomenon has a relatively new name. Dr Irwin Rosenberg came up with the name saropenia in 1988 for the loss of skeletal muscle mass in hopes of raising public awareness.
Expert Author: Carolyn Hansen | Category: Exercise The condition known as sarcopenia derived from the Greek words for vanishing flesh is the gradual wasting away of lean muscle tissue of one's body. Twenty years ago this condition did not even have a name, but now is well on the way to becoming a household word like osteoporosis.
Expert Author: Carolyn Hansen | Category: Exercise One of the most amusing things one can see at your local gym is people who have developed their upper body and have trained their "T-shirt" or "beach" muscles but have failed to train their lower body. The result is la rather unbalanced physique - a well developed torso and arms that are attached to... skinny, malnourished-looking chicken legs.
It happens while doing everyday tasks, as you sit at your desk at work or while relaxing on your couch. It's also happening while you drive your car, as you stand in line, or while sleeping. You have been losing lean muscle tissue every day since sometime in your twenties. You are losing strength so slowly that you probably haven't noticed. But eventually you will.
