Slow Down Aging with Exercise

The cover story of this week’s issue of TIME Magazine (dated February 23, 2015) is Dispatches from the Frontiers of Longevity.  A number of topics are covered including the best places to be an old person, the best diets to follow for longevity, and brain activities to keep the mind young.  An intriguing graphic in the issue illustrates how different parts of the body age, when that process starts for each, and what can be done to slow the process.  I’d like to focus on the parts that can be directly, and positively, affected by exercise.

Lungs – The ability of the lungs to properly oxygenate the blood begins to decline about 1% per year starting at age 30.  Since this decline is greater in people who are sedentary than in those who are active, the good news is that aerobic exercise can greatly slow the decline.  Brisk walking which causes you to be slightly breathless is a good way to start improving your lung function.  Ideally you should do this five days a week for 30 minutes at a time.

Bones – Bone mass begins to decrease about 1% per year after age 35, and this rate increases after menopause.  However, weight-bearing exercise can make a big difference.  A recent study has shown that simply jumping 20 times twice a day “significantly improved hip-bone mineral density.”

Muscles – Sadly as we age, we lose muscle and gain fat. The rate of this unfortunate exchange really increases after age 40. We have to be intentional about including exercise into our weekly routines in order to reduce this decline in muscle function. Upper body and core strengthening are commonly overlooked but they are important components of how easily we can do the activities of daily living.

Join PMC's community exercise class, lead by Katherine Koudele, a certified group fitness instructor, in the PMC Commons from 6:00-7:00 on Monday and Thursday nights.

by Katherine Koudele, PMC member