Everybody knows exercise is good for you, during all phases of your life. Sarcopenia is the loss of muscle mass and strength as we age. Cardio workouts, balance exercises, and strength and resistance training are all part of many exercise regimes to help fight sarcopenia and maintain mobility, strength, endurance and balance. Any form of exercise is beneficial and better than none, but what you do matters. Doing the same workout over and over, without adding intensity, may not yield the results you wish.
There are plenty of examples of seniors who are remarkable athletes. However, for most of us, the goal isn't to be a star athlete. Instead, it is to enjoy an active and healthy lifestyle as we age, and to retain mobility to perform daily activities independently. Examples include getting up off the toilet, getting down on the floor to play with grandchildren, lifting groceries, picking up a grandchild, climbing stairs, avoiding falling, picking things up from the ground and having short bursts of energy when reacting to whatever might come our way.
It's possible to be strong but not powerful. Lifting a maximum, heavy weight involves strength. Power is exerting the most force possible in the shortest amount of time. Power provides the sudden burst of energy to run after something that the wind blew out of your hand, heft your suitcase into an overhead bin on an airplane or dash across the street or up the stairs when you are in a hurry.
Muscles are composed of both fast-twitch and slow-twitch muscle fibers. Slow-twitch muscle fibers (type-1) are fatigue-resistant and provide endurance. Fast-twitch muscle fibers (type-2) fatigue quickly and provide a powerful force, but for a shorter period of time. Type-2 fibers decline more quickly with age. As a result, people lose power faster than they lose strength. Loss of power also leads to a decline in reflexes, balance and mobility. Adding intensity to workouts helps build type-2 muscle fibers, contributing to an increase in power and providing that sudden burst of energy when you need it.
Building both strength and power are important. Lifting a maximum load builds strength. Performing multiple reps with a lighter load as quickly as possible helps build power. While many exercise regimes involve working out with weights and machines, there are many effective exercises that build both power and strength using only body weight.
Alan Satterly, a personal trainer at the Springfield YMCA, recommends going heavy occasionally and also going faster using lighter loads and more repetitions, with rest intervals between sets. When doing the following sets, he says, you should be slightly fatigued from the previous sets. He also advises varying the intensity in cardio workouts and using a monitor to measure your percent maximum heart rate.
Financial planners recommend diversifying one's investment portfolio for better long-term performance and results. The same can be said for diversifying your exercise portfolio. Just as it is helpful to get advice from a financial planner, it is beneficial to seek advice from someone knowledgeable about health and fitness. This can help to maximize the effectiveness of time spent working out. Proper form and technique are essential to avoid injury. Exercise can be as much mental as physical. It is important to engage both your mind and body. There are techniques to connect your brain and body to improve balance. Many health and fitness professionals attest to the benefits of yoga. Nutrition is also critical – you can't outwork a bad diet.
There are numerous ways to get good advice – join a group fitness class, engage a personal trainer, do your own research online or simply ask trained staff at the place where you exercise.
Mike Suhadolnik coaches a Longevity class at CrossFit Instinct for people 55 and older. "We employ the mindset of fitness," says Suhadolnik. "In Longevity, we compete against ourselves and not each other and can compare measurable results from yesterday to today. With Longevity, we in our second half of life learn to adapt and adjust to stress and change, physically and mentally, doing what we want to do when we want to do it."
Today is the first day of the rest of your life. It's never too late to focus on improving your health and fitness.
Karen Ackerman Witter met her husband, Randy Witter, at a morning exercise class at the YMCA. She has always been active. She played racquetball, ran two marathons and is now a regular participant in the CrossFit Instinct Longevity class. She nevertheless finds it a continual challenge to follow what she's learned about health, fitness and nutrition through freelance writing. Every day is a new beginning.
