Feel Younger As You Grow Older
What is it about exercising and eating a balanced diet that is so awful, so unbearable, that we’d rather choose shortening our lives just to avoid one or both? Surely at the start of 2017 we can all agree that a lack of exercise and a poor diet is killing more people around the world than drugs, alcohol, and unprotected sex put together, as concluded by the Global Panel on Agriculture and Food Systems for Nutrition.
When you think about your future, how far ahead do you look? Kids, grandkids, world-travel? Do you plan for retirement? Have you ever factored regular exercise and healthy eating into your plan to get you to old-age? This article explains the toll that a lack of exercise takes on the body in an effort to make sure that you’re not unknowingly taking years off your life. Years that could be spent with family and loved ones, or simply doing the things that make your life worth living.
Age is but a number, or two…
We all have our chronological age that is based on our birthdate. We also all have a fitness or physiological age that indicates roughly how old we are on the inside. Our fitness age is directly related to how healthy and active we are. The reality is that our fitness age is likely much older than our chronological age. According to Doctor Joseph Mercola, “How your body and mind work at the age of 60, 70, 80, and beyond is the result of a small part of genetics and a large part of lifestyle habits, particularly those that have persisted over the years.” Take Sy Perlis, for example, who at age 91 broke a weightlifting record.
One’s fitness age is based on how much oxygen a person can take in while exercising, also known as V02 max.
- If your V02 max is below average as compared to other people your age, then your fitness age is actually older than your chronological age.
- If your V02 max is better than average for people your age then it means that your fitness age is actually less than your chronological age.
If you think being a young twenty-something means this doesn’t apply to you, think again. Researchers at the University of Minnesota examined data collected over a 25-year period from 2,700 U.S. adults and highlighted a strong link between exercise, hearth health, and brain health at all points of life. Their conclusion was that people who had more cardiorespiratory fitness in their teens and twenties scored better on cognitive tests in their mid-forties and fifties. Simply put, how you treat your body in your teens and twenties sets the stage for your later years.
Further, the study showed that for each additional minute participants spent on the treadmill during the initial tests, they were able to accurately recall 0.12 more words at follow-up 25 years later. Those who were fitter in their early adulthood also scored better on tests designed to assess reaction speed and the mental agility needed to answer trick questions.
Exercise’s Effect on the Body
Think of your body as a machine much like your car. If you need to take your car on an 8-hour drive, you know you need enough fuel to get there, so you fill the tank; but, you also need your car for more than just one 8-hour drive. You need it to get to work, run errands, take you on fun adventures and oh so much more. IHS Automotive reported in July 2015 that Americans, on average, keep their cars for 11.5 years. What keeps cars running for over a decade? Maintenance such as oil changes, replacing brake pads, spark plugs, fan belts, etc. Like it or not, if we need an inspection sticker on our car in order to drive it, we do what we have to do for the vehicle to pass the inspection. The same is true for regular exercise; like it or not, our adult bodies need at least 30-minutes of exercise per day in order to survive well into old age.
The benefits of exercise have been listed time and again, especially around this time of year, and despite the buzz, so many people not only choose to ignore exercising but then go so far as to ridicule the people who do. Calling people “health-nuts,” or saying, “they’re obsessed with working out”, or “I couldn’t stand to eat like that” are some of the more common digs. Rather than reiterate all the good that exercise does for your body, mental health, and overall well-being, let’s explore some of the adverse effects on the body when we stop or don’t exercise regularly, while putting it into a realistic timeline to get a really good idea how quickly this all happens.
- After just one week without exercise, the body will begin to retain water. It may be enough for you to feel heavier and muscle fibers will begin to dwindle.
- After two weeks without exercise, your body actually starts to take a downward turn. Muscle mass could decrease by as much as 1/3, your stress level can increase and mitochondria in your muscle cells have decreased enough to also decrease your cardiovascular endurance. Between the two of these you may notice that now taking the stairs leaves you short of breath and with burning quads.
- After one month without exercise consider cardio endurance as something that you used to have. You now have much less muscle and an unhealthy level of body fat. Your sleep patterns can also begin to suffer at this point and worse, your body is suffering from the negative effects of stress as your body no longer has exercise to support its circadian rhythms (the body’s internal clock).
Imagine what months or years without exercise will do to the body. As the body ages, bones lose density and without weight-bearing exercises to strengthen them, they risk osteoporosis. Muscles that aren’t used will atrophy and the body’s overall strength and tone will diminish. Without exercise to release endorphins from the brain into the rest of the body helping to naturally elevate mood, mental health will suffer in the long term as well. A cycle of negative effects is in full effect until you choose to change it.
The Choice
It comes down to a choice: Choose to exercise or choose your excuse not to. Through my own research and data collection, I’ve compiled a list of the most common excuses used to not exercise (in order of popularity) as well as some statements to consider to overcome that excuse.
Perhaps you can identify with one or more of the excuses. Perhaps you’re surprised to hear them called “excuses?” Regardless, I encourage you to take on a challenge: Challenge yourself, challenge the excuses, or both. Let’s look at time. The truth is, the majority of us (myself included) do not feel that we have the time to spare. Our time is our most precious commodity. Those who do exercise regularly usually make the time to do it because they’re aware of the stakes and what’s at risk if they don’t (your time is at risk, just in case it’s still not abundantly clear). If you have ever heard anyone say, “it’s a lifestyle,” when referring to exercise or eating healthy, that’s just another way of saying, “I regularly make time for it.”
If you’re feeling a little alarmed after reading this, then good, that’s a motivator. It’s never too late. That’s the beauty of exercise; the benefits are felt by the body immediately. Do you remember that V02 max is how much oxygen we can take in during exercise, and that it’s also an indicator of our fitness age? Well, our V02 max can be improved at any age by exercising. In theory, we can lower our fitness age as we get older.
As mentioned previously, the study conducted by the University of Minnesota concluded that the participants who were fitter in their twenties experienced health benefits later in life. Their study also indicated that there’s always room for improvement. Those studied who weren’t fit in their twenties but who improved their fitness level in the decades that followed scored higher on cognitive tests than those whose fitness levels remained the same or worsened. Meaning, it’s never too late to start exercising.
There are two familiar sayings, “knowing is half the battle” and “knowledge is power.” Consider yourself armed. Your health is in your hands. Whether you’ve never exercised a day in your life or it’s been 6-months since the last time, you can start today and immediately begin to improve your health.
Jessica Elsner is a certified personal trainer and co-owner of Foss Fitness ME, a boutique personal training studio located in South Portland. Foss Fitness ME specializes in improving the quality of life of Maine residents through our unique movement-based therapy programs and nutrition education. Whether you’re looking to lose weight, regain strength, or just feel like yourself again, our expert training and guidance will get you there. Please call us at 207-767-0890 to learn more about what we do and to set up a free consultation. Visit us on the web at: fossfitnessme.com. Foss Fitness ME is located at 936 Broadway in South Portland, ME 04106.
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