Fitness Facts for Older Adults: If You Do Not Use It, You Will Lose It

Not long ago, it was "accepted knowledge" that older people could not increase their muscle strength nor their muscle mass. Now, happily, this myth has been dispelled. In 1989, researchers from Tufts and Harvard Universities undertook a study of older people in their late 80's and 90's. The researchers worked with a group of frail elderly residents at Boston's Hebrew Rehabilitation Center for the Aged. These residents had multiple functional problems, chronic conditions and were very sedentary.

At the beginning of the project, the project participants, whose average age was 90, were tested to determine the heaviest weights that they could lift with their legs. Following this initial test, they began a program of weight training. They did three sets composed of eight weight lifting repetitions each for three days a week. They worked out with weights that were 80 percent of the maximum weight that they could lift.

After two weeks, they were retested and the weights were increased. At the end of six weeks, these frail older people had increased their muscle strength on average by 180 percent. What is more, none of the participants had reached a plateau. As a result of their increased muscle strength, their average walking speed increased 48 percent, two participants no longer needed their canes, and one participant was able to rise from a chair without using the chair arms.

All of the participants resumed their sedentary lifestyles at the end of the program. The researchers then retested them, and found a 32 percent loss in maximum strength after only 4 weeks of detraining. The moral of this story is "If you don't use it, you'll lose it," but the happy ending is that you can regain your fitness and strength at almost any age which will help you to retain or regain your independence, freedom, and add to your good looks.

Weight training is as essential to good physical health in your later years as aerobic exercise is. It strengthens your muscles and bones, and there are indications that it is helpful in lowering cholesterol levels. Weight training also increases the strength of ligaments and tendons so that less stress is placed on your joints. In the past, people with high blood pressure, heart diseases and conditions such as arthritis were warned to avoid using weights. But researchers in the Tufts and Harvard study found that weight training had no adverse effect on blood pressure or heart function and advise that strengthening your muscles, tendons, and ligaments actually helps to ease pressure on the joints.

Weight training can either be with free weights such as barbells and dumbbells, or with specially designed equipment which works various parts of the body. Weight training can be used to increase your muscle strength or your muscle endurance.

If you have not worked with weights before be sure to have a qualified person instruct you in their use and have them set up a program of exercises which includes the specified number of repetitions to be done in each set as you progress toward your goal. Muscle strengthening exercises should be done for at least 20 minutes three times a week.

A program of Calisthenic, Isometric and stretching exercises combined with dance will enable you to develop muscle strength and endurance as well as flexibility and cardio-pulmonary fitness. Joining a class or renting or buying videos made by qualified instructors (not just movie stars) is a good way to get in shape and avoid mishaps. Many dance classes especially those in ballet, modern, and aerobic dance include calisthenic, isometric, and stretching exercises as part of the routine.

Staying physically fit can give you a body that performs and looks like those of persons years younger than your chronological age. At the VA Medical Center in Salt Lake City Utah, physically fit men in their mid-fifties were compared to inactive men in their mid-20's. The results were astounding. Active older men had lower resting heart rates--64 beats per minute versus 85 beats per minute for the younger men, higher oxygen uptake during maximum exercise, and slower heart beats in the first minute after exercise than the men in their 20's who did not keep fit. What is more, the older men weighed an average of 166 pounds compared to 192 pounds for the younger sedentary men.

Get Moving

Before you begin an exercise program, be prudent and be prepared, check with your physician and make sure that you begin your exercise program "by the book" or with a qualified instructor. In so doing you will gain the maximum benefit from the program and avoid strains, sprains and other mishaps.

Even if you have been exercising on an on-going regular basis, it does not hurt to take a refresher class every so often, since new exercises are added and older, less effective ones are being dropped. And make sure that your instructor is licensed or certified to provide instruction. If no classes are available in your area and you want to start an exercise program on your own, be sure to obtain the latest publications and/or videos available. Some calisthenic and isometric exercises recommended a decade or two ago are no longer considered safe, so it is important to have current information.

Many agencies and organizations including the YM and YWCAs, junior colleges and universities, senior and community centers, adult and continuing education, and health clubs and spa's offer classes in sports, exercise, dance, and weight training that provide instruction that will enable you to gain the maximum result and avoid injuries and mishaps.

Adapted From: "Fitness Facts for Older Americans,"
Source: New York State Office for the Aging, 1998
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