Dear Doctors: I heard an interesting talk about training to prepare for old age. Is this an established theory or just someone’s random idea? The person said there are certain things you can focus on to age well. I am 62 years old, and I’m especially interested in staying strong.
Dear Reader: It’s estimated that, five years from now, 1 in 5 Americans will be age 65 or older. This has led to a spike in strategies to help people age well. Among them is a concept known as age-related preparation. It addresses the social, emotional, cognitive and psychological changes we all undergo as we grow older. It also promotes the idea that you can take steps to prepare your body for the physical challenges that lie ahead.
The cells in tissues and fluids in our bodies get replaced at a slower rate as we age. This leads to physiological changes, including decreased muscle mass, bone mass, cardiac output and lung capacity; impaired gas exchange; and reduced function in the liver, kidney and other organs. These changes contribute to the diseases and conditions that crop up in older age, along with loss of strength, flexibility, agility and stamina that affects mobility.
It isn’t possible to reverse age-related changes at a cellular level -- at least not yet. Anti-aging is a robust area of research, likely to provide some breakthroughs. But for now, we must stick with preparing ourselves for the rigors of getting older. It makes sense that the same lifestyle choices that contribute to general good health early in life become even more important as we get older. These include a healthy diet, limiting added sugar, getting enough sleep and maintaining a healthy weight. And when it comes to safeguarding mobility, you can indeed start training.
Preparing your body to age requires a targeted approach to exercise. Focus on functional capacity -- being able to climb stairs, carry groceries, reach a top shelf, throw a ball, sit on the floor to play with grandkids or a pet and, equally important, easily stand up again. To achieve these, you need to build and maintain muscle strength with weight-bearing exercise, improve endurance and lung capacity with aerobic exercise, and maintain agility and flexibility with a program of stretching.
Balance is also key. It’s a complex act that involves the muscles of the feet, lower and upper legs, hips and core. Recent research shows that weight-bearing exercises, particularly for lower body strength, are helpful. The newest studies find that, rather than light weights and multiple repetitions -- previously the standard advice for older adults -- heavier weights are most beneficial. This has proven a bit controversial, and we will explore it in an upcoming column. Meanwhile, always check with your health care provider when starting a new or more intensive exercise program.
(Send your questions to askthedoctors@mednet.ucla.edu, or write: Ask the Doctors, c/o UCLA Health Sciences Media Relations, 10960 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1955, Los Angeles, CA, 90024. Owing to the volume of mail, personal replies cannot be provided.)
