Benjamin Franklin is thought to have said that the only certain things in life are death and taxes. Let’s add aging to that list. Aging is inevitable, but it doesn’t have to be awful.
Whether you're concerned about weight gain, skin wrinkles, sex drive or chronic disease - healthy aging is a hot topic these days. Modern medicine has increased longevity. People in the US are living much longer, but unfortunately this does not always equate to living well.
For some, aging is a fearful thought. It is associated with deteriorating mental and physical health and the potential for long-term care. For others, aging is associated with the “golden” years - a happy retirement with more time to relax, spend time with the grandkids or pursue hobbies.
Aging is an intriguing phenomenon. Why is it that one 70-year-old is socially active, plays tennis and enjoys a good quality of life while another requires nursing home placement? How can one older man still jog and swim while another shuffles stooped over while using a walker?
Wanting to age well is normal and a desirable goal. Just be cautious. An interest in healthy aging may sway you toward anti-aging schemes such as restrictive diets, miracle supplements or expensive, alternative treatments that claim to postpone or even reverse the aging process.
There's no quick fix when it comes to healthy aging. The key to healthy aging is a healthy lifestyle. This includes proper exercise, sustainable healthy eating habits, appropriate age-related supplements, stress management and sleep hygiene.
Adopting and maintaining a healthy lifestyle is serious business. Very serious. Consider the alternatives. Feeling overwhelmed? Do these lifestyle changes seem too daunting to achieve on your own? Let us help.
Elite Personal Training and Fitness Solutions can help make your senior years something to anticipate, not dread. Call for a healthy aging consultation today!
Age and Muscle Loss
As years pass, muscle mass in the body shrinks. Strength and power decline.
This process begins earlier than you might think. Age-related muscle loss is called sarcopenia. It begins around age 35 and occurs at a rate of 1-2 percent a year for the typical person. After age 60, it can accelerate to 3 percent a year. The loss may be mild, moderate, or severe.
On average, adults who don’t do regular strength training can lose 4 to 6 pounds of muscle per decade. Most people don’t see the number on the scale going down, which means they are replacing muscle with fat. Fast-twitch fibers, which provide bursts of power, are lost at a greater rate than slow-twitch fibers. The result is a double whammy. You’ll become weaker and slower. Once muscle fibers die through the process of sarcopenia they are gone permanently and can never return or be revived!
Weak muscles hasten the loss of independence, putting everyday activities out of reach—activities such as walking, cleaning, shopping, and even dressing. Weak muscles hinder your ability to cope with and recover from an illness or injury. Disability is 1.5 to 4.6 times higher in older people with moderate to severe sarcopenia than in those with normal muscle mass.
Weak muscles also make it harder to balance properly when moving or even standing still. Loss of power compounds the problem. It’s not surprising that one in every three adults ages 65 and older falls each year. Some falls have dire consequences, including bone fractures, admittance to long-term care facilities, and even death from complications.
Strength and power training are critical for older individuals. People with stronger muscles are less likely to fall and if they do take a tumble, they’re less likely to be seriously injured.
Loss of muscle strength and mass aren’t the only factors that contribute to age-related declines in function and mobility. Mitochondria—the energy-producing "power plants" inside cells—also decrease in number and efficiency. Similarly, the nerve-signaling system that recruits muscle fibers for tasks deteriorates with age and lack of use. While it’s tempting to attribute all of these changes to aging alone, disuse of muscles plays a bigger role than many people suspect.
Age is no factor for the staff of Elite Personal Fitness and Training Solutions. Give us a call. Join our group of highly satisfied older clients who are restoring muscle function through strength and power training.
Hypothyroidism and Aging
Some people over age 60 have few, if any, symptoms of an underactive thyroid gland (hypothyroidism). Others experience the same symptoms younger people do. Still, others have symptoms that are not typical at all, making a hypothyroidism diagnosis difficult.
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Any of the following can indicate hypothyroidism in an older person:
1. Joint or muscle pain
Vague joint pain is a classic symptom. Often it’s the only symptom of hypothyroidism in an older person. Muscle aches tend to be in large muscle groups like those in the legs.
2. Unexplained high cholesterol
High cholesterol is sometimes the only evidence of an underactive thyroid in an older person. Because this sign may stand alone, high cholesterol warrants a thyroid evaluation.
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3. Heart failure
Reduced blood volume, weaker contractions of the heart muscle, and a slower heart rate are all caused by low thyroid hormone levels and can contribute to heart failure. Heart failure means your heart can't pump out blood effectively. Ineffective pumping may cause subtle symptoms such as decreased energy or slower walking. In more advanced stages, fluid backs up in the lungs and legs, causing leg swelling and shortness of breath.
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4. Bowel movement changes
Older people with hypothyroidism may experience constipation because their stool move more slowly through the bowels.
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5. Psychiatric problems
Clinical depression is a common symptom in younger people with hypothyroidism, but it can also affect older people with this condition. The difference is that in older people it may be the only symptom. However, in some cases, older adults can develop psychosis with delusional behaviors and/or hallucinations.
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6. Cognitive decline
Unfortunately, older people with a very underactive thyroid gland are sometimes misdiagnosed with dementia. That’s why doctors should order thyroid testing. If you or a loved one are being evaluated for dementia, make sure that a thyroid test is part of the evaluation.
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A note on exercise…
When a thyroid disorder is under good control with medication, exercise is safe and can help improve the remaining symptoms. People with hypothyroidism, for example, often experience fatigue and weight gain that doesn’t always ease up with thyroid medication alone.
Exercise is a wonderful way to boost energy levels and control weight. If you have been diagnosed with hypothyroidism, reach out to EPT. We will devise an exercise program that meets your needs.
Many drugs can increase the risk of falls. The more you take, the greater the chance.
Some medications are well known for side effects that increase a person's risk of falling.
Doctors prescribe anti-hypertensive medications to keep blood pressure under control and decrease the risk of stroke and heart failure. However, these drugs can cause blood pressure to get too low when you stand up from a lying or sitting position (orthostatic hypotension). This happens commonly in older folks. The result is lightheadedness and feeling faint, which can easily lead to a fall.
Medications that suppress the central nervous system are among those most likely to contribute to falling. They reduce alertness and cause slower reactions and movements. These include:
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Anti-anxiety drugs, such as diazepam (Valium) and lorazepam (Ativan)
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Diphenhydramine (Benadryl), an older antihistamine. Because it causes drowsiness, it is the most popular ingredient in over-the-counter sleep aids like Nyquil, Sominex, and Unisom. It is often combined with pain medications, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol PM), ibuprofen (Motrin PM, Advil PM), and naproxen (Aleve PM).
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Prescription medications to treat overactive bladder, such as oxybutynin (Ditropan) and tolterodine (Detrol).
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Tricyclic antidepressants. Most often doctors prescribe these types of antidepressants, such as amitriptyline (Elavil), to help relieve chronic pain, especially nerve pain.
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Prescription sleep drugs, including zolpidem (Ambien), zaleplon (Sonata), and eszopiclone (Lunesta).
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Narcotics (opioids), such as codeine, hydrocodone (Vicodin), oxycodone (Percodan, Percocet), hydromorphone (Dilaudid), and fentanyl (Duragesic).
To learn more about ways to stay safe, healthy, and on your feet, consider an Elite Aging Package!
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Medications that Increase Your Risk of Falling