When we talk about fitness, we talk about keeping the body and the mind in great health. When we’re teenagers, we seem like such natural health nuts because being healthy seems to come naturally. So why is it, that aging means we have to work harder or perform harder to get in our best shape? Why don’t we bounce back as easily as we once did? Why is it the five pounds that fell off of us when we didn’t eat for a couple of days, clings stubbornly the rest of the time?
We’re Aging – That’s Why
There are many age-related changes that our body goes through as we get older. Your body at 35 is not the same as it was at 25 nor as it was at 15 and you will go through more changes as you approach 45. You can’t prevent all of these age-related changes – gray hair for example – I’ve had gray hair since I was in my late teens. I have a fine sprinkle of it through my hair now and most of the people I know think it’s highlights, but no – it’s definitely silver and gray and not blonde.
If your lifestyle includes regular exercise and a balanced diet, you will be able to reduce the effect of many problems related to aging. For example, your flexibility, muscle strength and even how your skin looks – these are all affected. Regular exercise increases your circulation and improves your body’s internal maintenance and helps you maintain the elasticity and strength of your skin – this can help reduce the number of wrinkles, folds and creases that appear along the surface of your skin.
Your Muscles
When a muscle ages, it begins to shrink and lose mass – remember your heart is also a muscle. When you exercise regularly, you can help maintain your muscle mass and health. While your muscles in your 60s will never be what they were in your teens, losing muscle mass can lead to changes in your bone density as well as increase the opportunities for injuries you can receive due to accident or lifestyle.
But there’s more to aging than just muscles and bones. Your taste buds will decrease. Your visual acuity will decline. Your hearing will decrease and eventually, even your sense of smell will decline. You will tire more easily and nerve cells may decrease as you age and that can lead to loss of memory function and the ability to learn long term.
You even get shorter – as you lose about .4 inches for every 10 years after the age of 40 – it’s entirely possible to be an inch or more shorter in your 70s than you were in 40s. While aging is natural, there are things you can do to help stave off the effects of age including:
- Strength training – this actually slows the rate at which you will lose muscle
- Weight Bearing Exercises – Exercises like walking and jogging can help preserve your bone mass
- Diet Supplements – calcium, vitamin D and B vitamins can help preserve bone mass as well as cut back on your risk of Alzheimer’s
You can strengthen your joints and your heart with regular exercise and by cutting back on bad habits like smoking, drinking and much more. So while we can’t stop the aging process, we can slow it down and we help ourselves to enjoy all the aspects of life, no matter how old we are.
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