Functional Fitness to Decrease the Effects of Age-related Changes
As we age, our bodies go through changes that can affect strength, flexibility, and overall mobility, often starting earlier than expected. From muscle loss and reduced strength to declining balance and flexibility, these shifts can make everyday tasks more challenging.
While it's natural to experience these changes, they don't have to define your later years. Understanding the impact of aging on your body and incorporating functional training into your routine can help you stay strong, active, and independent. Here are some age-related changes to be aware of.
Muscles shrink. Muscle loss begins in your mid- 30s, at a rate of 1% to 2% a year. While that may not sound like much, these little changes make a difference over the years, contributing to achy joints, injuries, and weight gain—all of which can make daily activities more challenging. As you get into your 60s and 70s, muscle loss can accelerate to as much as 3% a year.
Strength wanes. One result of muscle loss is a decrease in strength, making activities like walking, getting out of a chair, and climbing stairs more difficult. Beginning in your mid-30s, you lose about 1.5% of your strength a year, and that rate accelerates as you get older. Some older adults lose as much as a third of their strength over a 10-year period.
Power declines. As muscles shrink, you lose not only strength, but also power, your body's ability to exert force or strength quickly. Power plummets at more than twice the rate of strength—3.5% a year for power compared to 1.5% for strength. Reductions in power make it harder to get across a street before the light changes, hoist a heavy bag of groceries, or catch yourself when you stumble.
Aerobic capacity decreases. A 25-year-old heart can pump 2.5 quarts of blood a minute, but after age 30, heart and lung function begin to decline at a rate of about 10% per decade. A 65-year-old heart pumps about 1.5 quarts of blood a minute. The capacity drops to about 1 quart for 80-year-olds. These changes affect your endurance.
Joints stiffen. A decrease in flexibility and range of motion makes tasks like reaching overhead and stooping down problematic. Nearly 20% of older adults have difficulty reaching something on a high shelf, while 51% are challenged when they drop something and have to bend down to pick it up. Flexibility in the hip and shoulder joints declines about 6° per decade from age 55 to 85.
Balance wobbles. According to a study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, 54% of people in their early to mid-70s weren't able to balance on one leg for 10 seconds without holding on to something. As you become less steady on your feet, tasks like going downstairs, navigating around obstacles, and traversing uneven surfaces become more difficult, and you're more likely to fall.
Body fat increases. Even if the number on the scale isn't budging, you're probably gaining more fat as your muscles shrink. But if you're like most people, you're probably seeing an increase in your weight, too. That extra fat and weight can make it harder to get around and can tire you out faster. Extra layers of fat can also affect your ability to do things like bending over to tie your shoes.
Functional fitness is a powerful tool for maintaining strength, mobility, and independence as you age. By staying active and following safety guidelines, you can slow down some of these age-related changes and continue to enjoy a healthy, fulfilling lifestyle well into your later years.
For more information on staying active as you age, make everyday tasks easier, and even improve your game, check out Discovering Functional Fitness: Exercise, a Special Health Report from Harvard Medical School.
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