We have been taught to believe we must become frail, have brittle bones, and lose muscle and strength as we age.
Conventional wisdom aside, recent research shoots holes in this bogus theory.
Researchers at the University of Pittsburg recruited competitive athletes from ages 40 to 81.
They looked at muscle mass for age groups 40-49, 50-59, 60-69 and 70 plus.
There were an equal number of men and women in each age group.
These individuals trained 4 to 5 days a week.
Using a sophisticated MRI, they determined lean muscle in the mid-thigh and quadriceps did not decline with age.
Even specific strength did not significantly decrease with age.
Dr.
Vonda Wright, an orthopedic surgeon who oversaw the study, said this about the findings.
"We think these are very encouraging results.
They suggest strongly that people don't have to lose muscle mass and function as they grow older.
The changes that we've assumed were due to aging and therefore were unstoppable seem actually to be caused by inactivity.
And that can be changed.
" One of the prevailing (yet preventable) problems associated with the sedentary aging population is falling.
One of the major contributors to this is osteoporosis.
Bones become more porous, prone to fractures and unable to handle stress.
Insufficient calcium and vitamin D in the diet are aggregates of this situation, but inactivity may play an even larger role.
Form follows function in the skeletal system.
Wolffs law states "change in bone structure coincides with changes in bone function.
" In layman terms, when stress (exercise) is placed on the bones they respond by laying down more bone tissue.
Exercise, even walking, places stress on the bones, thereby increasing their density and overall strength.
As Dr.
Wright so succinctly puts it, "what we can say with certainty is that any activity is better than none, and more is probably better than less.
But the bigger message is that it looks as if how we age can be under our control.
Through exercise, you can preserve muscle mass and strength and avoid the decline from vitality to frailty.
" In her abstract, Dr.
Wright writes a compelling argument for exercise.
She says "maintenance of muscle mass and strength may decrease or eliminate the falls, functional decline, and loss of independence that are commonly seen in aging adults.
" The risk of falling increases with age.
Women are more prone to falling than men, partly due to their level of strength.
It has been shown that two-thirds of people who experience a fall will fall again in six months.
Our ability to heal declines incrementally as we age, thereby compounding the effects of inactivity.
To say we are the masters and in charge of our aging is evident.
Failure to exercise causes poor muscle tone, loss of flexibility and bone mass, and decreased strength.
A certain recipe of age-related falls whose severity only increases with age and inactivity.
Conventional wisdom aside, recent research shoots holes in this bogus theory.
Researchers at the University of Pittsburg recruited competitive athletes from ages 40 to 81.
They looked at muscle mass for age groups 40-49, 50-59, 60-69 and 70 plus.
There were an equal number of men and women in each age group.
These individuals trained 4 to 5 days a week.
Using a sophisticated MRI, they determined lean muscle in the mid-thigh and quadriceps did not decline with age.
Even specific strength did not significantly decrease with age.
Dr.
Vonda Wright, an orthopedic surgeon who oversaw the study, said this about the findings.
"We think these are very encouraging results.
They suggest strongly that people don't have to lose muscle mass and function as they grow older.
The changes that we've assumed were due to aging and therefore were unstoppable seem actually to be caused by inactivity.
And that can be changed.
" One of the prevailing (yet preventable) problems associated with the sedentary aging population is falling.
One of the major contributors to this is osteoporosis.
Bones become more porous, prone to fractures and unable to handle stress.
Insufficient calcium and vitamin D in the diet are aggregates of this situation, but inactivity may play an even larger role.
Form follows function in the skeletal system.
Wolffs law states "change in bone structure coincides with changes in bone function.
" In layman terms, when stress (exercise) is placed on the bones they respond by laying down more bone tissue.
Exercise, even walking, places stress on the bones, thereby increasing their density and overall strength.
As Dr.
Wright so succinctly puts it, "what we can say with certainty is that any activity is better than none, and more is probably better than less.
But the bigger message is that it looks as if how we age can be under our control.
Through exercise, you can preserve muscle mass and strength and avoid the decline from vitality to frailty.
" In her abstract, Dr.
Wright writes a compelling argument for exercise.
She says "maintenance of muscle mass and strength may decrease or eliminate the falls, functional decline, and loss of independence that are commonly seen in aging adults.
" The risk of falling increases with age.
Women are more prone to falling than men, partly due to their level of strength.
It has been shown that two-thirds of people who experience a fall will fall again in six months.
Our ability to heal declines incrementally as we age, thereby compounding the effects of inactivity.
To say we are the masters and in charge of our aging is evident.
Failure to exercise causes poor muscle tone, loss of flexibility and bone mass, and decreased strength.
A certain recipe of age-related falls whose severity only increases with age and inactivity.