How keeping fit and exercising can improve the ageing process
The ageing process, it’s unavoidable. We’re going to look at how keeping fit and exercising will help this process.
Muscle
As we get older our muscles naturally decrease in strength and size. This is known as sarcopenia. Harvard Medical School sources state that after the age of 30, we can start to lose 3-5% of our muscle mass every decade, and after 40 it has been found to be up to 8%. Shocking figures, but don’t hang up your boots just yet! As we get older, we have to work harder to maintain muscle tone and condition. Our joints can also start to cease up, become stiffer, and ache more. This can be due to reasons such as the cartilage breaking down or having inflammation within the joints. As these changes happen within our bodies, we become weaker and less stable, and we are therefore more prone to injury. Studies have shown that muscle mass can be increased at any age with exercise. Yes, you can breathe a sigh of relief. Strength training is vital, using resistance and weights. However, you don’t need to be lifting “heavy”, you can use low weights with high repetition, to avoid unnecessary stress on your joints and muscles, but still achieve that all-important muscle gain.
Skin
Keeping fit and exercising is also beneficial for the condition of our skin as we age. According to dermatologist Ellen Marmur MD, healthy circulation improves the condition of our skin. As we exercise, our blood flow increases. This means extra oxygen is provided to cells, and also the increased blood flow can help with the removal of waste products. Research studies have actually shown that aerobic exercising for 30 minutes a day may even go as far as to reverse the signs of ageing in our skin. Impressive facts. There’s also no denying the bonus that having toned muscles offers in improving the appearance of your skin in general.
Stress
Stress in our daily lives can play a huge part in how we age. Studies have demonstrated that stress can actually add years to our immune system cells. It can influence the ability our body has to fight illness and the facility it has to recover from injury. It is a proven fact that exercise reduces those stress hormones and increases your happy hormones. Regular exercise and keeping fit will promote relaxation, increase your “feel-good” factor, and help alleviate tension, anxiety and depression. Therefore, in turn, helping slow down the aging process. Hopefully just reading this article is already helping to reduce any stress levels!
If you’re looking to start an exercise routine, check out some of our other blog posts for ideas on what might work for you. And don’t forget, we have outstanding personal trainers on hand to help guide you and provide you with expertise and experience along your fitness journey.
Written by Becky Barrett.
Becky Barrett is an international talent manager and personal fitness coach with over 15 years’ professional experience and a 1st class Honours degree in Business & Law.
Driven by her unique values of compassion and a holistic approach to talent management, Becky has devised an innovative solution to take on the fitness industry with a brand-new personal fitness concept that aims to inspire and boost ‘new normal’ approaches to exercise routines.
Features include: Health & Wellbeing, Natural Health, Arden University, The Telegraph, BBC, Time & Leisure, Bdaily News, The Stage.