What happens to your body as we age by Lulu Fit

LaDawn74

What happens to your body as we age

Here is what the research says…



Adults who don´t do any form of muscle strength training lose between 5-7 pounds of muscle every decade (1). Because muscle is very active tissue, muscle loss results in a lowering of your metabolism. Studies indicate that the average adult experiences anything from a 1- 3 percent reduction in their metabolic rate per decade of their life (2,3) until they reach around the age of 50 (4). From then, your metabolism stays around the same.



The research now clearly shows that the largest proportion of this drop in metabolic rate is NOT due to the natural ageing process (5). It is in fact due to the loss of muscle.



The two major causes of muscle loss are:



1) Dieting



Calorie restrictive diets that don´t supply enough energy to maintain proper body function don´t supply sufficient energy to the muscles to sustain them. As a result the muscles begin to breakdown. Because muscle is heavier than fat, the dieter is often delighted with the rapid weight loss but unaware that the resultant drop in metabolism will more than likely cause them to put on more weight than ever.



2) The DUIYLI (Don´t Use It You Lose It) Syndrome.



The major problem is that as you age you start doing old. You get fooled into thinking that as you get to a certain age, it is inappropriate to do a lot of activity. For those that think that should consider changing the word "retire" (meaning to slow down) to "re-tire" (which means to put on another set of tires and keep going).





Research also suggests that we are using our muscles even less than 30 years ago with an average 1.5 percent reduction in metabolism per decade measured in 1972 (1) compared with an average 2.6 percent reduction in metabolism per decade measured in 2001 (3) thanks to televisions and computers.



Because most adults do not perform strength training, they need to first replace the muscle they have lost through inactivity. Fortunately, research shows that two 25-minute sessions per week of strength training can increase muscle mass by about 3 pounds over 8 weeks. (6) That alone can increase your resting metabolic rate by 7 percent. (7).



Now if you have let yourself get totally out of shape over the years the good news is that just by following a basic aerobic fitness program, your body will put on muscle and your metabolism will improve.



You can´t change time but you can change your metabolism

References



1) Evans, W. and Rosenberg, I. (1992) Biomarkers, New York: Simon and Schuster. Forbes, G. B. (1976). "The adult decline in lean body mass," Human Biology, 48: 161-73



2) Keys, A., Taylor, H.L. & Grande, F. 1973. Basal metabolism and age of adult man. Metab. 22: 579-587



3) Roberts, S. & Dallal, D.E. 2001. Energy requirements and ageing. Energy working paper No. 8R prepared for the joint FAO/WHO/UNU Expert Consultation on Energy in Human Nutrition, 2001.



4) Poehlman, E.T. 1992. Energy expenditure and requirements in aging humans. J. Nutr. 122: 2057-2065



5) Piers, L.S., Soares, M.J., McCormack, L.M. & O´Dea, K. 1998. Is there evidence for an age-related reduction in metabolic rate? J. Appl. Physiol., 85: 2196-2204.



6) Westcott, W. and Guy, J. (1996). A physical evolution. Sedentary adults see marked improvements in as little as two days a week. IDEA Today, 14 (9): 58-65.



7) Campbell, W., Crim, M., Young, V. and Evans, W. (1994). Increased energy requirements and changes in body composition with resistance training in older adults. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 60: 167-175

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psb13

great info-thanks for sharing!! :happy:

Helice

hahaha when i was little i use to think that saying was to do with guy genitals.
If you dont use it you loose it....
lol.

stormieweather

I just started running again, after 30 years off the track. It feels GREAT!! I've been lifting weights for 2 years now and love it! I have absolutely no intention of becoming a couch potato in my old age :bigsmile:

rnroadrunner

thank you for a great post :drinker:

zahra2011

When you say your metabolism remains the same from the age of 50 does that mean we can't do anything about it after that? I've made some half-hearted attempts over the years to get fit but it's only in the last 5 months since joining mfp that I've really managed to stick at it. I definitely feel better since I started this (I'm 53). Hope i haven't left it too late!

dmoses

I knew I was putting myself through this for some reason!! Thanks for sharing a very interesting article!

DropsOJupiter

When you say your metabolism remains the same from the age of 50 does that mean we can't do anything about it after that? I've made some half-hearted attempts over the years to get fit but it's only in the last 5 months since joining mfp that I've really managed to stick at it. I definitely feel better since I started this (I'm 53). Hope i haven't left it too late!

Zahra, I don't think so. I'm 55 and, over the course of my journey, I think I've boosted my metabolism quite a bit going from a major couch potato blob to going to the fitness center 4 to 5 times a week. Recently, in talking with some of the fitness instructors and checking with my doctor, I started using ginseng to boost my metabolism, mainly to get me through a plateau. So far it's worked. The main thing is you've definitely NOT left it to late...it is NEVER too late! Good success on your journey!

LaDawn74

When you say your metabolism remains the same from the age of 50 does that mean we can't do anything about it after that? I've made some half-hearted attempts over the years to get fit but it's only in the last 5 months since joining mfp that I've really managed to stick at it. I definitely feel better since I started this (I'm 53). Hope i haven't left it too late!

There was a 59 yr old lady on the Biggest Loser that won the stay at home prize......


I didn't write this..someone else...just was sharing this with everyone.