The Secret - How To Stay Young At Any Age

Part One: Avoid Sarcopenia

We have all heard of age related diseases such as Osteoporosis, Alzheimer's, and Cardiovascular disease but I doubt that Sarcopenia has ever been mentioned by doctors or health agencies. Unfortunately over 50% of aging senior citizens probably have it as do a majority of nursing home patients. There are no drugs, associations, or groups out there promoting this crippling disability that ages you rapidly.

Sarcopenia is a muscle wasting disease. How do you know you have it? If your in your late 70's or 80's and can't get out of a chair or bed without help you have it. If your younger and have to use your arms to get out of a chair your heading in the wrong direction health wise. If we lead a sedentary lifestyle we gradually lose muscle mass and get weaker. The result is loss of balance, strength, and agility. Have you noticed how many senior citizens are very slow and cautious in their movements? That's aging, not old age. The old adage, "Use it or lose it" still rings true.

I remember back in the 70's showing a film to my class that was researching the effect of resistive exercise on senior citizens. In this one scene it showed an 88 year old man in a wheel chair who needed help getting up and walking. In the first segment they put a harness on him, helped him up and had him walk across a padded surface. While he was walking they pulled on the leash and he lost his balance and fell. After only eight weeks of light resistive training they repeated the test but this time he got out of the chair without help and when they pulled on the leash he stepped back and caught his balance.

That was amazing and it killed the old theory that senior citizens could not benefit from resistive exercise. With close to 90 million baby boomers closing in on their senior years we will have to add Sarcopenia to our list of health care concerns.

What should you do? Think prevention. Regardless of your age start now to live a healthier lifestyle by making regular exercise and a healthy diet part of your daily life. Even walking has been shown to slow the onset of muscle loss but I would encourage you to add some resistive exercise such as weights, palates or yoga. Three or four days of aerobic for thirty minutes and two to three sessions of resistive exercise would be a good start. For those of you who are younger pay attention to senior citizens and look for the symptoms of muscle loss that you want to avoid. You can never start too early. As my good friend Jack LaLanne always said "Stay in bed your dead"

Watch this site for part two of HOW TO STAY YOUNG AT ANY AGE.

Frank Addleman is professor emeritus at Santa Ana College where he taught nutrition and fitness. He is the author of GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER, Think Healthy, Be Healthy available at
frankaddleman.com frankaddleman.com

or 800-342-6068.
He can be contacted through his website.