Many biological factors contribute to the ageing process . The most prominent ones are muscle strength, body fat, basal metabolic rate, aerobic capacity, blood cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar, bone density and immunity factors.
The main building materials for a youthful body are exercise and nutrition. Regardless of your age, you can build muscle mass. Between the ages of 20 and 70 years, we lose an average of 30 per cent of our total muscle cells. This leaves us with an ever-increasing percentage of body fat. We also experience a 30- to 50 per-cent decrease in strength in some muscle groups.
People can maintain, regain or improve their strength even when they are in their 80s or 90s. Men in their 60s and 70s have developed muscles that are as large and as strong as the muscles they had in their 20s.
People between the ages of 60 and 90 have accomplished the same level of strength and muscle-mass increase as younger individuals when they do the same exercise programmes. Regular exercise can always help us to become stronger and repel the impacts of ageing.
The rate at which our body spends calories starts declining by the time we are in our 20s.We need fewer calories as we age. This indicates that the average individual will have greater difficulty managing his weight. Thus, persons who choose to maintain or improve their muscle mass will have less difficulty managing their weight. Good weight management reduces the risks of lifestyle diseases.
Here are some exercises that you can do to stay lean:
Bench step
Stand with dumbbells in each hand.
Place one foot on the bench in front of you.
Use your hip and leg muscles to lift yourself up until your lead leg is straight.
Slowly lower yourself to the starting position, using the same leg.
Barbell rowing
Bend over with your knees slightly bent.
Hold barbell in your hands with your arms straight so that the barbell is hanging directly below you shoulder.
Pull the weight upwards until the bar touches your chest.
Lower the bar until your arms are fully extended.
Military press
Stand with a barbell supported at shoulder level in front of your body.
Place your hands slightly wider than shoulder width.
Push the weight up above your head until your arms are straight.
Lower your arms to the starting position.
Incline bench press
Lie on your back on an incline bench.
Hold a weighted barbell directly above your shoulders with both arms straight and both feet flat on the floor.
Lower the barbell to touch your chest.
Push the weight to the starting position.
Kenneth Gardner is an exercise physiologist at the GC Foster College of Physical Education: email: yourhealth@gleanerjm.com.
