Why is it convenient to do strength exercises?

When people over 100 are asked what the secret to longevity is, the answers vary. According to Jessie Galen, a woman who lived to be 109, the secret to her long life was to “stay away from men.” For another centenary of olive netting, this included “one guinea per day”. On the contrary, if we look at scientific studies on longevity and, more importantly, health in old age, the answer is our muscles.

According to a study published in the prestigious journal Nature, which was conducted on people over the age of 90, having less muscle mass is associated with higher mortality from any cause, higher levels of disability and greater cognitive impairment. Conversely, according to some studies, having more muscle mass is the factor that predicts whether a person over the age of 55 will live longer.

Sarcopenia and its risks

Loss of muscle mass with age is called sarcopenia. Although it is normal to lose some muscle mass with age, sarcopenia describes a significant muscle loss that has serious consequences. It affects strength, balance, and overall ability to walk and perform daily tasks. Researchers have long believed that this decline was inevitable. But today we know that this is not the case, and strength exercises are an important help in stopping or slowing this process.

It is not that with increasing age people’s muscles start decreasing and hence they move less. Conversely, less movement is the main cause of muscle loss, as well as lack of protein in the diet (we need to eat more protein as we age) and lack of essential nutrients like vitamin D.

How do our muscles protect us from aging? Muscle tissue is the most metabolically active, that is, it consumes the most energy. Thus, if we have more muscle and we use it frequently, we will be able to better absorb the glucose in our diet. In other words, we will have greater sensitivity to insulin.

Conversely, having less muscle mass creates insulin resistance, meaning the insulin produced by our bodies is no longer as effective at processing glucose. The results are high blood sugar levels, diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, heart disease and cancer.

The biggest risks of not having enough muscle as you age are osteoporosis, falls, and fractures. Osteoporosis is not caused by a lack of calcium, but by a lack of strength exercise, as mechanical stress is what signals the bones to regenerate and strengthen themselves. When bones become weak, falls can be fatal. Older people who suffer a fall and fracture are four times more likely to die in the next 90 days.

Although aerobic exercise has many benefits, it is not enough to prevent muscle loss. In 2010, the WHO included weight-bearing strength exercise, or with one’s own body weight, in its recommendations for physical activity for health. Recommendations are the same for adults of any age, including those over 65: two or more days per week of muscle-strengthening activities that involve the major muscle groups.

How to increase muscles at any age?

It’s always easier when we’re young, but it’s possible to gain muscle at any age. Clinical trials have shown that even very weak people over the age of 75 can increase their strength and muscle mass. In a famous study conducted on ten people between the ages of 86 and 96 who were subjected to a weight-lifting exercise program for two months, muscle mass measured in the thigh increased by an average of 10%, and the participants’ strength. It had almost doubled. They could try.

What strength exercises do we need to slow down aging? Although access to a gym and a monitor is ideal, there are several possibilities:

*Dario Pescador is editor and director quo magazine and author of the book your best self Posted by Oberon.