You're Never Too Old To Be An Athlete

Even if you’re not technically an athlete, fostering an athlete’s attitude —leading a healthy, active lifestyle even into old age - can help counteract changes in your body composition and overall health that can increase your risk of chronic illness and disease as you age.

Worried about declining health as you age? Look to some lifelong athletes for motivation to stay active into your senior years, like the track and field competitors featured in the book “Racing Age” by Angela Jiminez. One of them? A nearly 100-year-old competitive runner.

Seniors participating in the yearly National Senior Games include 97-year-old swimmer John Tatum, 100-year-old cyclist Larry Johnson, and 72-year-old basketball player Carol Duncan.

Even Nascar has some older competitors, with 62-year-old Derrike Cope starting at the Daytona 500 this racing season, making him the second oldest driver to ever compete in the race.

These athletes have continued practicing sports in old age, and they are reaping the many health benefits of leading an active lifestyle well into retirement years. Here are just a few of those benefits:

Maintaining muscle mass

Unfortunately, we tend to lose muscle mass as we age. It gets harder and harder for the body to create new proteins and tissues, so many people see a slow decline in muscle mass starting as early as their thirties.

Low muscle mass reduces your strength and endurance and can make you more susceptible to illness. With less muscle tone, you have a harder time powering through sickness or injury because you have fewer amino acid stores. Amino acids are the building blocks used to build new proteins, tissues, and enzymes—so it’s important to have an adequate supply.

Fortunately, exercise is a great way to maintain your muscle mass—no matter how old you are! Just ask the Napa Senior Weightlifting team—a group of five 70+ year old competitive weightlifters. Lifting weights has allowed many of them to regain their health and stay strong, mobile, and active— even well into their 90’s, in the case of one team member.

Resistance training, in particular, offers a host of benefits when it comes to muscle mass and old age. It helps maintain muscle and may even promote new muscle growth if you’re also eating plenty of protein. It can also boost your metabolism, increasing the number of calories you burn at rest—which in turn can help stave off unwanted weight gain and promote a healthy body composition.

Need more proof that resistance training into your senior years is possible? All five members of the Napa Senior Weightlifting Team are champions in their respective weight and age division.

Bone density

Just like aging slows down muscle cell turnover, it does the same with bone cells. This puts elderly people—and women, in particular—at a much higher risk of osteoporosis and bone fractures.

Fortunately, the very act of exercising can stimulate your body to produce new bone cells, which can help fortify your bones—keeping them strong and dense. The best exercises for improving bone density are weight-bearing aerobic exercises. These are exercises where you have to support your body weight that get your heart rate up, like jogging or stair climbing.

Can’t run? While walking doesn’t appear to stimulate new bone growth, it is protective of your existing bone density and can prevent further bone loss. Start with whatever level of activity you can, because some is better than none. One person who probably understands this better than most is Harold Bach, a 96-year-old track and field competitor in the Senior Olympic Games. He didn’t run his first race until he was 72! He says, “You can start any time. The main thing is getting started. Do anything you want that you feel comfortable with. Walking is the best exercise there is. But if you don’t do anything at all, you’ll be in trouble. Don’t just sit in the house and watch TV.”

Body fat

People also tend to gain fat as they age, and it’s typically visceral fat—the belly fat that’s associated with a higher risk of chronic illnesses like heart disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer. Women tend to gain more visceral fat after menopause as a result of hormonal changes, such as decreasing estrogen levels.

However, cardio exercise—especially more moderate or vigorous in intensity—helps to burn fat, which can allow you to maintain a healthy body fat percentage. And, resistance training, as we mentioned above, increases muscle mass which helps raise your resting metabolism and can help your body burn more fat and calories even at rest. To reap the full benefits of exercise, the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommends that you get at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of intense exercise weekly, along with two strength training sessions.

AARP shares four inspirational stories of four seniors who lost weight after getting involved in competitive sports. These four individuals—ages 55, 66, 74, and 72—lost a combined 300+ pounds and are staying active with activities like swimming, running, biking, and pilates—and even go-kart racing and belly dancing.

Staying active as you age can also help with the goal of staying young, mentally. The mental benefits of exercise are just as vital as the physical ones. Staying active can improve your body image and help stave off or reduce depression. Research also shows that regular exercise can help improve memory and executive function (decision making and planning) in adults over 50.

Additionally, even in a less physical sport like car racing, you’re still exercising your brain and its ability to focus, react to new situations, and make snap decisions. Just ask Derrike Cope, the 62-year-old NASCAR driver who recently competed in the Daytona 500! In a recent interview, he said “Going to a place like Daytona, certainly I think is a lot more mental… making good conscious decisions, driving within yourself.” No matter your age, you aren’t competing in a race like that without a sharp mind.

It’s never too late to start focusing on your wellness. There are physical and mental benefits of sticking to a wellness routine, no matter how old you are. If you’re ready to get started, having your body composition assessed is a great way to gain a deeper understanding of your health, beyond BMI.

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