The Fountain of Youth

It is safe to say everyone is looking for that fountain of youth. As we age, the aches and pains increase due to all the wear and tear our bodies have endured throughout many years of work and physical activities. They leave us wanting a drink from that fountain.

There is some good news, but it’s not in the form of a beverage. As 80 year old, Dean Burget would attest, strength training could give you back your youth. Besides the physical benefits of no longer needing to push himself out of a seat with his arms, being able to squat to the floor and spring back up or not feeling pain when lifting objects in his everyday life, his blood lipid profile is back to that of a 25 year old when it was at dangerous levels before.

When life progresses to age 40 and beyond, muscle and bone will start declining at 1 percent per year and after menopause in women, it can be even more rapid. Think about the pounding your joints have taken through your life, especially if you played sports. The chronic injury has silently caused tissue damage over time and is just waiting to make itself known through a strain or sprain. Nicholas Dinubile, orthopedic surgeon, has preached the principles of strength training’s ability to reverse all of these symptoms. In fact he states that weight loss can reduce osteoarthritis by 50% and increasing strength in the quadriceps can reduce it by as much as 30%.

Many older adults have enjoyed the benefits of weight lifting, ditching braces used for arthritis and going from hunched over posture to playing golf twice a week. The most difficult part is getting started because we are worrying about the time it takes from our daily schedule and the effort it takes to exercise. Remember 30 minutes a day, maybe a couple times a week at the intensity that’s right for you. I think that is something we can all commit to for a longer, healthier and more satisfying life.

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