You’re getting older. I’m sorry, it’s nothing personal. Every body is fully developed by the late teens to early 20s. Soon after, at around age 25, the rate at which the cells are regenerated is surpassed by the rate at which they decline. From there, your body starts the slow process of degeneration, or what we like to call aging. I know, it doesn’t seem fair that, biologically, we peak before we’ve even finished university.
Aging is, of course, unavoidable, but you may have noticed that some of us age more gently than others. The appearance of wrinkles and grey hair, and changes in skin and body composition, are largely determined by genetics, but the extent of these changes can be altered by how well we look after ourselves.
A great way to support the aging body is to eat nutrient-dense foods, stay hydrated, devote time to sleep, combat stress and maintain physical activity. These practices will guarantee an improved quality of life and greatly ease the aging process. In fact, the sooner these practices are made a part of your daily life, the more effective they will be.
People typically manage a consistent commitment to eating well, sleeping decently and remembering to hydrate, but stress management and physical activity are where we often falter. We can be resistant to exercise because it is often represented as either a punishment for eating too many cookies or as a quick fix for abs of steel.
However, when we approach exercise with food-associated guilt on our minds, or feel discouraged because the five-minute, belly-blaster workout isn’t producing the promised six-pack abs, we feel discouraged and convinced that we aren’t doing it right. Lack of results or unreasonable expectations are the main reasons people avoid exercise. This has led to a disconnect between movement for fun, physical expression and overall improvement of physical and mental health and well-being.
A moving body is a happy body. Exercise improves physical strength, mental function, cardiovascular health, coordination, tissue health, digestion and, of course, it slows aging. We are not just talking about a leisurely dog walk or a bedtime yoga class. Yes, all movement is useful, but all too often we associate aging with slowing down and limited movement, but this is simply not necessary. We want to be dancing, running, jumping, playing, working muscles, getting sweaty and training the cardiovascular system for as long as we are able.
Engaging in higher-intensity, strength-based and sweat-producing movement is extremely important for people in mid-life and beyond. Mobility for the the aging population is crucial because our muscles begin their decline as early as age 30. From there we lose three to five per cent of our muscle mass per decade until age 60 when muscle declines at a much faster rate. This is due to a condition called sarcopenia – the involuntary loss of muscle mass, strength and function, and it leads to frailty, loss of mobility and limited physical independence.
Muscle wasting, lack of mobility and frailty affect women more than men. Many factors play into this: genetics, active history, nutrition, hormones, etc. Active history is important for both men and women because movement levels throughout life affect physical abilities, but men are more often encouraged to engage in sports through childhood and into adulthood. Also, women tend to have higher rates of nutrient deficiencies because they are more likely to engage in long-term restrictive diets. Men also have a physical advantage with their higher testosterone levels, and they build muscle faster than women. However, on the flip side, men also tend to lose muscle more quickly.
Men are 25 per cent more likely than women to lift weights at the gym. Because of society’s unreasonable beauty standards, women typically limit themselves to cardio-based movement and engage in exercise that promotes leanness over strength. Women often fear that lifting weights will cause them to “bulk up” or look too “manly.” As a result, gyms are not generally designed to welcome women into the weightlifting area, an area that is frequently dominated by large men.
Weight lifting is, or should be, for every body. Trainers like Victoria’s Adrian Toderan, who works primarily with female clients, says women are as strong as, if not stronger than, the men he works with (don’t worry, Adrian, we won’t tell the guys). Adrian trains a variety of clients, from people in their mid-20s up to those in their mid-60s. This is an impressive age range, considering Adrian works out of a CrossFit gym, a movement style that is notorious for its gruelling workouts and deep commitment.
When working with older clients, Adrian notices that “they come to the gym with purpose, looking beyond a desire to change body composition; they are more interested in the deeper changes that lead to improving their health and well-being. They also show up ready to work.”
He sees many clients who “come in motivated and interested in movement, who are already strong but have never been shown how to properly move their body in a way that allows them to express their strength.”
Asked how women can get into into weight training, Adrian stresses the importance of doing your research and choosing a quality coach.
“Be sure to take the time to pick a trainer who knows what they’re doing and is experienced working with female clients," Adrian advises. "When new clients arrive nervous or inexperienced, it is important for a trainer to take the time to educate them about how to move their body and why. Often, understanding the reasons behind movements helps clients to shift their perspective, gain confidence and make real progress.”
As for getting bulky, Adrian says, “It’s not that easy. Women may worry about it at first, but they quickly realize that bulking up is a lot of work. People see bodybuilders and don’t understand the sheer amount of work it takes for people to look that way. The rate at which anyone builds muscle, of course, depends on the person; some people have that body type, or an athletic history. But you’re not going to get bulky unless you really work at it. It doesn’t happen by accident.”
He also says that female beauty standards are shifting and “bulk is awesome.”
And what he would say to anyone who thinks they are too old to weight train?
"That’s simply not true. I’ve seen people compete in CrossFit at age 60, 70, 80 and even 90 years old. There are countless studies that show the benefits strength training has on bone density, tissue health, et cetera. It’s important to start now so that you’re not dependent when you’re older. You want to maintain function because once you’ve lost that, it’s too late. If you don’t use it, you lose it.”
This story appeared in the October 2021 edition of Boulevard Victoria.