{"id":19916,"date":"2017-04-12T09:26:23","date_gmt":"2017-04-12T16:26:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/medicalfitnessnetwork.org\/public\/?p=19916"},"modified":"2017-04-11T09:59:40","modified_gmt":"2017-04-11T16:59:40","slug":"healthy-aging-becoming-proactive-not-reactive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/all-mfn\/healthy-aging-becoming-proactive-not-reactive\/","title":{"rendered":"Healthy Aging: Becoming Proactive, Not Reactive"},"content":{"rendered":"

Aging begins much earlier than many of us think: our minds and bodies start a slow but steady decline from our late\u00a020s.\u00a0This natural process, paired with\u00a0the adoption of a sedentary lifestyle from\u00a0a young age, means that aging accelerates in our adult years. The idea that we can start to become old \u201cbefore our time\u201d sounds illogical but because we are not moving and \u2018stressing\u2019 our bodies as they need to be, we are starting the aging process earlier than ever before in history.\u00a0In order to get the years that we wish to have going forward, we need to act today instead of waiting for when physical problems develop as it will be too late!<\/em><\/p>\n

Physical Aging<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The reality of getting older<\/a> is more than skin deep: it goes beyond hair turning grey, hair loss and the formation of wrinkles! Among other things, aging leads to\u00a0height reduction due to spinal degeneration, reduced lean body mass and becoming less coordinated so\u00a0balance becomes an issue. There are noticeable changes in the functioning of the cardiovascular, endocrine, respiratory and musculoskeletal muscles as well. Let\u2019s look at some of these changes\u00a0in more detail.<\/p>\n

Maximal heart rate declines with age:<\/strong>\u00a0this diminishes the accuracy of estimating training intensity based on heart rate. Even through exercise heart rate declines with age, in healthy older adults stroke volume has been shown to increase or be maintained. This is why I run hard during my workouts \u2013 to maintain my speed and power, but also to maintain my heart\u2019s ability to pump oxygenated blood efficiently at any one\u00a0level of intensity. It has worked over decades and as long as I remain injury free I can train at these levels into my 80\u2019s. That is my bet.<\/p>\n

Blood pressure rises with age:<\/strong>\u00a0blood pressure determines many other physiological issues. The more unresolved stress plays a part in our daily lives, the more likely we are to live with higher blood pressure. This, paired with lack of adequate physical activity,\u00a0can increase the risk of\u00a0cardiac events including stroke and other debilitating outcomes. According to the American Heart Association, very often the \u201cthe first sign of trouble is sudden death\u201d. This is a sobering thought. Many of us are living our lives with no clue that the risk of\u00a0heart attack or stroke might be imminent. Exercise can help lower blood pressure.<\/p>\n

Cholesterol increases\u00a0with age:<\/strong> the issue of cholesterol is tied to increased risk of cardiac events. Three numbers are important: HDL (high density lipoproteins \u2013 \u201cgood\u201d cholesterol), LDL (low density lipoproteins \u2013 \u201cbad\u201d cholesterol), and triglycerides (fatty acids that are transported by the blood). These are measured with standard blood\u00a0tests and can be managed or brought into a healthy range by improved diet and exercise.<\/p>\n

Skeletal muscle declines with age:\u00a0<\/strong>this is particularly true if we are sedentary. For each decade after the age of 25, we lose 3-5% of muscle mass. This is primarily due to changes in lifestyle and the decreased use of the neuromuscular system. Strength gains can be made through resistance training programs that slow\u00a0down muscular loss.\u00a0I added strength training exercises to my running program in 1985 in order to maintain my muscle mass and be\u00a0able to run into my later years. It was a critical decision at an important time in my life. I still do hard resistance\u00a0training twice a week and this\u00a0has allowed me to maintain\u00a0my baseline strength and power. Gaining an understanding of the principles of resistance\u00a0training will enable \u00a0you to reduce muscle loss too. Therefore, it is important to add some form of resistance training to your physical activities in order to strengthen your muscles as early in life as possible because these\u00a0protect our bones which become weak over time.<\/p>\n

Decreased bone mass:\u00a0<\/strong>With age the loss of calcium results in decreased bone mass and the best antidote (before going on medication) is weight bearing exercise that helps maintain bone mass<\/a>.\u00a0By the age of 90, as many as 32% of women and 17% of men will have sustained a hip fracture and of those many will die of related complications. Our joints are at risk of\u00a0debilitating injury if we don\u2019t maintain both muscle and bone mass. This is why a TOTAL training program is required if we are to be \u201csuccessful agers\u201d. I want all of you to become \u201csuccessful agers\u201d!<\/p>\n

Conclusive thoughts<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\"\"Losing our ability to be independent and free of pain and chronic disease is something that none of us wants to endure. The thought that I could not take care of myself in the future drives my passion for fitness today. I am driven to be the best, the fastest, the strongest person I can be \u2013 mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually.\u00a0I have been\u00a0diligent, consistent, and committed to my purpose of \u201cbeing the example of the change I wish to see in the world\u201d.\u00a0I want my consciousness of life to be expansive \u2013 I never want to stop learning and growing. My idea of my life going forward from my 70th birthday is that the years ahead will be the best years of my life \u2013 that they will provide me the opportunity to be more, share more, have more of everything that life has to offer \u2013 all because I trained my entire life for this moment in time. You needn\u2019t dread becoming old!<\/p>\n

The combination of these factors is the\u00a0formula has worked for me so far \u2013 and it will work for you as well if you start as early in life as you can. Prepare your body for the years ahead and nothing can stop you from enjoying a long and healthy life.\u00a0You too can approach your life in this way \u2013 starting today \u2013 by becoming PROACTIVE and not REACTIVE to your life\u2019s journey.<\/p>\n

10 tips from Nick to become proactive<\/strong><\/h4>\n
    \n
  1. Take time to contemplate your current \u201cmindset\u201d:\u00a0what thoughts you entertain, you become. If necessary, change your mindset.<\/li>\n
  2. Decide\u00a0what you want to achieve in your life and\u00a0what kind of person you want to be, then work to achieve these aims.\u00a0Think about what kind of legacy you want to leave behind. Build on that idea every day by taking action.<\/li>\n
  3. Embrace the gift of life by affirming your commitment to your purpose.<\/li>\n
  4. Pursue your dreams NOW. Don\u2019t postpone them to tomorrow because tomorrow is not guaranteed to any of us. Today is the time to live your life fully!\u00a0Treasure your time for what it is \u2013 precious! Never forget that time moves on whether we want it or not!\u00a0Don\u2019t waste a minute of your life on petty, non productive thought and activity.<\/li>\n
  5. Don\u2019t wait for a trip to the emergency room \u2013 get started today with a health and fitness plan right for\u00a0you.<\/li>\n
  6. Exercise your mind, heart, spirit and body daily so that they may work in harmony with each other and give you the best chance for joy and love \u2013 and fulfillment \u2013 that you can embody. Exercising all aspects of our self is the bridge to the future.<\/li>\n
  7. If you are not a fitness buff, make sure you drink plenty of water, eat lots of greens and take a walk.<\/li>\n
  8. Love and be kind to yourself \u2013 give yourself praise for your exercise efforts and a kind thought right when you need it. Listen to your body and be knowledgeable about yourself: be ready to learn from life.<\/li>\n
  9. Take care of your body and eat wisely \u2013\u00a0your body will appreciate your thoughtfulness.<\/li>\n
  10. Finally, fall in love with fitness and be passionate about training your body.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Originally printed on HealthyNewAge.com<\/a>. Reprinted with permission from Nicholas Prukop.<\/em><\/p>\n

    \n

    Nicholas Prukop is an ACE Certified Personal Trainer & a Health Coach, a fitness professional with over 25 years of experience whose passion for health and fitness comes from his boyhood in Hawaii where he grew up a swimmer on Maui. He found his calling in writing his first book \u201cHealthy Aging & You: Your Journey to Becoming Happy, Healthy & Fit<\/a>\u201d and since then he has dedicated himself to empowering, inspiring and enabling people of all ages to reach for the best that is within them and become who they are meant to be \u2013 happy, healthy and fit \u2013 and be a part of a world where each person can contribute their own unique gifts to life.<\/em><\/p>\n

    If you need help in designing a fitness plan, you can contact Nicholas Prukop via email at\u00a0runningnick@sbcglobal.net\u00a0or read his inspiring book\u00a0Healthy Aging & YOU<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Aging begins much earlier than many of us think: our minds and bodies start a slow but steady decline from our late 20s. This natural process, paired with the adoption of a sedentary lifestyle from a young age, means that aging accelerates in our adult years. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":162,"featured_media":19917,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[134,193],"class_list":["post-19916","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-mfn","tag-fitness","tag-healthy-aging"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19916","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/162"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19916"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19916\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19917"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19916"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19916"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19916"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}