Why age should not be a reason to be inactive
Why age should not be a reason to be inactive
Have you given up on doing exercise because you consider yourself old? Many people assume themselves to be too out-of-shape, sick, tired, or just plain aged out for exercise. Exercise is timeless and ageless because doing what little you can is better than doing nothing at all. Exercising daily or weekly accompanied by good nutrition (eg. Food and alternative nutrition like Ensure Gold) can help improve strength##, prevent muscle loss, improve balance and lift your mood to motivate you further in making more positive lifestyle changes.1, 7
Changes in the body you will face as you age
A lot of the health conditions we associate with aging, such as muscle weakness, muscle wasting, balance issues, and even appetite change, are actually caused by not doing anything about your health. With the biological process of muscle loss called sarcopenia, where you lose up to 8% of your muscle mass every 10 years after the age of 40,~ exercising and having a healthy diet is ever more important.1, 2
Top 3 Reasons why Seniors Believe they should not be active
From not liking working out to being busy, the top 3 reasons seniors do not exercise are:3, 4
- Believing that getting healthy is pointless with decline in old age is inevitable,
- Exercise not being safe for their age
- Working out requires expensive equipment.
There are potential injury risks if workouts are not done right and choosing one’s not appropriate for your starting health condition. And as for being too old? Exercise is about more than your physical health. It is also the means to keep you mentally sound and maintain your independence so that you can concentrate on things you love.3, 4
Reasons why Age Should not Stop You
Inactive seniors are more prone to doctor visits and treatment, which can be quite expensive. Working out not only slows down the symptoms of sarcopenia, it can help you maintain weight (less stress on joints), your cholesterol (most seniors make poor diet choices), and reduce blood pressure problems (older bodies have weaker veins). Your favored Medical Professional can also guide you at the beginning, but exercise types like tai chi, yoga, and walking are cheap and easy to do from your home. No time? You only need about 10 minutes in the morning and 20 minutes in the afternoon walking around the block to consider the minimum.4, 5
Since due to aging, seniors can experience loss of taste, loss of appetite, and less efficient nutrient absorption, physical activity can help improve those conditions. The extra demand for calories for energy helps stimulate appetite. The important nutrients seniors should get enough of are calcium (eg. milk, soybeans) for bones, high quality proteins (eg. lean meats, quinoa) for muscle preservation, and D vitamins (eg. sunlight, tuna, enhanced almond milk) to help improve calcium absorption.1, An alternative source of nutrition can come from nutritional supplements to help fill in what is missing with food. For this, seniors can get high-quality protein from Ensure Gold or Ensure Gold Plant Based (made from soy, rice, and quinoa plant-based proteins) for non-milk drinkers. Both have a scientifically designed formula of 28 vitamins and minerals, 12 of which helps support immunity^, and HMB (β-Hydroxy β-methylbutyric, metabolite of amino acid leucine)6, 7 & high-quality protein to help support strength, vitality and activity.
Embrace fitness as a means to keep yourself mentally and physically sharp well into your golden years. Exercise is timeless and with the support of good nutrition, age will become just a number. With the help of Ensure Gold or Ensure Gold Plant Based at 2 servings a day (6 scoops + 185ml of water per serving), your nutrition foundation is taken care of so you can live life to the fullest.
To get a sample of the No. 1 Physician Recommended Oral Nutritional Supplement in the U.S.*, please visit Ensure Myanmar to sign up.7
References:
- https://abbottnutrition.com.my/adult-nutrition/how-to-stay-fit-as-you-age
- https://www.webmd.com/healthy-aging/guide/sarcopenia-with-aging
- https://sport.port.ac.uk/news-events-and-blogs/blogs/health-and-fitness/the-top-10-excuses-for-not-exercising-and-how-to-overcome-them
- https://www.webmd.com/healthy-aging/features/exercise-older-adults
- https://www.businessdailyafrica.com/bd/lifestyle/health-fitness/why-old-age-is-bad-excuse-for-not-going-on-with-exercises-2192874
- https://www.nutritionnews.abbott/healthy-living/aging-well/why-hmb-is-important-for-aging-muscles/
- https://www.ensuremyanmar.com/eng/ensure-powder/
~ Flakoll et al. Nutrition. 2004.
* IQVIA, using the ProVoice Survey, fielded 14,459 physicians from January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2021.
^ Ensure Gold contains protein, Vitamin A, B6, B12, C, D, E, Folate and selenium, copper, zinc and iron, that help support the normal function of the immune system.
## Berton et al. PLoS One. 2015.
Additional Readings: