The principle of “use it or lose it” is one that is associated with a variety of habits or behaviors. This old phrase is an attempt to address the importance of staying active to sustain our edge and abilities. It went hand in hand with other phrases such as, “no pain-no gain”. Each was meant to give practical advice in a direct manner that would succinctly get right to the point in order to provoke a response. Like in the Nike ad… “just do it!”
Well, these two statements have stuck around now for many years. Because there are some truths to them.
I for one don’t know about you, but I can’t do the same things physically that I once could when I was younger. This should not come as a surprise to anyone. A normal part of the aging process is to slow down, lose ability to recruit red blood cells used to oxygenate blood, maintain mechanisms that produce strength, flexibility and recovery. Not to mention what aging does to one’s mental acuity and memory. A simple concept with lasting consequences.
After thinking about this idea for some time I have come up with something that makes perfect sense and helps to reconnect this idea in a much better light. One that makes it more manageable for all of us who are at the age of working out with “father time” as our training partner.
I realized the method we use to measure our level of health and fitness is on a sliding scale.
What I mean is, its relative to your age and physical condition. As it should be. If you weren’t able or expected to perform college level math when you were 9. You shouldn’t be expected to perform the same number of pull-ups as your age. Especially, after you reach 40 years old.
We all need to look at the physical aspects of aging on a relative and moving scale as we stay active, happy, engaged and motivated. You can still continue to make gains. Feel the burn and break a sweat at any age. You’ll get more out of life by not self-sabotaging your efforts by unfairly comparing your current self with the younger version of yourself.
I try and keep a mindset that in order to stay healthy I don’t need to do 100 push-ups or squats daily at once anymore. Depending on my health, I could only need to do 10-20 to maintain my state of conditioning. As long as you do something every day, for a minimal amount of time and intensity. Movement and activity are key.
It can be accomplished when you keep an age-appropriate recommended level of intensity. So, in many ways it’s easier than before! I get more out of doing less in some ways. Because what we do seems to count more if we keep both the level of intensity and consistency. We are playing a different game now.
Instead of hitting the gym hard every day and jerking iron to pack on size or get chiseled. We are now playing the long game. One that is centered around maintaining good health through staying active. Which can implement a variety of activities such as hiking, jogging, lifting weights, resistance bands, body weight movements, stretching, swimming, yoga and walking.
As we look at this principle, we can begin to see some truths to this.
I recently came across this observational study published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, that basically said that remaining physically active showed mental health benefits and reduced cognitive decline as we aged. But here’s the bonus-according to the authors, being physically active anytime in adulthood, even as little as once per month was linked to higher cognition and better processing speeds in those adults up to 69 years of age.
They took 5 points associated with cognition in the British study that included 1,417 participants aged 36,43,60-64 and 69 years. They tracked and tested attention, verbal fluency, memory and language. They were placed into groups such as active (5 or more times per month), moderate active (1-4 times per month) and inactive.
The research team were interested in knowing if routine was an important factor or timing? What they found was that initiating then maintaining some level of physical activity was more important than was the timing or frequency of activity at a given time.
In another study, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. Researchers looked at the potential benefits of exercise for those who suffered from depression and anxiety. This was a massive review that took data from 97 other reviews, 1,039 different trials and involved 128,119 participants.
The study included a variety of different types of exercises or physical activities, from which they drew their conclusions. They found that shorter more intense type of activities were associated with the best benefits across the board. The one’s who benefitted the most were:
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Healthy individuals
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Depressed individuals
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Pregnant women
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Individuals with postpartum depression
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HIV or individuals with kidney disease
Lead scientist, Dr. Ben Singh, at the University of South Australia said, “Physical activity is known to help improve mental health. Yet, despite the evidence, it has not been widely adopted as a first-choice treatment. Our review shows that physical activity interventions can significantly reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety in all clinical populations, with some groups showing even greater signs of improvement.”
“Higher intensity exercise had greater improvements for depression and anxiety, while longer durations had smaller effects when compared to short and mid duration bursts. We also found that all types of physical activity and exercise were beneficial, including aerobic exercises such as walking, resistance training, Pilates, and Yoga.”
There are increasingly more evidence supporting the findings that suggest all kinds of physical activities and exercises can be of great benefit to all age groups when done as a regular, daily routine. They can include many of your favorites.
This is all good news for our aging population! It is inevitable that we all do eventually get older which limits our ability to move and function fully. But that definitely doesn’t mean we can’t live full, productive and happy lives into our golden years. Getting up and moving is the single most important exercise of all. Because it is the foundation of all the others.
-A Balanced Brain is a Better Brain for a Happier Life-