Exercise For Your Life

I saw a patient earlier this week for her shoulder and neck pain. She goes to Aspire 55 for weight training twice a week. We were chatting about how strength training has made her stronger and able to handle aging better. 

She mentioned that she visited someone she knew who stopped exercising at Aspire 55 for 6 months. She wanted to check in on her and was shocked at how frail her friend had become.

Frailty can occur in older adults and is characterized by a decline in physical abilities and an increased vulnerability to adverse health outcomes. 

If not treated, frailty can lead to a number of adverse health outcomes such as falls, disability, hospitalizations and even death. Its presentation and diagnosis can vary as well as being overlooked or misdiagnosed as part of the normal aging process.

Evidence suggest that the prescription of a comprehensive exercise program which includes strength, endurance training, mobility and balance improves function, targets frailty and improves quality of life (Vazquez-Guajardo et al, 2024).

The picture above shows the cardiorespiratory fitness that we need for our activities of daily living. If our fitness level drops below these thresholds we will not be able to 'afford' the metabolic cost of tasks needed to remain independent. One of many reasons to stay active for as long as possible. 

Exercise is therefore more than just fitness and looking good. It also gives you the ability to stay independent and resilient for longer. Resilience represents the ability to withstand adversity and remain in homeostasis despite the physical, psychological and social challenges of aging.

No matter what age you are , keep exercising to prevent, mitigate and perhaps even reverse frailty's trajectory.

Reference 

Vazquez-Guajardo M, Rivas D and Duque G (2024). Exercise As A Therapeutic Tool In Age-Related Frailty And Cardiovascular Disease: Challenges And Strategies. 4098): 1458-1467. DOI: 10.1016/cjca.2024.01.005