Exercise to Improve Mobility in Healthy Aging

Excerpt

Biological aging inevitably affects every individual, no matter what their color of skin, country of origin, level of education, and socio-economic status is. Intuitively, we associate aging with old age. However, aging encompasses more than senescence. In fact, the process begins at conception and continues throughout the lifespan, with marked physiological and performance changes occurring for some reason after age 60 years. Aging is a process or group of processes occurring in living organisms that with the passage of time leads to a loss of adaptability, functional impairment, and eventually death [1]. Healthy aging is a desirable path that is worth pursuing for every individual. Factors that determine healthy or successful aging are avoiding disease (e.g., obesity), engagement with life (e.g., social activities), maintaining high cognitive and physical function through, for instance, proper diet, and sufficient physical activity [1]. The American College of Sports Medicine and the American Heart Association have provided recommendations on the types and amounts of physical activity needed to improve and maintain health in older adults [2]. With this purpose in mind, seniors are advised to perform physical activity at a moderate intensity that results in aerobic metabolism for a minimum of 30 min on 5 days each week or vigorous-intensity aerobic activity for a minimum of 20 min on 3 days each week. To maintain the flexibility necessary for regular physical activity and daily life, older adults should perform activities that maintain or increase flexibility on at least 2 days each week for at least 10 min each day. To reduce the risk of injury due to falls, community-dwelling older adults at substantial risk of falls should perform exercises that maintain or improve balance. In addition, at least twice each week older adults should perform muscle-strengthening activities using the major muscles of the body to maintain or increase muscular strength and endurance [2]. …