For otherwise healthy older adults, reduced mobility doesn’t have to be a "given" in the overall aging process
By: Mary Koeppel with Jim McCracken, PT, CEES
Have you lost the "spring" in your step? If you have, you’re not alone. As we age, our walking pace often begins to diminish. While many of us take it in stride, assuming that slowing down is an inevitable part of aging, we’d be better served to view it more as a wake-up call to get moving.
As we age, activities that used to be effortless like taking a brisk walk can sometimes become more of a challenge. Lifting a gallon of milk or carrying groceries in from the car may feels more strenuous than it used to. Even relatively simple activities, such as getting up out of a chair or climbing stairs, can take more energy and become increasingly difficult to accomplish.
The culprits, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), are the ongoing changes in our bones, joints and muscles that normally occur as we age. Our bones become thinner and more brittle as we age; they lose bone mass or bone density. Our joints become stiff and we lose flexibility; also, our muscle mass begins to diminish, losing tone and becoming more rigid.
There’s no question that aging and many of its associated changes are inevitable. However, according to Jim McCracken, PT, CEES, a physical therapist and coordinator of University Medical Center at Princeton’s Outpatient Rehabilitation Services, slowing down to the point where we lose our youthful vim and vigor or our independence should not be accepted as inevitable. For otherwise healthy older adults, reduced mobility doesn’t have to be a "given" in the overall aging process.
"More and more people are recognizing the important role that physical activity plays in maintaining vitality and good health across the life span," says Mr. McCracken. "With exercise, we can significantly slow down the aging process and continue to feel strong and healthy throughout our lives."
As we age, our bodies naturally go through a series of inevitable changes. Whether it’s a loss of stamina in our 30s and 40s, or a slowing metabolism and added weight in our 40s and 50s, it seems that each decade brings its own unique set of health and fitness challenges. Those challenges, according to Mr. McCracken, start to occur because of a decline in muscle mass.
By the age of 60 or 70, Mr. McCracken says, that the long-term loss of muscle mass, coupled with decreased flexibility and bone loss, can diminish overall strength, often resulting in changes in posture, mobility and balance.
According to Mr. McCracken, one of the best indicators of overall muscle strength is walking pace the faster you can walk, the greater your muscle strength, and vice versa.
"Studies have shown that people who walk at a slower pace have less muscle strength overall and are at a significantly increased risk of falls," he notes.
Exercise to build muscle mass and strength, according to Mr. McCracken, is one of the best ways to put a spring back into your step, reduce your risk for falls, and slow or prevent additional problems with the muscles, joints and bones.
According to the National Institutes on Aging, exercise also offers older adults a myriad of other health benefits. Active older adults double the likelihood of living out their lives with no disabilities as compared to inactive adults. They are more likely to live to advanced old age, are less frail, and typically are able to remain independent longer than their sedentary counterparts.
Incorporating even a moderate level of physical activity in your life can offer significant health benefits.
"You won’t be as strong at age 50 as you were at 30, but we know that those who are active and exercise experience a much slower decline throughout the aging process than inactive adults. Research shows that sedentary men lose 30 to 40 percent of their power or muscle strength with each decade, while active older men lose just 7 percent over the same time period."
While exercises like walking and swimming can enhance cardiovascular health, Mr. McCracken recommends strength and resistance training to build muscle mass and strength. Exercises such as squats, wall push-ups, leg lifts and toe-tips (an exercise that involves slowly rolling up on the ball of your foot and back again) can all be helpful.
For people who may require a little more motivation, Mr. McCracken recommends working out in a fitness facility like Princeton Fitness & Wellness Center, located in the Princeton North Shopping Center at 1225 State Road in Montgomery.
This state-of-the-art fitness facility, affiliated with University Medical Center at Princeton (UMCP), offers a wealth of exercise equipment and health and fitness programming, and houses UMCP Outpatient Rehabilitation Services.
"Fitness facilities like this offer the advantage of weight and exercise equipment for strength training, as well as personal trainers and professional staff who can work with you to develop individual fitness programs to meet your specific strength training and overall fitness needs," notes Mr. McCracken.
Strength training in this setting might include using the leg press, the hip abductor or rowing machines, as well as the lat pull-down and chest press equipment.
Mr. McCracken points out that while exercise and physical activity are beneficial to your health, it is always important to check with your doctor before beginning an exercise program. This is especially important if you have been inactive for some time.
"Exercise challenges the body to work more efficiently. When we’re sedentary and don’t use our muscles, nerve connections that enable their function begin to die off. It goes back to the old expression, use it or lose it," notes Mr. McCracken.
Find out how you can improve strength and vitality and reverse the age-related decline of walking speed in a free program sponsored by Princeton HealthCare System. Join Jim McCracken for "Put the Spring Back into Your Step" on Tuesday, April 26, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. and again from 7 to 8:30 p.m. This program will be held at Princeton Fitness & Wellness Center.
For more information or to register for this program, call (609) 497-4480.

