Senior Fitness Term Paper

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* The effects on normal aging and metabolism is that after the age of forty, metabolism usually decreases by about 5% every ten years. That does not mean that metabolism cannot be controlled to some extent; it can. Metabolism is loosely defined as the chemical workings within our bodies that help us to maintain a certain level of energy use, calorie burning and general energy (even at rest). As we age, our metabolism rate slows down, meaning that we burn less calories and the ones we do burn are burned at a slower rate. It also means that we may have less energy and our overall health slows as well.
* As individuals grow older their muscle mass is less likely to maintain its composition. Bill Sonnemaker, the 2007 IDEA Health and Fitness Personal Trainer of the year states that building muscle mass at any age provides a number of benefits such as "Immune-system function, and a faster metabolism" (Van Dusen, 2011). It is likely that he is correct in his assessment and that older individuals can benefit from building muscle mass, especially since muscle mass also helps in other areas of degeneration that are associated with the aging process. Unless a regular exercise regime is initiated, muscle mass almost immediately begins to degenerate leaving the individual with a less healthy lifestyle, less strength, and less flexibility. Muscle mass is usually determined by measuring the amount of muscular tissue in the body as compared to total body mass. According to the text the average decline between ages 30 and 70 is 22 percent less muscle mass for women and 23 percent less for men. The lower the muscle mass the lower the level of strength in the individual. Some studies have shown that men can suffer a 50% loss in muscle mass by the time they are 80 years of age.
* Lung capacity as we age is (of course) going to decline. The textbook states that the lung's vital capacity may decline by about 40 percent between the ages of 20 and 70. However, this is based upon not only the individual's particular body makeup, but on the person's physical condition, use of medicines and drugs and the amount of exercise the individual regularly engages in. The individual's vital capacity (VC) also decreases with age. One's VC is determined by the amount of air that moves out of the lungs during a single breath. Lung capacity is also prevalent to oxygen uptake and how well oxygen is transported throughout the entire body. According to the text, physical conditioning determines how well the oxygen moves, and exercise along with an increased physical fitness will increase the lung capacity as well as the capacity of the body to transport the oxygen throughout the body.
* As per the normal aging process of the first three questions; bone mass too declines as we age (unless of course we regularly exercise). The textbook states that women being to loss bone mass after the age of thirty (usually) and men start to lose bone mass after they have turned 50 years of age. Not only do women begin to lose mass much early than men, they also lose it at a much faster rate per year - according to the textbook approximately 1 percent per year pre-menopause, 2-4 percent during menopause and 1 percent again after menopause. Men lose bone mass at a rate of about .5% per year with no change during the years. There are serious health risks for older individuals due to bone loss but, as with the other lung capacity, muscle mass and metabolism; exercise can help.
* The cardiovascular system also displays the effects of a normal aging process, and it can also show the effects of a good exercise program. According to the text research shows that age alone is not the only factor of a heart that is wearing out; `disuse and disease do' as well. Additionally, older adults experience a 40 - 50 percent decrease in oxygen carrying ability starting in their early 40's and continue by their late 60's. This decrease causes the individual to become slower and they tire more easily. The older patient also sees a higher systolic blood pressure both at rest and while at work, as well as a higher sub-maximal heart rate.
* The five subjects addressed above; metabolism, muscle mass, lung capacity, bone mass and the cardiovascular system can all benefit from a regular exercise regime throughout the individual's lifetime.

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The cardiovascular system benefits by seeing evidence of increases in maximum ventilation, cardiac output, maximal oxygen consumption while experiencing decreases in blood pressure at rest and sub-maximal heart rates. According to the text older adults will also see `dramatic improvements in cardiovascular fitness'. Other benefits of exercise on the cardiovascular system is that exercise cuts the risk of heart attack by up to 50 percent and the risk of stroke by more than 40 percent. Bone mass problems with aging affects a vast majority of women; approximately 85 percent of women over the age of 70 show evidence of osteoarthritis. Alleviating some of the problems could take place if bone mass was replaced. Bone mass can be replaced by exercising and specifically through weight and resistance exercises. The benefits to those individuals who incorporate weight training into their exercise program is a stronger foundation, better balance and flexibility, and they are less likely to break bones or have an impaired posture. An increased lung capacity can be beneficial to the senior citizen in a number of different ways. A larger lung capacity is usually associated with increased physical fitness and the capability to transport oxygen throughout the body. This benefits the individual with an increased sense of well-being as well as an increase in vital capacity which enhances the overall conditioning of the entire person. The benefits of a larger muscle mass in an older person are the same benefits a younger person would feel in the same situation. Muscle mass refers to the strength of the individual. An older person can benefit with added strength by being able to carry on with the daily requirements for living, they will be more likely able to care for themselves and they will be more independent than those individuals losing their strength. A person's metabolism can be affected as long as that person continues to live a healthy lifestyle including exercise and activity. The benefits of maintaining a `stronger' metabolism is that there is decreased risk of cardiovascular disease, decreased risk of contracting diabetes and a lower level of body fat which can lead to serious and chronic diseases as the person grows older. There are a lot of additional benefits to maintaining a healthy lifestyle besides the ones listed here including; longer, happy lives, additional independence, less risk of injury and disease and a general sense of well-being. Additionally, exercise provides the impetus for brain agility. The brain continues to grow and be mentally alert as long as the body is exercised. Maintaining all of the above can help to keep the mind mentally alert which is a huge benefit over the opposite pathway.
* Contraindicated is a term used in a number of situations but especially in medical terms; ie as in `this treatment is contraindicated" meaning that it would normally be indicated as a method of treatment but in this case there are circumstance that it is not. A good example might be that a lady might normally be advised to undergo xrays in certain situations, but perhaps it would be contraindicated if the same lady was pregnant.
* Some of the contraindications to exercise testing and training include when the individual has experienced any recent "ECG changes or a myocardial infarction, unstable angina, uncontrolled arrhythmias, third degree heart block, and acute congestive heart failure" (American, 1995). According to the American College of Sports Medicine, additional factors to consider include; elevated blodd pressures, cardiomyopathies, valvular heart disease, complex ventricular ectopy, and uncontrolled metabolic diseases. All of the above factors are considered contraindicators to exercise training. Some of the exercises that older individuals may wish to stay away from due to their contraindicator status might include any that lower the rate of maximal oxygen consumption since the decline rate for individuals over age 70 are similar to that of sedentary adults. Additionally, if an older patient is looking to improve insulin levels and insulin sensitivity, the trainer would not recommend acute exercise at the same rate as to young adults because the same improvements are not evident. If the trainer is interested in reducing an older person's blood pressure evidence has shown that a contraindicator of VO training is that the effects are more pronounced at 50% training than they are at 70% training. Therefore, exercises that are pushing the older exerciser to achieve higher and more acute rates of training might actually.....

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