HEALTHSPAN AND LIFESPAN : HOW BECOMING STRONGER LEADS TO HEALTHY AGING
Becoming older does not necessarily mean that being active is an impossiblity. Strength requires exercise and strengthening muscle tone. Twenty percent of the population over the age of sixty-five will experience falls and becoming more frail. However, our speakers, Hannah Reed and Frank McCormack , stated that this does not have to be the case. When we think of the word "longevity" , it includes the notion of many quality years of life, with happiness and fulfilment. This is exactly what most of us would be aiming for.
Maintaining muscle mass is absolutely essential for the optimum outcome. Sarcopenia is the loss of muscle mass. A sedentary lifestyle is not the way to increase muscle mass, quite the opposite. One obtains a higher muscle mass with structure exercise and weights. Seventy-five percent of adults do not meet the guidelines. Another feature mentioned was the loss of balance, which can lead to a fracture of hips particularly for females. The three elements required are strength, power and endurance. In a time efficient manner, you need to challenge yourself as much as possible.
Everybody ages, and of course, so does our body. We need to intentionally be active and work on our strength. This was the main take-out from this presentation.
