A well recognised effect of increasing age is a decrease in muscle mass, strength and the capacity for exercise. But, don’t despair, all is not lost! Age is no barrier to physical activity and the rate of decline can be slowed significantly through exercise.

Physical activity can help maintain aerobic capacity, muscle mass, mobility and stability, making both exercise and daily life easier and more enjoyable. There is a growing understanding of the role of exercise as part of a healthy life. This is evidenced by the explosion in masters’/senior sporting events nationally and internationally. This summer Louisville hosted the 2007 senior Olympics, with athletes up to 90 years of age competing in a range of events, showing that just because you are not as young as you used to be, doesn’t mean you can’t get involved.

Physical activity and fitness are also strongly linked to health. The more exercise you do, the lower your risk for disease. Unfortunately, over the past 20-30 years there has been a decrease in physical activity as part of daily living, with fewer manual jobs, less physically active elements of housework and a greater reliance on cars. Yet physical activity is such a fundamental human behaviour that it is able to influence most major body systems.

Increased levels of activity and fitness are linked to a reduction in the development of over 20 chronic diseases including:

• Cardiovascular disease
• Diabetes
• Cancer
• Arthritis
• Osteoporosis
• Mental illness.
   

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has reported that physical inactivity is one of the ten leading causes of death in developed countries, accounting for 1.9 million deaths per year worldwide. Inactive, unfit individuals have double the risk of dying prematurely from cardiovascular disease compared with active, fit individuals. In addition to its physical benefits, exercise has a number of important psychological benefits including improved mood, reduced anxiety and increased self-confidence.

Amongst the chronic disease to which we are all susceptible, arthritis is the most common. It often leads to a reduction in physical activity because of the associated pain that comes with movement, but reduced levels of physical activity accelerate its progression, as well as increasing susceptibility to other chronic diseases. Whilst joint pain is increased when the affected joint is used, maintaining activity is important in protecting it, reducing pain and maintaining mobility. Increase your activity and decrease the impact of arthritis! In addition, a diet that includes key nutritional food supplements can play an important role in reducing the negative effects of arthritis.

Glucosamine

Naturally found in our joints as a building block of cartilage, glucosamine supplementation has been shown to help regenerate cartilage, limit cartilage degeneration, promote repair and exert some anti-inflammatory benefits.

Chondroitin

Also naturally found in our joint cartilage, working in combination with glucosamine, chondroitin can help to promote cartilage formation and help reduce joint degeneration. Some studies also suggest that it may be able to help decrease arthritis pain.

Bromelain

A natural anti-inflammatory, bromelain is an enzyme derived from the stem of the pineapple. Studies show that supplementation can help to decrease the release of inflammatory chemicals, thus reducing the pain, stiffness and swelling associated with arthritis.

Vitamins B1, B6, B12, C, D, E

The actions for the beneficial effects of these vitamins on joint health and arthritis symptoms are not clear but their role as antioxidants and / or precursors for repair may be important mechanisms in reducing degeneration and promoting repair of cartilage.

Indeed, a healthy balanced diet is crucial if the benefits of increasing physical activity are to be optimised. Whilst we all strive for a healthy diet, obtaining all the nutrients we require can be difficult due to the increase in highly processed foods and modern lifestyles. Often, targeted supplementation is valuable to ensure that optimal nutrition supports the benefits of exercise. Current Government guidelines suggest that five, 30-minute episodes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week, which equates to an energy expenditure of about 500-1,000 calories, can reduce the risk of early death by 20-30%. Unfortunately, two-thirds of men and three-quarters of women fail to achieve this.

There is, however, growing evidence for the benefits of accumulating physical activity of shorter bouts spread out over the day. For example, rather than trying to achieve the recommended 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity a day, you can split this up into six, five-minute or three ten-minute bouts spread throughout the day.
Physical activity takes on a variety of forms ranging from housework and gardening to running and swimming. A varied programme including stability, flexibility, strength and aerobic activity will have the greatest impact.

Most importantly, however, exercise should be enjoyable so select activities that you enjoy, with other people if possible, and you are sure to make it a part of everyday life.

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