Fitness Friday

Stay Ahead of the Aging Process
Working out helps maintain the connection between our muscles and nervous system.

      Maintaining muscle mass becomes more difficult and more important as we age. People who don't have the strength to move around well suffer not only physically but socially as well. Lack of strength and mobility puts people at risk for falls and social isolation. Keeping ahead of the aging process is so important for the health of the whole person.

      New studies published in the Journal of Physiology, suggests muscle weakness is due in part to changes in our nervous system. According to the study as we age our muscles lose connections to our nervous system, and exercise can help protect these connections from being lost. Without this protection, people are at risk of developing Sarcopenia, or extensive muscle loss, which affects 10-20% of people over age 65. Researchers are now trying to figure out if exercise delays the degeneration of these connections or if it helps rebuild and make new connections, and which form of exercise is best to receive this benefit.