| After 60 years of working I suppose my father | | | | and older was $20.2 billion in 1994, and that is |
| could afford to buy a coffee shop if he wanted to, | | | | expected to reach $32.4 billion by 2020, according to |
| but he won't pay $3 for a cup of coffee. I don't | | | | the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In |
| blame him. He also won't incur the expense nor take | | | | one year 735,000 seniors required doctors' care as a |
| the time to stick with a strength training program | | | | result of falling. |
| either. On this point I take issue. I took him to a | | | | As people age they lose as much as half of their |
| health club once and showed him a simple strength | | | | fast-twitch muscle fibers. These fibers control quick |
| training routine. I told him to do it once a week; it | | | | movements and responsible for most of our |
| would only take a half an hour. I told him a year from | | | | strength. That decline can be reversed with high |
| now he could be significantly stronger or significantly | | | | intensity weight training. There is plenty of |
| weaker. It was his choice. | | | | documentation out there making the case for |
| A year latter I asked him if he ever when back. As I | | | | strength training for the elderly. |
| expected he said no. He was content to walk for his | | | | One study conducted with 90 year olds: |
| exercise. During that time he had a couple of nasty | | | | High-intensity strength training in nonagenarians. |
| falls, once breaking a rib and once he banged his head | | | | Effects on skeletal muscle. Fiatarone MA, Marks EC, |
| pretty badly. We did not know it at the time, but the | | | | Ryan ND, Meredith CN, Lipsitz LA, Evans WJ. |
| consequences of falling were more serious that we | | | | Strength gains averaged 174% %2B/- 31% (mean |
| thought. | | | | %2B/- SEM) in the 9 subjects who completed |
| My father became forgetful and could not focus. It | | | | training. Midthigh muscle area increased 9.0% %2B/- |
| kind of flew under the radar for a while until it could | | | | 4.5%. Mean tandem gait speed improved 48% after |
| no longer be ignored or denied. He recently | | | | training. We conclude that high-resistance weight |
| underwent a series of tests. We were relieved to | | | | training leads to significant gains in muscle strength, |
| know that he does not have the early stages of | | | | size, and functional mobility among frail residents of |
| Alzheimer's or dementia. An MRI revealed that there | | | | nursing homes up to 96 years of age. |
| was damage to his brain. The doctors speculated | | | | Of all the people who stand to gain by strength |
| that it was most likely a result of a fall. | | | | training the elderly stand to benefit most. It is |
| As people age they lose strength and with that gait | | | | important not only for the increased quality of life |
| speed and then a loss of balance. With the loss of | | | | strength can bring but to avoid the consequences of |
| strength they lose the ability to recover from a | | | | weakness - falls, injuries, sickness, and death. These |
| stumble. Falls inevitably occur, and those that do fall | | | | strength increases don't require hours in the gym; do |
| who are weak are more likely to suffer injuries as | | | | just enough to cause a change, then come back and |
| result of that fall. | | | | do it again in a week. With such a program you'll |
| Falling is the 14th leading cause of death among the | | | | more likely to stick to it. You can look forward to the |
| elderly. | | | | next year knowing you will be stronger instead of |
| Each year, more than one-third of Americans over 65 | | | | weaker. All it takes a half hour a week. Is it worth it? |
| sustain falls, total cost of fall injuries for people 65 | | | | I am convinced it is. |