Participation in PA and exercise can contribute to maintaining quality of life, health, and physical function and reducing falls among older people in general and older people with morbidities in particular. “Effects of Two Types of 9-Month Adapted Physical Activity Program on Muscle Mass, Muscle Strength, and Balance in Moderate Sarcopenic Older Women.” “Influence of the Physical Training on Muscle Function and Walking Distance in Symptomatic Peripheral Arterial Disease in Elderly” as well as G. These aspects are at focus in the papers of K. However, strength training has been shown to increase lean body mass, improve physical performance, and to a lesser extent have a positive effect on self-reported activities of daily living. Consequently, low physical performance and dependence in activities of daily living is more common among older people. Sarcopenia is defined as low muscle mass in combination with low muscle strength and/or low physical performance. Skeletal muscle atrophy is often considered a hallmark of aging and physical inactivity. Thus, significant loss in maximal force production takes place with inactivity. Inactivity is associated with alterations in body composition resulting in an increase in percentage of body fat and a concomitant decline in lean body mass. It is important to note that the recommended amount of PA is in addition to routine activities of daily living like self-care, cooking, and shopping, to mention a few. If older adults cannot follow the guidelines because of chronic conditions, they should be as active as their ability and conditions allow. The exercise recommendations from WHO include both aerobic exercise and strength exercise as well as balance exercises to reduce the risk of falls. Inactivity and aging increase the risk of chronic disease, and older people often have multiple chronic conditions (NFH, 2010). This translates to one in every four to five adults being physically inactive, or with activity levels lower than the current recommendations from WHO. The crude global prevalence of physical inactivity is 21.4%. Despite these health benefits, PA levels amongst older adults remain below the recommended 150 min/week. Improvements in mental health, emotional, psychological, and social well-being and cognitive function are also associated with regular PA. For optimal effects, the older person must adhere to the prescribed exercise program and follow the overload principle of training, i.e., to exercise near the limit of the maximum capacity to challenge the body systems sufficiently, to induce improvements in physiological parameters such as VO2max and muscular strength. The dose of PA or exercise is described by the duration, frequency, intensity, and mode. The health benefits of PA are well documented with higher levels and greater frequency of PA being associated with reduced risk and improved health in a number of key areas. PA is a protective factor for noncommunicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes, and some types of cancer and PA is associated with improved mental health, delay in the onset of dementia, and improved quality of life and wellbeing. Physical function reflects motor function and control, physical fitness, and habitual PA. Physical function is the capacity of an individual to perform the physical activities of daily living. Exercise is a subcategory of PA that is planned, structured, and repetitive and that has as a final or intermediate objective for improvement or maintenance of physical fitness. PA encompasses exercise, sports, and physical activities performed as part of daily living, occupation, leisure, or active transportation. PA is defined as any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that result in energy expenditure. In this special issue of BioMed Research International, the focus is on lifestyle and in particular physical activity (PA) as a driver for a healthy and long life for older people.Īs populations continue to extend life expectancy, a central concern is whether the added time comprises years of healthy life and promotes a high health-related quality of life into old age.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |