“How Aging Affects Exercise Performance”
As the human body grows older it tends to wear
down and becomes less compliant with what we want from it, therefore affecting
your exercise performance.
The changes we can expect to occur with aging are:
Flexibility and Bone
Structure decline…
A depletion in Muscle
Mass will transpire from ages 35 – 45 and on. This will cause a reduction
in muscle strength and chest wall compliance with a decrease in muscle contraction,
which makes it more difficult to move air into and out of the lungs.
The maximal Heart
Rate, Ventricular Contraction, and Stroke Volume all decrease with age.
The overall amount of Oxygen Intake also
diminishes, which makes it more difficult for the elderly to perform
typical daily activities that require aerobic activity. Also, there is a
reduction in Gas Exchange
which results from less blood flow through the lungs.
Metabolism will decrease as a result of loss of active muscular activity
and therefore increases Fat Production. A slower metabolism makes it more
difficult for the person to have Energy
to exercise.
There
is a significant depletion of Calcium
and Bone Mass causing the risk
of broken bones to be more prominent.
Even though there a lot of contributing factors that
effect exercise performance, there isn’t any reason to stop exercising, just be
cautious of what’s going on with your body and identify what its’ limits are.
Links:
Effects of Age and Exercise on
Performance
Reference: