We Don’t Have to Lose So Much Muscle as We Age

There are so many ways for seniors to build strength and exercise more to age better, but despite the remarkable health benefits, research shows that about 28 percent of Americans ages 50 and over are inactive. Even Baby Boomers, who led an unprecedented fitness revolution with the likes Jacki Sorensen, Jane Fonda and Richard Simmons, aren’t getting enough exercise with just 35 percent of Baby Boomers exercising regularly and 52 percent having no routine at all according to JAMA Internal Medicine. This population is not alone in not exercising enough for greater health, with only 80 percent of adults 18 years of age meeting the Physical Activity Guidelines for both aerobic and muscle-strengthening activity.

For aging populations, Excy can be an amazing and convenient way to build strength and exercise the whole body with a quick circuit of cardio and strength training exercises at home, work, or on the go. Besides using Excy for aerobic activity, you can also do things to make your muscles stronger that will help keep you from losing necessary muscle as you get older to perform the most basic functions of daily life. According to the CDC, even if you have a health condition such as arthritis, diabetes, or heart disease it doesn’t mean you can’t be active. In fact, it’s just the opposite. Regular physical activity can improve your quality of life and even reduce your risk of developing other conditions. In fact, in a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, researchers led by Dr. Thomas Gill, a professor medicine at Yale University School of Medicine, followed more than 1,600 elderly adults who were mostly sedentary at the start of the study. Gill had half of them start a walking and strength and balance training regimen, and by the end of the study, the results were clear: people who exercised spent 25 percent less time disabled or injured than those who did not.

Health and Quality of Life is Why

After you turn 30, you start to slowly lose your bigger fast-twitch muscle fibers that make you lean, defined, and athletic. Things start to speed up after the age of 50, where we lose muscle mass at a rate of around 8 percent per decade. But after the age of 70, the rate of this loss rises to 15 percent per decade (Grimby et al. 1983). The evidence currently shows that our risk of falls is greatly influenced by the large reductions in muscle strength that occur secondary to Sarcopenia (Horling et al. 2008), which is the process of muscle wasting associated with ageing. Maintaining muscle mass makes us more resilient to falls and serious injuries and what you do in your 40s, 50s, and 60s leading into your 70s, 80s, and 90s counts. You don’t have to get into hard-core exercises to feel the benefits. Training using lower loads (40 – 70 percent of 1RM) we can develop our ability to generate power, which is essential to many activities of daily living such as getting out of a chair, walking up stairs, and lifting things up (Reid & Fielding, 2012). Even strength training performed on machines can improve balance and reduce the risk of falls as we age. But, it is the lower body muscles that can protect us best as we age.  Just training two or three times a week has been shown to significantly improve flexibility and muscle mass (Carniero et al. 2015). These workouts were not Olympian – they just comprised a circuit of 8 simple exercises with 10 – 15 reps, with 2 minutes of rest in between each exercise. New research from Cell Metabolism also reports that High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) reversed many age-related differences in the proteome, particularly of mitochondrial proteins in concert with increased mitochondrial protein synthesis.

Excy Cycling: The Best Exercise Bike for Busy Seniors

Excy is a high quality portable exercise bike that doesn’t require planning and is easy on the joints, which is important for people with back, knee or joint problems that makes running or walking more difficult. Plus, you ride as a recumbent bike while watching television from any chair. Riding an exercise bike like Excy is not only great for younger populations, but also improving functional status, muscle strength and cognitive performance for aging populations. Twenty-five studies examined interventions aimed specifically at promoting cycling for older adults over 70 reported a positive effect on the prevention of cardiovascular disease, and a significant improvement in metabolic responses. Overall, these reviews demonstrated a positive effect of cycle ergometer training with functional benefits and positive health outcomes for older adults over 70. Based on this evidence, clinicians can now encourage older adults to profit from the health benefits of cycle ergometer training to be able to pursue their daily activities independently. In aging populations, fractures at the neck of the femur are notorious, as they carry an incredible 100% increase in mortality rate, meaning that the risk of dying is doubled (Leibson et al. 2002). Interestingly, this increased risk is not actually created by the fracture incident, but is already existent beforehand as a result of increased frailty. Frailty is mainly caused by the loss of muscle strength, which itself is predominantly caused by a loss of muscle mass. Excy and riding an exercise bike in general is especially good for building lower body strength while also improving cardio capacity.

Excy Upper Body Strength Training for Aging Muscles

Everyday activities such as reaching, pulling, pushing and lifting are all made easier with having a strong upper body. If your upper body strength deteriorates as you age, you are more prone to injuries, disease and a diminished quality of life. With Excy, you can focus on strengthening all of the major muscle groups in your upper body (shoulders, upper arms, back, chest, and abdomen). Using Excy as an upper body ergometer, you simply let your fingers, hands, and arms do the walking to strengthen your upper body, hands, forearms, shoulders and back. Not only can strengthening your upper body have a significant and lasting effect on your independence as you age, it can also reverse some of the muscle loss and deterioration associated with aging.

Excy Core Training Puts Helps Focus on a Strong Trunk

One of the most important muscle groups to keep strong as you get older is your core to help maintain the ability to do activities of daily living. We’re not talking about a six-pack! We’re talking about a strong core to enhance your balance and stability to prevent falls and injuries that may occur otherwise. In addition, We’re talking about being able to enjoy the things you want to do, whether it’s hitting a tennis ball, swinging a golf club, picking up the grandkids, mopping the floor, working in the garden, riding a bike, or just getting out of a car. All of these things originate from your core. An estimated 2.5 million older people are treated in the emergency room for injuries from a fall each year. One antidote to this risk: regular core training.

Overall, as active Baby Boomers age many doctors are starting to see the explosion of bone and joint aches, pains, injuries, and ailments…often called boomeritis. Cross-training with Excy as an exercise bike, upper body ergometer, and full body resistance trainer makes it convenient to use your entire body and not use the same muscles repeatedly, even while preparing oneself properly for a sporting event. All, making Excy one of the most convenient, efficient and fun ways for seniors to build strength and exercise more frequently.

Always check with your doctor before starting a new exercise routine. If you have an injury, always work with your doctor or physical therapist to determine the best course of action for your training.