Welcome to the FUTURE SHAPES Health & Fitness eNewsletter!

Before adhering to any of the FUTURE SHAPES information or recommendations, you should consult with your physician trainer and/or get a physical examination from your physician, especially if you are considered to be at risk for potential problems resulting from an exercise program and/or making changes in your diet.

Lately people have been discussing the difference between real chronological age versus the living habits that impact one's age. Habits including a daily commute, taking a multivitamin, and/or flossing all have an impact on how old your body really is. By making a few adjustments to your everyday activities, you could feel better, look better, and grow younger physiologically. If you are curious to find out old you are physiologically, there is a detailed questionnaire online at www.realage.com. The questionnaire takes some time to complete, so in the meantime here are some examples of how daily habits can affect your "age." It is shown that by just buckling your seatbelt regularly you could be 3.4 years younger. If you pop a multivitamin into your mouth daily you could be as much as 6 years younger. You can even top that by flossing daily. Good oral care demonstrates a potential of up to 6.4 years younger. Well, there is some food for thought, just do not get it stuck in your teeth!

As we age, all adults inevitably experience a gradual but steady decline in their physical strength and stamina. Regardless of one's gender, ethnicity, health behavior or income level, starting at age thirty our bodies normally lose vital muscle mass due to the aging process. By age fifty, the average man or woman can expect to lose 30% of their muscle mass and this decline increases even more rapidly from age fifty to seventy with another 30% loss in overall skeletal muscle. Even taking into account varying genetic and environmental factors, this decline in the quantity and quality of skeletal muscle results in changes to a person's heart health and body composition. In addition, the metabolic health of skeletal muscle relates directly to the development of numerous age related diseases such as osteoporosis, chronic fatigue and insulin insensitivity. Fortunately, we now understand that incorporating resistance training into your regular physical activities can significantly slow down, and even reverse, this normal part of the aging process.

Convincing evidence shows that a person who begins an aerobic and resistance training program well before age fifty and sticks with it for as long as possible, can significantly improve their rate of age related muscle loss. . The science of aging reveals that muscle has at least four important functions. First, the proteins our bodies need for a healthy immune system are available only from muscle tissue. Low levels of muscle protein compromise one's ability to fight off and recover from illnesses. Second, if you have less skeletal muscle mass then your resting metabolic rate will be lower, and your body will burn fewer calories each day. As we age, our resting metabolic rate (RMR) naturally declines 15% from age thirty to eighty. Therefore, if your muscle mass continually decreases over time, your RMR just keeps setting itself lower. Less muscle also means you feel weaker and more fatigued so your activity level decreases causing your body to burn even less calories. This vicious cycle continually exacerbates your body's declining muscle mass as well as your physical endurance and strength.

In addition, only healthy skeletal muscle can consume enough oxygen needed for even daily tasks. Sedentary behaviors significantly reduce the ability of our muscle cells to utilize oxygen efficiently. Only physical activity and strength training can improve the health of muscle cells preventing aerobic exercise intolerance and early fatigue. Most importantly, a lower number of muscle cells and fibers reduces the body's need for the fatty acids and glucose we need for energy and stamina. Since muscle cells absorb the fatty acids and glucose in the food we eat, having fewer muscle cells causes higher levels of glucose in the blood. Research suggests that this hyperglycemic effect after meals contributes to insulin resistance and is a potential risk factor for type 2 diabetes. The excess fatty acids and glucose circulating in the blood also cause substantial damage to muscle cells and body composition. Ultimately, the excess glucose and fatty acids that are not removed from the body at a normal rate due to insufficient skeletal muscle will be stored as fat. Only resistance training performed on a regular basis over time can provide protection against the atrophy of essential muscle cells and fibers. As fitness professionals, we are committed to providing our clients with the individualized aerobic and resistance training programs essential to maintain our clients' overall good health well into old age. The appropriate training program will not only slow down the rate of muscle loss, but used as an intervention strategy, resistance training can also reverse a critical loss of muscle mass.

All the trainers here at Future Shapes do a great job of incorporating a bunch of functional activities into your workout to help support and improve your daily life. Since Fall is upon us, most people start gearing up for winter sports. I want to highlight a couple exercises that can be used in conjunction with your workouts, see your trainer to modify for your individual needs.

Balance:
on snow or ice balance plays a critical role in injury prevention.