Living Better
Research has proven that for older adults staying stronger, longer is the key to maintaining and improving your independent lifestyle. The benefits of strength training are so important that they have been included in the National Health Objectives each decade since 1990.
There are numerous benefits to regular strength training. It can be very powerful in positively impacting numerous diseases and chronic conditions.
Tufts University recently completed a strength-training program with older men and women with moderate to severe knee osteoarthritis. The results of this sixteen-week program showed that strength training decreased pain by 43% (significantly improving bodily comfort and ease of movement), increased muscle strength and general physical performance, improved the clinical signs and symptoms of the disease, and improved mobility. The effectiveness of strength training was just as potent, if not more potent, than medications. Similar effects of strength training have been seen in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
As people age, maintaining and improving balance becomes extremely important. Good balance can contribute to increased mobility via safer, more efficient movements, and, perhaps more importantly from a lifestyle perspective, an increased confidence and ability to remain upright while walking! An appropriately designed strength training program can contribute to improved balance and so reduce fall risk and fall incidence. At the same time it can also improve body mechanics and postural stability. One research study in New Zealand with women 80 years of age and older showed a 40% reduction in falls with simple strength and balance training. As confirmation of the important contribution of strength to ‘keep you on your feet’, every major Fall Prevention Initiative in the US includes a strength component as a major part of its program.
Keeping our bones strong is important from both a health and functional perspective. As we age however bone loss appears to be inevitable. Post-menopausal women for example can lose 1-2% of their bone mass annually, and this contributes in a major way to frailty and high risk of bone fracture. The good news is that strength training can have a positive, strengthening effect on bones. Results from a study conducted at Tufts University, which were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 1994, showed that a 16 week strength training program increased bone strength and even reduced the risk for fractures among women aged 50-70. A study from Stanford University in older women reported similar findings following 9 months of strength training.
Strength training is crucial to weight maintenance and weight control, because individuals who have more muscle mass have a higher metabolic rate. Muscle is ‘active tissue’ that consumes calories while fat uses very little energy. Strength training can provide up to a 15% increase in metabolic rate, which can be enormously helpful for weight loss and long-term weight control. Strength training for weight loss is recommended by the American College of Sports Medicine. In their recent guidelines for older adults they state that:
"Strength training (is) an important adjunct to weight loss in the elderly. Strength training is an effective way to increase energy requirements, decrease body fat and maintain (muscle) mass in healthy older people"
More than 14 million Americans have type II diabetes - a staggering three-hundred percent increase over the past forty years - and the numbers are steadily climbing. In addition to being at greater risk for heart and renal disease, diabetes is also the leading cause of blindness in older adults. The good news is that studies now show that lifestyle changes such as strength training have a profound impact on helping older adults manage their diabetes. In a recent study of Hispanic men and women, 16 weeks of strength training produced dramatic improvements in glucose control that are comparable to taking diabetes medication. Additionally, the study volunteers were stronger, gained muscle, lost body fat, had less depression, and felt much more self-confident. Our own research has also shown important improvements in glucose control with older adults following 16 weeks of STRIVE training.
Strength training provides similar improvements in mild to moderate depression as anti-depressant medications. When older adults participate in strength training programs, their self-confidence and self-esteem improve, which has a strong impact on their overall quality of life. A recent major review of Physical Activity and Mental Health, conducted by STRIVE’s Dr. Phillips and published in the Handbook of Health Psychology, reported improvements in patients with depressive symptoms as well as those diagnosed with clinical depression following programs of strength training lasting between 4 and 12 weeks.
People who exercise regularly enjoy improved sleep quality. They fall asleep more quickly, sleep more deeply, awaken less often, and sleep longer. As with other health conditions, the sleep benefits obtained as a result of strength training are comparable to treatment with medication but without the side effects or the expense. A recent study published in the journal Sleep reported significant improvements in strength and quality of sleep, compared to a control group, for 32 older adults following a 10 week strength training program. A study published in the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine reported similar findings following a six month strength training program in sedentary older men
Strength training is important for cardiac health because heart disease risk is lower when the body is leaner. One study found that cardiac patients gained not only strength and flexibility but also aerobic capacity when they did strength training three times a week as part of their rehabilitation program. Our own research has found that both functional and clinical outcomes can be dramatically improved by adding a STRIVE-based strength training program to conventional cardiac rehabilitation. These studies and a growing number of others in the scientific literature have prompted the American Heart Association to recommend strength training as a way to reduce risk of heart disease and as a therapy for patients in cardiac rehabilitation programs.