| Get With the Program! Basics |
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| Can you believe that fruit-flavored yogurt and ice cream have almost the same amount of sugar? Per four-ounce serving, the yogurt has about 21 grams of sugar and the ice cream has about 23 grams. |
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Recently, there’s been so much attention paid to the prevention and management of osteoporosis (the loss of bone mass) that sarcopenia (the loss of muscle mass) has gone largely unnoticed. That’s not a good thing, especially as people are generally living lots longer and muscle mass is lost as a natural part of the aging process. When that happens frailty increases, mobility decreases and the inevitability of falling, causing injuries, grows incrementally. Not only are the physical problems debilitating, so are the emotional ones: Any significant compromise to an independent, active life can be devastating, and many patients often get to the point where they have trouble taking care of themselves and frequently have to enter nursing homes.
 In the Get With the Program! Basics article “The Basics of Strength Training,” I wrote about the importance of strength training in order to combat muscle loss as well as bone loss. Now, a recent report, “Growing Older, Staying Strong: Preventing Sarcopenia Through Strength Training,” by the International Longevity Center and Canyon Ranch Health Resorts, focuses specifically on the need for older people to build muscle strength to stave off sarcopenia. Plus, a new report from Harvard Medical School, “Strength and Power Training: A Guide for All Ages,” stresses the importance of building and maintaining strong muscles not just for muscle-related benefits but to lighten the heart’s workload, promote good cholesterol and help prevent diabetes by improving blood sugar control.
Studies have shown that strength training is remarkably effective for both men and women. People who trained for eight to 12 weeks showed average increases in muscle strength ranging from 113 to 174 percent. These results are not uncommon in the older population either. After participating in strength-training programs, older people reported feeling significantly stronger, moving better and having better balance.
Check out the Get With the Program! Basics article “The Essential Eight Dumbbell Exercises,” click here, as well as “The Basics of Strength Training,” click here, for a simple total-body strength-training workout. The beauty of this workout is that it provides great benefits without requiring hours and hours at the gym!
Note: As always, consult your physician before starting any new exercise program.
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