Do You Feel Old?
Every day in practice, some of our clients share their frustrations associated with aging. These concerns often revolve around a of decline in their overall health, mobility, strength, durability, and loss of energy with their advancing age. It is thought to be inevitable that our lifespan (length of life) and health span (quality of health during our life) are outside of our control. While we can’t stop time, we can impact the duration of our lifespan, and slow the rate of decline in our healthspan.
So, what does “normal aging” mean?
What should an individual expect as the years and decades flow by?
What can be done to fight against the natural decline?
What is Health?
Before we can discuss the decline in health with age, we have to first come to a common understanding of what “health” is. After all, what is this elusive goal that we are chasing or trying to hold on to?
While we don’t necessarily with everything the World Health Organization does or says, their stated definition of health is a good starting point for our conversation. They define health as “optimal physical, mental and social well-being, not simply the absence of disease or infirmity.” Basically, just because you aren’t currently sick or injured, you may not necessarily be “healthy”. Health is a continual quest to improve those physical, mental and social aspects of your life. It represents a spectrum, not an On or Off switch. Additionally, you can be in great shape in your social health, but physically suboptimal, or even quite challenged. This multifaceted understanding of health is a great vantagepoint to take when we assess our own personal health status.
What Does Healthy Aging Mean?
With that starting point in mind, what then would it mean to continue a pursuit of health as we age?
We’d first have to understand that how we feel doesn’t always tell a full story of our health status. We can “feel good” but not be in great physical shape, and could be quite far from physically “optimal”. Similarly, we can look like a gladiator and be in peak physical shape, but be on shaky ground mentally or socially. We have to keep tabs on all of these aspects of life as the pages of the calendar roll by.
How to Get Old Slower?
It is not our chronologically advancing age (the number) that people truly fear, but the loss of function that usually comes with it. It’s not age, but loss of independence, vibrancy, energy and functional capacity that determines the extent to which you have “aged”. Increasing chronological age is less of a problem if we can maintain a younger functional age.
From the time we’re born, we associate chronological age with activity levels and the ability to perform increasingly complex tasks. Certain functional milestones (sitting, crawling, walking) are associated with chronological age ranges. This is most prevalent in babies and young children, and in later adulthood (still able to drive, be active, live alone). People associate loss of function with advancing age. This the essence of “getting old”.
In keeping with that line of thinking, we can stay younger longer by maintaining (or improving) our functional capacity as the years pass. Even though the number of your age continues to climb, you can stay functionally much younger.
Think about your life ahead. The final ten years of the life you will live is called the “terminal decade”. We generally don’t know when that time will come, but we have a significant impact on what our functional abilities will be during those years. How active and healthy will you be in those years? How much healthspan will you enjoy in your lifespan?
The Pursuit of “Physically Optimal” as we Age
For some of us, our objective will be to hold on to our currently good health status. For others who aren’t yet where they want to be, the objective is to make up significant ground so that we are in as best condition as possible to face the inevitable decline that comes with advancing chronological age.
What Physical Changes Happen “Normally” with Advancing Age?
At around the age of 30, and then slowly increasing in pace as the decades pass, we start to lose capacity in several areas, including bone density, muscle mass, balance, coordination, cognition and sex drive.
The decline in these health parameters can gain momentum over the advancing years, depending on how we respond, and how we live our lives. It is essential that we understand that the rate of decline in most of these parameters can be influenced by our choices, and the way we live our lives. We can, in fact, age more slowly if we make some good choices consistently through the advancing years.
What Influences The Rate of Physical Health Decline?
Humans are incredibly adaptable. We use our experiences, cognitively and physiologically, to be better prepared for the future. We remember hardships, and are better prepared for future hardships. Examples: We lift weights, andget stronger. We play memory games, and can refine and hold on to cognitive capacity longer.
Our ability to slow the decline in any stage of life is best understood if we have a good grasp on the “S.A.I.D. Principle”. SAID refers to the concept that our bodies and minds initiate a Specific Adaptation to an Implied Demand. Just like it sounds, it means that if we put a specific demand on the body or mind, they will make some changes in how they work or a built so that we can better handle that demand if we face it again in the near future. The stimulus fades with time, but it we are persistent, we can make significant changes to gain resilience to those stresses.
Can We Slow The Process of Aging, or Even Get Younger?
If we consciously engage in activities that challenge the areas of our physical health that face inevitable age-related decline (muscle mass, balance, bone density…), wecan slow this decline, and even reverse the changes that have already occurred. This effort can result in literally slowing or reversing the effects of physical aging.
As an example, let’s look at bone density. As we mentioned earlier, after we hit 30 years old, the mineral reserves that we keep in the bones beginto be used elsewhere in the body, or released, if we are not placing a strong physical demand on the bones. Once a strong physical demand is applied, it would communicate to our body that we need to keep those minerals in the bones. Our bodies are efficient, and if something seems unnecessary, the body will let it go. So, if we don’t put a physical demand on our bones and joints, they become weaker.
For example, when we lift weights, the tension on the muscles is transmitted to the bones. Both the muscles and the bones get stronger as a result. If we are consistent, we can lift more weight in the future, and the bones and muscles will continue to strengthen.
It is true that we will lose some bone density over time, and this is especially true for women. Estrogen plays a monumental role in that process, and the hormone changes that come with menopause drastically accelerate the decline if we don’t consciously fight against it.
What is Bone Density?
When we talk about bone density, we are discussing the amount of mineral deposits the body is using in it’s strategy to maintain the structural strength of the bones. The material that makes up the bones can increase or decrease over time, based on how much demand we put on the bones. Our body is efficient, and if we don’t use the bones for rigorous exercise or work, it thinks that it can utilize those minerals elsewhere, reducing the “density” of the bones, and making them weaker. Once this occurs, however, we are less durable in times of heightened demand, like a fall, accident or injury.
Bone density tests measure the amount of minerals, mainly calcium and phosphates – contained in a specific area of bone tissue. Higher bone density means your bones are stronger and less likely to break, while lower bone density can make bones more fragile and frail when they are put under stress.
As we age, our bones lose density which can lead to conditions like osteopenia (low bone mass) or osteoporosis (very low bone mass). The resulting loss of bone mass increases the risk of fractures, even from minor falls or injuries. The following graph shows how that trend often unfolds over time, and shows that women face a tougher battle due to the hormone changes with menopause.
Can I Increase my Bone Density?
Recent research has shed new light on how we can fight this “natural decline”, and reduce the rate at which bone density occurs. A 2018 study focused on the most vulnerable populations – for age-related bone loss (osteoporosis). The goal was to understand just how much we can limit bone loss through actively putting a physical demand on the body, particularly the bones.
The study organizers understood that putting a demand on the muscles during the exercise also transits force to the bones, which can stimulate bone growth. They hypothesized that there could be a measurable improvement of bone density if these forces were applied consistently over time.
They recruited 101 post-menopausal women (the gender and time of life when bone density decline is at its highest), and separated them into two groups. The Experimental Group (HiRIT) of women participated in a supervised high intensity resistance and impact training program. They performed two workouts per week for 30-minutes for eight months, in a supervised setting (with an athletic trainer well versed in working with those with higher fracture risk, to make sure exercises were performed correctly and safely). The workouts were 5 sets of 5 reps per exercise exercising at 85% of their 1- rep max. These ladies had to work!
The Control Group performed a low intensity, non-supervised home-based exercise program twice per week. While still beneficial for general health, the question was whether it was enough to affect bone density, and therefore help to reduce fracture risk.
The results were startling and encouraging. Those in the HiRIT Group increased their lumbar spine bone density by almost 3%, where the Control Group lost 1.2% of their lumbar spine bone density, which is similar to the typical age-related decline.
The biggest risk for aging is hip fracture. If an individual falls and breaks their “neck or the femur” (top of their upper leg bone) after the age of 60, they have nearly a 25% chance of death in the following year (all-cause mortality). This rate goes up with age as well, so maintaining and increasing femur neck density is very important!
In this study, the HiRIT Group 1 saw a 0.3% increase while Group 2 saw a 1.2% decrease in femur and neck bone density in the same timeframe.
The HiRIT Group 1 got physically taller as their posture improved with their lifting routine. In contrast, Group 2 continued to grow shorter, experiencing the typical postural decline seen with aging and frailty.
In all, this study presented solid evidence that, no matter the age, if we put a demand on our bodies and bones, we can grow stronger. We encourage all of our patients and clients of both sexes and all ages to safely increase the demands they are placing on their bodies. Strength training doesn’t just improve bones and muscles, it enhance balance, coordination, better cognition and mental health. Increasing demands on your body reduces the risk of falls and injuries as we age, which could have a tremendous impact on health and longevity. Falls are the leading cause of injury, disability and accidental death in older Canadians and Americans. The more we can do to prevent falls and injuries by making ourselves stronger, the better! Exercise can reduce the rate of “natural” bone and muscle loss, essentially slowing the rate of aging.
What Speeds Up The Decline of Aging?
Most people have noticed that a short break from healthy strategies can set them back. A two-week break from exercise or good eating habits not only makes it tougher to get back on track, but we may actually lose sight of our goals. Why not do our best to avoid this? It is important to do everything in our power as we age through our 40’s, 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and beyond to do all we can to avoid injury and illness. The simple setbacks in time caused by recovery, bed rest, inactivity, and higher stress loads take a significant toll on our health trajectory. Depending on our age and functional status, these factors can even become the precipitous event that starts our final decline that we never recover from. It is essential that we do everything in our power to improve our baseline health now, and fight to maintain it for the rest of our lives. We have to stack the deck in our favor!
Are my symptoms “just because of my age”?
Nearly every day in practice, we hear it.
“I’m just getting old.”
“That’s just because of my age.”
“I feel (xyz symptom), but that’s just normal aging.”
We don’t deny that there is some functional decline to be expected as we age. One of the most frustrating is the rate of soft-tissue healing. If you see a baby with a scratch on her face from a sharp finger nail, it is almost gone within a couple of days. That same small injury in your 40’s can take a week or more, and in your 80’s it seems it may as well be a tattoo for as long as it lasts!
We do, however, think that this mindset of “normal aging” can become an easy escape for many people who simply become more and more sedentary with advancing years, and see a decline in their physical state as a result. In this case, it isn’t time that is the enemy, but what does (or more often doesn’t) happen during that time.
We exercise less, stress more, gain weight, and don’t take care of ourselves, then blame the turning pages of the calendar for our bodies not being responsive and prepared when things get tough.
It isn’t the time alone, but what we do with that time, that determines our functional age and capacity in the long run. This is what determines our physical health, and many aspects of our longevity.
Optimal Aging Through Chiropractic Care
Getting older may cause feelings of frustration or anxiety, but as we have been discussing, there are ways we can prepare our bodies and nervous systems to become an upgraded older version of ourselves. With intentional lifestyle changes, the aging process can be turned into something that is optimized and celebrated, so that you can continue doing the things you love, and function at your best.
One powerful tool to optimize the aging process is regular chiropractic care. Chiropractic care improves nervous system function and enhances adaptation to life stressors, allowing us to live at our highest potential, no matter what stage of life you’re in. It is never too late to add chiropractic care into your natural health regimen, as chiropractic care supports the aging process by improving function and quality of life in a variety of ways.
1. Improved balance and coordination via improved proprioception:
Balance and coordination are affected the ability of your nervous system to perceive how your body is moving and functioning in space. In addition to sight, sound, touch, taste and smell, this “sixth sense” is known as proprioception. Proprioception plays a crucial role in almost all activities, from complex ones like shooting a hockey puck or playing piano, to more simple activities like walking, climbing a flight of stairs, standing up from a recliner, unloading the dishwasher, or pushing the gas or the brake pedal while driving.
When misalignments and dysfunction occur in the spine, the proprioceptive input to the brain is impaired or diminished. This makes it more difficult for our brain to sense where the body is and how it is moving, impacting balance, coordination, and spatial awareness, as well as the ability for the nervous system to calm itself.
Loss of proprioception increases our risk of injury and falling, particularly as we age. Chiropractic adjustments restores spinal function and improves our proprioceptive sense. This leads to improved balance, coordination and decreased risk of falls. As we mentioned earlier, this reduction in injury risk can literally save your life!
On an equally as important note, the sensory input to the brain from our 6 senses is how the nervous system is able to make good decision about how to prioritize our physiology. This incoming information is how the automatic part of the nervous system, known as the autonomics, can stay balanced and calm. When things go off, and we lose proper proprioceptive inputs, our nervous system can’t elicit if we are in danger, and often shifts to “sympathetic dominance” where the “fight or flight” response becomes the default operational strategy. When this happens, the opposite side of the autonomics (the parasympathetic system) is downregulated, and then healing, growth, and repair are turned down, leading to a long list of other potential issues.
2. Improved posture
Advancing age can be accompanied by a gradual and persistent decline in posture if we do not do what it takes to stay tall, strong and active. Chiropractic care is an essential tool in that process.
Good posture not only affects how we physically present ourselves (how we are seen by others), but it directly influences how we interact with our external environment and internal systems. Maintaining proper posture supports many essential outcomes for healthy aging, including improved balance, increased mobility, decreased degeneration, and reduced fall risk. Posture even plays a key role our ability to breathe deeply and digest effectively, and can impact our energy level and mood.
It has been shown that progressively poor posture is linked to negative health outcomes in later years. Research consistently shows that the further forward the head and shoulders stoop with age, the more help an individual will need with regular activities, and the slower their recovery is from illness and injury.
Regular chiropractic care improves and maintains posture and alignment, preventing spinal degeneration as we age. Maintaining the ability to stand tall with our eyes forward, shoulders over our pelvis, and our hips in neutral alignment as we age, better prepares us to adapt to the demands of our environment and continue functioning at our highest potential.
3. Maintain mobility
Mobility is a predictor of health, function, and independent living. The majority of everyday activities, like getting in to and out of a chair, climbing stairs, bathing, playing with grandchildren, and caring for loved ones, require a maintained level of mobility. Many older adults experience challenges with mobility, limited movement, increased risk of falls, and decreased health outcomes.
It is important to focus on maintaining mobility throughout life to prepare for the changes that occur with advancing age. Chiropractic care, combined with regular strength training and stretching, has been shown to improve joint range of motion and restore mobility. Supporting the aging process through regular chiropractic care positively impacts our mobility, in turn enhancing our ability to move easily, participate in our favourite activities, perform activities of daily living, and live independently for as long as possible.
4. Improved comfortability and pain management
Pain and discomfort are common in older ages, but that doesn’t mean it is “normal”. Older adults may experience pain due to spinal degeneration, arthritis, muscle imbalances, and other age-related health changes. Chiropractic care is a safe, effective, and natural way to relieve pain, improve comfort, and continue doing meaningful activities that provide joy and fulfillment. Technique approaches within chiropractic are tailored to the individual needs of every patient, and specific techniques are used with older clients to further ensure safety and efficacy.
Regular chiropractic care as we get older helps us age with ease by addressing the root cause of our pain. When we feel better, we are able to move better, promoting improvements in overall function, health, and quality of life.
5. Improved Sleep and recovery
Many people believe that as we age, we need less sleep. Older adults, however, still require the same amount of sleep as young adults. It is recommended that we aim for at least 7 hours of sleep each night to help the body recover from the previous days’ demands and prepare for the day to come.
While we sleep, something called our “glymphatic system” is at work, pumping out waste and toxins that have accumulated in the nervous system throughout the day. Sleep is like our body’s waste disposal system. When we don’t get enough quality sleep, waste accumulates in our nervous system and can negatively impact memory, cognition, and decision making. Chiropractic care can play a role in improving sleep quality and quantity, helping to support recovery, mental clarity and mental sharpness as we age.
Fight The Good Fight!
As the years go by, our bodies will change, bit by bit. We do, however, have an impact on the direction and magnitude of these changes.
It is true that if we are simply passengers in the flow of life, and do not challenge our bodies to stay strong, active and healthy, we can expect a precipitous decline over time that is faster than we want. It is also true that if we take consistent, specific action to challenge this “normal” progression, we can achieve uncommon results, and stay stronger, healthier and more active through the later stages of our lives.
Remember, it is not the passing months and years that count, but how we live them that determines our fate. If you have questions about how to improve both your lifespan (how long you live) and your healthspan (your level of health during those years), reach out to us, and we will always be eager to do our best for you.
