QUICK STUFF. FITNESS AT THE AGE OF 65+ A META REVIEW.

For this Styrka article, I used two different meta-reviews from 2022 and 2023 that evaluated the effects of exercise with and without additional protein supplements on muscle strength and function in adults, aged 65 and up.

After all, we all would like to enjoy our autumn years as healthy as can be, and as capable and joyous as we could ever hope for.

And the simple daily choice of eating in a more fact-based way, and remaining physically active will do just that. Boost our health, longevity, and physical capacity well into the later stages of human life.

While these studies all looked at older people with sarcopenic obesity and the pertinent health and fitness impact from aerobic, and strength training with or without additional protein supplementation to reach a higher amount of protein per kilo of lean muscle mass, its results are just as noteworthy for older people no matter if you are obese or not.

In my opinion as a coach.

The short story? Regular fitness benefits older people tremendously.

Which we already knew. But still, it adds to the body of evidence we already have.

CLEAR-CUT VERDICT. MAINTAIN YOUR FITNESS NO MATTER YOUR AGE.

And the verdict is very clear-cut. You absolutely should sustain your fitness no matter how old you are. Plenty of studies teach us that the advantageous health impact of fitness and lifting weights increases the older we get.

In other words, you get to live longer and healthier if you lift weights above 50 years of age, or as the case of these two meta-reviews was, at the age of 65+.

The truth is that you can never be so old that going to the gym doesn’t benefit you. It is true that the results of your ongoing fitness routine might decline relative to a younger person, but the benefit on your health and longevity is even more impactful so the importance becomes higher the older we get.

Benefits.

Maintained fitness was shown to improve body composition ( decreased percentage of body fat and maintained or increased lean muscle mass ) and functional outcomes ( walking, movement speed, and strength ). We also know from many other studies that physical activity protects our cognitive functions as we age.

The consensus on protein recommendations is that they should at the very least align with general sarcopenia guidance.

This means, in my opinion as a coach, that people above 50 absolutely should start consuming more protein. The older we get the harder it is to absorb various nutrients. And the further we get into the older stages of life, the harder it becomes to eat enough to cover our nutritional needs.

So maintain your fitness & a high protein intake even if that means that you have to add an easy-to-digest protein shake or two per day.

This is because protein safeguards not just your precious lean muscle mass, and strength, but also your organ health and physical capacity too.

And that combination of physical activity & a high-protein diet will keep you healthier throughout your lifespan while improving or maintaining your physical performance as you age, and that also makes it a wonderful quality-of-life choice.

WHAT IS SARCOPENIC OBESITY?

Sarcopenic obesity is the combination of low muscle mass and high body fat. And its prevalence increases with age, particularly after the age of 65 years.

A loss of muscle mass & strength is a main driver of poor health and premature death for a large percentage of elderly people.

Some of the studies I used for this Styrka article.

Systematic review 1 from 2022, Systematic review 2 from 2023.