Why Is Strength Training Important For Senior Women?
WOMEN’S BONES AS WE AGE
With ageing, a number of natural changes start to occur, many of which can have a significant impact on our bones, strength, balance and overall health. Women tend to experience these changes in a more accelerated manner than their male counterparts. The hormonal shifts that come with menopause cause a decline in estrogen levels. This plays a large role in affecting not only your mood and energy, but also your muscle mass, bone mineral density and fat mass. As we age, our bodies also don’t produce as many proteins that are needed to help our muscles grow (Cleveland Clinic, 2022). This then causes our muscle cells to get smaller.
Muscle loss in females can start as early as our mid-30s, however, this process occurs more rapidly from our 60s onwards. A 2004 study by Volpi, Nazemi, & Fujita reported that our muscle mass decreases at approximately 3-8% per decade from our 30s. This decline can then increase up to 1% per year once we hit our 60s. Lack of strength can lead to changes in balance, increasing fall and fracture risk, as well as loss of independence due to struggles with daily activities, including carrying the shopping, getting out of a chair and picking something up off the floor.
Another aspect that becomes prevalent with ageing is the wear and tear of joints. With ageing, the cartilage in our joints becomes thinner and our connective tissue, including our ligaments and tendons lose elasticity. This can decrease the stability of the joint and make everyday movements feel stiff, uncomfortable or more difficult. These changes can lead to a decrease in overall mobility and loss of independence over time, with sedentary behaviour increasing the risk of this occurring.
WHAT IS STRENGTH TRAINING?
You might be feeling like everything is going to go downhill as you age. The good news is, most of these natural changes that occur with ageing can be slowed down and at times even prevented with strength training.
So what is strength training? This mode of training, also known as resistance training, is any form of movement that uses resistance to build strength or endurance in your muscles. The resistance can come from weights, strength machines, resistance bands, and even our body weight. Our muscles contract during movement, and when adding resistance, our muscles become stressed and slightly damaged, initiating repair and rebuilding processes in our body so the fibres in our muscles become stronger. A similar process occurs in our bones after completing strength training, where bone remodelling is stimulated to increase our bone mineral density and strength.
Strength training can be adapted to everyone, even if it’s something you’ve never done before. Functional exercises can be prescribed to replicate essential movements that are needed to complete everyday tasks. You don’t need to lift super heavy weights to benefit. Small and gradual increases can lead to improvements in your overall strength and function over time.
BENEFITS OF STRENGTH TRAINING
Strength training has been found to be one of the most effective interventions to assist with healthy ageing providing a range of both physical and mental benefits. Engaging in regular strength exercise will help you stay strong, independent and ensure you can keep doing the things you love. It can assist with slowing the progression of age related factors including loss of muscle mass, decreases in bone mineral density and changes in physical function. This form of exercise has been proven to increase overall quality of life, and independence, and support longevity. Some key benefits of strength training for senior women include:
- Maintenance or increases in muscle mass and strength
- Maintenance of bone mineral density
- Improved balance and reduced falls risk
- Management of mental health and mood
- Improved sleep
- Support of metabolic and cardiovascular health
- Improved cognitive function
- Decreased risk developing a chronic condition
- Greater independence
- Management of joint pain, mobility and stability
EXERCISE RECOMMENDATIONS
So how much exercise do I need to do you may be wondering. Both the NHS and World Health Organisation recommend that both adults and seniors aim to complete an accumulative 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise across the week. Within this, it is recommended that we complete at least two strength sessions that target all the major muscle groups. This includes legs, hips, back, core, chest, shoulders and arms. Strength training can be completed using weights, machines, resistance bands or bodyweight if needed. Try to complete 2 to 3 sets of each exercise and at least 8 repetitions per set. Some great functional exercise examples include sit to stand (or squat), lunges, push ups (on the counter or wall if needed), seated row, plank and shoulder press. If you aren’t confident completing these on your own, reach out to a clinical exercise specialist who can assist you.
Including regular aerobic, mobility and balance exercises to fill up your 150 minutes for the week is also important. Exercises such as brisk walking, cycling, single leg stance, heel to toe walking and yoga are some great examples. The key is to stay consistent and build a routine that is realistic and will work for you. Try to avoid long periods of sitting throughout the day. If you need to, start with small 10 minute bouts throughout the week and make sure to plan your exercise into your schedule. Find some exercise options that you enjoy and do it with a friend if you need! These tips will help you stay motivated and not let exercise feel like a chore for you. Have a think about some goals you’d like to work on and chat to one of our clinical exercise specialists if you need some more assistance. We’re here to help build something that works in your week and lets you achieve your goals.
References
Cleveland Clinic. (2022). Sarcopenia (Muscle Loss): Symptoms & Causes. Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/23167-sarcopenia
Volpi, E., Nazemi, R., & Fujita, S. (2004). Muscle tissue changes with aging. Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care, 7(4), 405–410. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.mco.0000134362.76653.b2
