Age and Aerobic Fitness ~ Use It or Lose It
You don't exercise or move less because you're getting old: you get old because you stop exercising and moving.
All else being equal, the amount of aerobic fitness lost by getting one year older is almost identical to the amount of aerobic fitness gained by adding one hour of exercise per month.
If you want to freeze the biological clock from one birthday to the next and maintain your aerobic fitness, all you need to do is find a spare 15-minutes per week, which is only 2 - 2.5 minutes each day, and fill it with movement you enjoy, movement that makes you happy, movement that makes your body feel good.
Think of this as a little birthday gift you can give yourself every day. After a decade, that additional exercise time would total 2.5 hours per week, a little over 21 minutes per day. What kinds of exercises or movement do you enjoy? I encourage you to make a list of all of the types of exercise and movement that bring you joy and feel good for your body.
Dancing, walking, Yoga, rowing, hula hooping, swimming, biking, canoeing, climbing, kayaking, skating, weight training, Tai Chi, paddling, body weight circuits, aqua aerobics, hiking, cross-country skiing, playing with a child or grandchild, group fitness classes, Chair based Yoga or fitness, exploring the equipment at a playground, yard work, surfing, rollerblading, jumping rope, frisbee golf, house work, playing with a pet, jogging or running, beating on a tire with a sledgehammer, Pilates, and snowshoeing are just some of the many options. What do you enjoy? What makes you feel good in your body? What brings you joy and happiness?
The standard measure of aerobic fitness is VO2 max, which measures how quickly you're able to breathe oxygen into your lungs, pump it through your arteries, and use it to help fuel muscle contractions. After the age of 25, it declines by about 10 percent each decade, with a quicker decline in your sixties and seventies, if you aren't moving or exercising regularly. It's simple: use it or lose it.
If you don't currently have a regular movement or exercise routine, it's not too late. Regardless of your age, it is never too late to start, or start again. Your VO2 max can be improved at any age and any stage of aerobic fitness, whether you have been sedentary for decades or enjoy regular movement and exercise.
Before your next birthday, think about how you can add one hour of exercise or movement each month, which is only 15-minutes per week or just 2 - 2.5 minutes each day. Give yourself the birthday gift of exercise or movement you enjoy, that brings you happiness, and that makes you feel good in your body.
