WASHINGTON — Everyone has heard that eating well and exercising while young will keep you healthy when you’re older, but it turns out healthy habits in later years are just as good for you.
Lean Plate Club blogger Sally Squires says that new research suggests seniors who engage in healthy habits have fewer health problems than seniors who don’t, even if they have only recently started to.
“As all of us age, we all wonder, ‘can we get back some of the things we had in our youth, even if we’ve let ourselves grow a little bit?'” Squires said in an interview with WTOP. “The fact is yes you can.”
Squires said a 15-year study shows there is growing evidence to suggest seniors can build muscle mass even with light exercise.
“People who did weight training [in the study] actually had lower all-cause mortality, so it seems like this is a really crucial thing,” Squires said.
She added that low-impact exercises can have the same benefits of weight training for seniors who aren’t in the best condition to do intense workouts.
“You want to think about Tai Chi, maybe yoga. You want to stretch. Maybe you want to swim; it’s another good way to be active even if you’re maybe not able to run.”
Squires also says that increasing protein intake can help maintain muscle mass.
“After age 60 we start to lose muscle mass, and we start to lose it at accelerating speeds,” Squires said. “[Seniors] may actually need double the amount of protein that we thought.”
Proteins shouldn’t be eaten all in one shot, however, and seniors should stick to leaner meats, fish and dairy proteins such as yogurt.
“You don’t want to eat one huge protein meal, one huge steak,” said Squires. “What you want to do is, each meal, add a little bit more protein.”
Exercise provides other benefits for seniors. Squires said it has the ability to maintain cognitive function and boost moods.
“Let’s face it: If you go for a run, or you go for a bike ride, or you just get out and walk around the block, don’t you already feel better?”
Overall, Squires says, keeping in shape and eating well are the best things seniors can do for themselves going forward.
“Exercise and physical activity is good no matter what your condition, no matter what your age. We just need to do more of it.”
