Use it or lose it

Unfortunately, the heavens opened and last Tuesday's Birkirkara St Joseph 5km road race could not be held. Now, we'll have to see how the organisers are going to reschedule the event in an already-crowded race calendar. Watch out for details.

Let's hope the weather co-operates for tomorrow morning's Urban Jungle Mdina-Spinola race (especially since the route passes through Msida). The gun goes at 8 a.m., so don't be late. Registration will be held in the car park at Mdina Gate from 7 a.m. onwards. The entry fee is Lm2.

In past weeks I've been talking about returning to health, and how this can be done with three workouts per week, each lasting a mere 30 minutes.

Imagine buying a new car and keeping it in the garage.

Maybe you would go down and wash and wax it now and again. Keep it looking good. But not much else. Imagine, too, that after owning it for 10 years, you decide one day to start the engine and take it out for a spin. Would you really be surprised when the car refused to start?

Our bodies work just the same way. It's a kind of use-it-or-lose-it deal. Ask yourself this: What does it really mean to "get old"?

Aging is not something that has to happen to you if you live long enough. Aging is the absence of health and vigour.

And one of the simplest and possibly most effective methods for living a longer and fuller life is regular exercise.

This evidence is based on scientific research, so it's not simply my opinion.

Studies at the National Institute of Aging in South Africa have shown that regular exercise and strength training can have a profound effect on the rate of human aging, and may even forestall the disabilities and diseases which were previously thought of as the unavoidable price of growing old.

Even if exercise is begun late in life, it can still delay the effects of aging.

If you ever thought any of the following were facts of life, you were wrong. They are all misconceptions:

1. Aging is synonymous with chronic illness.

2. Older people shouldn't exercise, because it can't possibly help. By the time someone is 60 or 65, the damage has already been done and can't be reversed anyway, so why bother?

3. Feeling "down" and being depressed is a normal part of aging, and we should expect it from old people.

You can delay aging through an active lifestyle; start jogging or head for the nearest fitness centre. The physiological changes that everyone can encounter are remarkable.

And they happen to you as soon as you begin training; whether you are 20 years old or 65.

Here are some of the more important ones.

Exercise enhances blood flow to the brain possibly reducing risk of stroke. It also improves mental agility as shown in tests measuring skills for reasoning and memory.

Regular exercise slows down degeneration of the central nervous system (which causes slow reaction times and poor co-ordination).

Exercise increases strength and size of muscles. Exercise improves cardiovascular fitness.

Body fat

With age and inactivity, body fat tends to increase around the abdominal areas where it can lead to hypertension and heart disease. Regular exercise can help reduce body fat and lower the risk of heart disease later in life.

Doctors have begun re-thinking the concept of "age-related" disease.

According to a recent article in the American Journal of Sports Medicine, "the literature strongly suggests the greatest threat to health is not the aging process itself, but rather inactivity."

Evidence suggests that physical exercise can prevent or reverse up to half of the physical decline normally associated with aging. There is less and less reason to "get old". The level of physical activity needed to produce health benefits is so easy to attain; just go walking, or stationary cycling, or jogging or swimming, for at least 30 minutes, two to three times a week.

An active lifestyle is like money in the bank since it reduces medical costs, minimises the need for long-term care.

None of us want to end up needing hand-fed and a burden on our children. With optimal health we can all retain the energy and independence to live every moment to the fullest.

Don't forget, use it or lose it. Humans were not designed for a sedentary lifestyle; get active and look forward to a long healthy life.