Written by: Aaron Boike, B.S. Kinesiology, ACE Certified Personal Trainer

You’ve probably heard it before – The average American has a body that is “older” than his or her chronological age. But what exactly do they mean by a body that is “older?” From a physical standpoint, the body has many natural changes with age. The harsh reality is that our bodies prime themselves for reproduction in the teens and early twenties and then..you guessed it, basically start to falter. Hormones such as testosterone boom in our youth, and keep the body strong, lean, and in top shape with seemingly little to no effort. Starting around age 25, the body starts to produce less of these youthful hormones. That results in an average loss of 1% muscle mass per year and a gain of about a pound per year. This process expedites further into ones midlife, when the average adult gains 3-4 pounds per year. In addition to these obvious physical effects, internally the body is beginning to store more deadly visceral fat (the nasty stuff that surrounds your organs), the arteries are hardening and building up more dangerous plaque, and your metabolism is slowing at a rate of about 2% per year. These problems lead to the chronic disease that plagues the western world today; heart disease, diabetes, and many forms of cancer, among others.

So how do we stop the clock and keep our bodies young? You guessed it, a consistent well designed fitness program. Research shows that aerobic fitness may play the longest role in longevity, but resistance and flexibility play a large role in maintaining a functional youthful body as we age. Our team at 3CLICK are strong advocates of functional training programs that focus on helping develop the body for movement, rather than just focusing on individual muscle groups. Not only does this produce all of the muscle toning and strengthening effects of traditional exercise, it helps the body perform at it’s best in the real world.

Here are some basic recommendations to stay young:

• Get at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity aerobic exercise weekly.
• Resistance train 2-3x/week to help strengthen and tone lean muscle. Ensure you are hitting all muscle groups.
• Practice flexibility exercises 3-7x/week to maintain mobility and range of motion. The more often you can incorporate these, the better!