Simple Stretching For Seniors

As you get older, your body will go through a lot of changes. Your hair will turn grey or white, your skin will become wrinkled, and your body will become stiff as you suffer from joint, muscle, and bone problems. For many years, we’ve accepted that stiffening of the joints and tightening of the muscles were a natural part of aging, but new research suggests otherwise. Research has now found that at least half of the changes aging people experience in regards to their joints, muscles, and bones are a direct result of a lack of activity. However, when less than 10 percent of people over the age of 50 aren’t getting enough exercise to maintain their health at the very least, it’s no wonder that so many people have accepted their fates as normal.

Simple Stretching For Seniors Bone and Muscle Problems in the Aging Body The most common bone and muscle problems the aging body may experience include osteoarthritis when the cartilage in your joints begins to break down, osteomalacia which is a softening of the bones, osteoporosis that leads to brittle bones when bones lose their mass, rheumatoid arthritis which is an inflammation in the joints, and general muscle weakness and pain. Muscle Changes As we age, there are a few changes that our muscles go through that lead to the above problems. Our muscle fibers become smaller and we have less of them, and nervous system changes lead to less muscle tone and a decreased ability to contract muscles. Lost muscle tissue is regenerated more slowly than before and the tissue that replaces it is often tough and fibrous.