The Role of Physical Activity and Resistance Training in Healthy Aging

This nursing essay examines the critical role of physical activity and resistance training in promoting healthy aging among older adults. The essay reviews existing literature, highlighting how physical activity can reduce the risk of chronic diseases, improve mental health, and enhance the overall quality of life for seniors. It discusses government guidelines for physical activity and the benefits of resistance training, including increased muscle strength, improved cognitive function, and reduced risk of age-related decline. The essay also explores the impact of physical activity on cognitive functioning and memory, emphasizing the importance of tailored exercise programs based on individual needs and health conditions. Furthermore, it acknowledges the negative effects of substances like alcohol and tobacco on the benefits of physical activity. The essay concludes by emphasizing the importance of physical activity and resistance training in preventing life-threatening diseases and enhancing the well-being of older individuals.

NURSING ESSAY

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
LITERATURE REVIEW................................................................................................................1
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................4
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................5

INTRODUCTION
There are various problems or diseases that are suffered by an individual. As a person
age, risk of degrading quality of life increases. Frederic Arum is a 78 years old person who lives
all alone. He had quite an active life but due to old age he is facing lots of issues such as joint
pains, stiffness, memory issues etc. He was advised by his GP to start some physical exercises,
resistance training, lose some weight and socialise with others in order to live a healthy life, but
he refused to do physical exercise due to fear of an injury. This literature review will focus on
importance of physical activity, resistance training in old age.
LITERATURE REVIEW
As per the view of Vasiliadis & Belanger, (2018) socio-economic status of an individual
does not affect an individual's health in later stages of their lives but physical activity does affect
health of an individual. Vasiliadis & Belanger further says that it is quite important for older
people to maintain and increase their physical activity for healthy living. In order to prevent
older people from chronic diseases, it is important to promote healthy living within themselves.
According to the article, physical activities helps an individual to reduce the risk of
cardiovascular diseases, dementia or memory loss problem, cancer and various other diseases.
For older people it is important for them to do some physical activity as it will help them to
increase their quality of life, improve their mental health and general health. There are few
guidelines promoted by government for promotion and improvement of healthy living in older
people. As per these guidelines every individual should do at least 150 minutes of intense aerobic
physical activity per week. These physical activities can be done with moderate intensity or can
be done with high or vigorous intensity, depending upon the age group of people doing exercise.
According to the research article, adults from age group 60 to 79 years are less physically active
as compared to younger people. Only 12 percent people meet the set guidelines of physical
activity. Researcher also says that as per the data collected by them it has been observed that
male adults are much more active as compared to females. Researcher also says that the
difference or changes within health of older people is mainly due to change within physical
activity. Individuals with more leisure time and physical activity are less likely to fall ill as
compared with individuals with less leisure time and physical activity. As per the results,
researcher says that physical activity or resistance training has a positive effect on individuals
and has helped elderly people to bring improvement within their health. These activities had not
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only helped the older people to improve their health physically but has also helped them in
improving their attention and memory as well. So as per this article it can be said that resistance
training among older people are healthy and can improve their quality of life.
According to Daskalopoulou & et.al., (2017) with growing age and growing body,
physical activity becomes quite important to be done in order to improve quality of life. Physical
activity many helps an individual to maintain or improve physical fitness, lose weight, remain
disease free and maintain or improve one's memory. As per the views of researcher physical
activity is directly helps in reducing mortality rate, increases survival chances, helps in healthy
functioning of body in older age and also helps in increasing the overall performance of an
individual. Daskalopoulou & et.al., says that physical activity and resistance training can help in
improving or increasing healthy aging chances by 39%. Researcher further says that walking is
one of the best physical exercise which can help in increasing metabolism of an individual. As
per the research study it has been observed that exercise or physical activity is one of the best
exercise which helps an individual to work on their memory in order to improve it and also help
in treating their depression. For older people it is one of the best way to remain healthy and
improve their quality of life. People who do continuous exercise have lower chances of any
disease or to suffer from any kind of limitation and can easily maintain their healthy life.
However, researcher also says that there are few things (such as alcohol, smoking or chewing
tobacco) that can reduce the overall positive effect of physical activity and increase the negative
effect of exercise or physical activity. Tobacco and alcohol are one of the major burden on an
individual’s life as it affect an individual and their lives in negative manner and not only this it
also reduces the overall lifespan of an individual. Researcher also says that proper physical
activity can also help in treating a patient, in fact 30% percent of any problem or disease can be
treated and cured only with the help of physical activity without any drug or medicine.
In addition to this, Fisher & et.al., (2017) further explains that there are various benefits
of resistance training that can help in improving the strength of muscles, increases muscle mass
of an individual. Researcher says that with growing age, resistance training becomes an
important part of an individual. In order to increase quality of life of older people they need to
make this resistance training a part of their living. Many times in older age these type of
resistance training is suggested as a treatment method by GP or is referred as a type of medicine
to older people so that minimum amount of drug doses will be required by older people to
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remain healthy and improve their quality of life. Many times' resistance training also helps in
increasing the effectively of medical treatment which is being provided to older people to remain
fit and treat their diseases such as memory loss, pain etc. From the research article it has been
analysed that with time the type of resistance training and its requirement changes. There are
many different type of resistance training that are prescribed by healthcare practitioners for the
patients based on their age and the type of disease they are suffering from. According to Fisher &
et.al., there are various factors that affect the effectively of this resistance training such as
training frequency, time, types of exercises performed and the intensity of the training exercises
performed by the patients. There are various benefits of resistance training that can be obtained
from it but these benefits might vary due to the above discussed factors. Proper and accurate type
of resistance training can help older people in reducing their high blood pressure, increase their
memory, increase bone density, maintain insulin density within the body and various others. As
per the view of researcher, resistance training is quite effective within order people with an
average age of 68 years. It plays a crucial role in healthy ageing and in reducing the risk of
chronic diseases among older people.
According to Li & et.al., (2018) Aging of an individual mostly brings declination of
cognitive functioning of a body and its various aspects. It is extremely dangerous for older
people who live independently as decline in cognitive functioning can increase various kinds of
health issues. Resistance training is one of the best option or intervention that can help older
people to maintain their healthy life and prevent deterioration of cognitive people. It also helps
an individual to remain up to date and also remain disease free such that they remain capable of
doing all of their work themselves without any issues. As per the view of researcher, resistance
training mainly has positive effect on body and effective functioning of the human body. It not
only helps older people to maintain or increase their cognitive functioning but it also helps in
sharpening or maintaining memory of an individual. The type of resistance training, frequency
and intensity of this training completely depend upon the type of problem which is being faced
by the individual and the age group in which the individual falls. However, the researcher says
that it has a less positive impact of effect on memory of an individual especially, older people's
memory. According the research article it has been analysed that there is no significant
difference found in attention or memory of an individual. But there were some major or
significant differences found in cognitive ability or functioning of an individual. Especially in
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older people effect of resistance training improvement of cognitive functioning were seen and
observed in majority.
CONCLUSION
It has been summarised that physical activity and resistance training is quite important as
it helps in reducing risk of life threatening diseases and improve quality of life of an individual.
It has also been analysed that these activities and training not only helps an individual to remain
fit physically but it also helps an individual to remain fit mentally like improving memory of an
individual. It has also been analysed that as an individual starts aging or in order age importance
of physical activity and resistance training increases as it helps in improving cognitive
functioning of one's body.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Daskalopoulou, C., & et.al., (2017). Physical activity and healthy ageing: A systematic review
and meta-analysis of longitudinal cohort studies. Ageing research reviews. 38. 6-17.
Fisher, J. P., & et.al., (2017). A minimal dose approach to resistance training for the older adult;
the prophylactic for aging. Experimental gerontology. 99. 80-86.
Li, Z., & et.al., (2018). The effect of resistance training on cognitive function in the older adults:
a systematic review of randomized clinical trials. Aging clinical and experimental
research. 30(11). 1259-1273.
Vasiliadis, H. M., & Bélanger, M. F. (2018). The prospective and concurrent effect of exercise
on health related quality of life in older adults over a 3 year period. Health and quality
of life outcomes. 16(1). 15.
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