Today, we’re talking about the physiological mechanisms of aging, the risks aging poses to your well-being—and, most importantly, what you can do to fight back.
What exactly are the mechanisms of aging? And is it possible to stave off the negative effects of aging — or perhaps even turn back the clock — even into our advanced years?
The truth is this: you’re not doomed to frailty, weakness, or loss of function as you move through middle age. But you need to be armed with the right knowledge.
Aging: what decline usually looks like
First, what is aging?
Aging has been described as “a general decrease in physiological resilience . . . and [greater] vulnerability to catastrophic events.”[efn_note]Fragala, M. S., Cadore, E. L., Dorgo, S., Izquierdo, M., Kraemer, W. J., Peterson, M. D., & Ryan, E. D. (2019). Resistance Training for Older Adults: Position Statement From the National Strength and Conditioning Association. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 33(8), 2019–2052. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000003230[/efn_note] Aging makes the body less able to bounce back from stress, or to ward off threats from the environment such as infections or cancer. As the aging body loses some of its resilience, this can lead to immobility, falls, physical disability, pain, or even the inability to perform activities in daily life (ADLs) or live independently.
The aging process happens through a number of mechanisms including:
- Hormonal decline
- Metabolic changes
- Muscle loss and joint immobility
- Neurological changes
- Reduced body-awareness and control
- Psychological damage and low self-esteem/mood
We’ll talk about each of these in turn, but first, let’s talk about the NUMBER ONE cause of accelerated aging that men should be concerned about.
Why Decline Happens: Inactivity
The driving force behind all of the health problems associated with aging in otherwise-healthy men is inactivity.
Lack of physical activity pushes and accelerates the aging process by undermining key physiological functions including hormonal regulation, metabolism, muscle mass, and cellular function.[efn_note]Booth, F. W., Laye, M. J., & Roberts, M. D. (2011). Lifetime sedentary living accelerates some aspects of secondary aging. Journal of Applied Physiology, 111(5), 1497–1504. https://doi.org/10.1152/japplphysiol.00420.2011[/efn_note]
For most aging people, the problems aren’t that their bodies can’t support their levels of activity, fitness, and health. Very few people have maximized what their body can do, so most of us aren’t suffering from loss of top-end capacity.
Aging people are actually suffering from a loss of basic physical and mental function. And it’s usually caused by a lack of physical activity and/or poor nutrition.
For many men, our habits and daily lives change as we get older. We get less active, which allows the body to start to decline. Life gets busier — and often more stressful — and other priorities (e.g., career, family, hobbies) might emerge that make exercise less of a focus.
At the same time, good eating habits are likely to slide away (if you ever had them). Over decades, this sub-optimal diet and lack of exercise start to show up in our weight and level of fitness.
The 4 pathways of unhealthy aging
There are four major pathways to physical decline, and all four are regulated by regular exercise: hormonal, structural, metabolic, and neural.
Hormonal
Hormones are the controlling factors in many of your body’s processes, and their function declines as you age. In men, this means a decline in sexual and anabolic hormones—specifically, testosterone, insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), and DHEA. These hormones regulate sexual function, mood, and the processes surrounding muscular health and strength. They’re also crucial for recovery from strenuous activity and exercise.[efn_note]Maggio, M., Lauretani, F., Ceda, G. P., Bandinelli, S., Ling, S. M., Metter, E. J., Artoni, A., Carassale, L., Cazzato, A., Ceresini, G., Guralnik, J. M., Basaria, S., Valenti, G., & Ferrucci, L. (2007). Relationship between low levels of anabolic hormones and 6-year mortality in older men: The aging in the Chianti Area (InCHIANTI) study. Archives of Internal Medicine, 167(20), 2249–2254. https://doi.org/10.1001/archinte.167.20.2249[/efn_note]
As you age, your body releases less of these essential hormones and is also less sensitive to their effects.
Hormonal decline in men is often why we feel like we’re aging. We might not be as energetic, feel more drained by strenuous activity, or see a few extra pounds creep around the middle. It’s the very essence of the feeling, “I’m getting too old for this.”
The good news is these hormones can be regulated through exercise and a healthy diet. A metareview of 33 peer-reviewed studies found that adults over 40 years who engaged in regular exercise — whether endurance, resistance, or high-intensity interval training (HIIT) — showed marked increases in testosterone, insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), human growth hormone (hGH), DHEA, and other hormoes vital for health.[efn_note]Zouhal, H., Jayavel, A., Parasuraman, K., Hayes, L. D., Tourny, C., Rhibi, F., Laher, I., Abderrahman, A. B., & Hackney, A. C. (2022). Effects of Exercise Training on Anabolic and Catabolic Hormones with Advanced Age: A Systematic Review. Sports Medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 52(6), 1353–1368. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-021-01612-9[/efn_note]
Bottom line: If you’re staying active and also eating and sleeping properly, you should be able to maintain a favorable hormonal balance as you get older.
Structural changes: Muscular and skeletal degeneration
Inactivity as you age leads to gradual muscle and strength loss (called sarcopenia). It might sound irrelevant if you’re not into sports, but these are functional capacities we all need. It’s a key factor in how you perform everyday activities and the leading cause of frailty and loss of independence.
The combined loss of strength and lean muscle mass is what contributes to things like joint injury risk, increased risk of falls and other catastrophic events, and the development of hormonal-metabolic illness.[efn_note]Fragala, M. S., Cadore, E. L., Dorgo, S., Izquierdo, M., Kraemer, W. J., Peterson, M. D., & Ryan, E. D. (2019). Resistance Training for Older Adults: Position Statement From the National Strength and Conditioning Association. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 33(8), 2019–2052. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000003230[/efn_note] These problems can easily define your life after 40 without a program of resistance training to counteract them.
In addition to muscles, bones and connective tissue (tendons and ligaments) can also degenerate as we age, a condition known as osteoporosis. When bone and muscle loss appear together, which is the norm, the negative effects and health risks are compounded.[efn_note]Laurent, M. R., Dedeyne, L., Dupont, J., Mellaerts, B., Dejaeger, M., & Gielen, E. (2019). Age-related bone loss and sarcopenia in men. Maturitas, 122, 51–56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.maturitas.2019.01.006[/efn_note]
The combined effect of weaker muscles — and thus less support on the joints — with weaker joint tissues is why we see so much joint pain and debilitation in some older men.
But again, muscle and bone loss are not inevitable features of aging. Men can protect themselves through regular exercise, particularly resistance training. Further, training can be customized to meet the needs of men with limited mobility or frailty.[efn_note]Fragala, M. S., Cadore, E. L., Dorgo, S., Izquierdo, M., Kraemer, W. J., Peterson, M. D., & Ryan, E. D. (2019). Resistance Training for Older Adults: Position Statement From the National Strength and Conditioning Association. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 33(8), 2019–2052. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000003230[/efn_note]
Metabolic
Metabolic changes — which refers to the biochemical processes in our cells to convert food to energy — also come with age.
Your metabolism is the set of processes that keep you alive by extracting energy and nutrients from food. This includes the absorption of nutrients, as well as the transfer, storage, and use of energy throughout the body.
As we age, our metabolic condition may deteriorate, resulting in a larger waistline, reduced insulin sensitivity, high blood sugar levels, high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, and systemic inflammation.[efn_note]Metabolic Syndrome – What Is Metabolic Syndrome? | NHLBI, NIH. (n.d.). Retrieved September 8, 2022, from https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/metabolic-syndrome[/efn_nte] Collectively, these conditions are known as “metabolic syndrome,” a dangerous precursor to diabetes, heart disease, and dementia.
One of the most pernicious metabolic changes is inflammaging, or, chronic, low-grade inflammation that attacks the cells of the body and leads to a range of major diseases.[efn_note]Franceschi, C., & Campisi, J. (2014). Chronic Inflammation (Inflammaging) and Its Potential Contribution to Age-Associated Diseases. The Journals of Gerontology: Series A, 69(Suppl_1), S4–S9. https://doi.org/10.1093/gerona/glu057[/efn_note] Increased inflammation is usually either an immune system response or the result of poor lifestyle. As we age, inflammation tends to trends upwards, requiring extra effort to minimize it through sleep, healthy eating, exercise, and stress reduction.
Another dangerous metabolic change is reduced insulin sensitivity, meaning the insulin produced by your body is no longer effective at removing glucose from your blood stream and carrying it to your cells. Insulin resistance is closely linked to inflammaging, and is the cause of type-2 diabetes.[efn_note]Franceschi, C., & Campisi, J. (2014). Chronic Inflammation (Inflammaging) and Its Potential Contribution to Age-Associated Diseases. The Journals of Gerontology: Series A, 69(Suppl_1), S4–S9. https://doi.org/10.1093/gerona/glu057[efn_note]
Metabolic decline is also exacerbated the two factors we discussed previously, namely, hormonal decline and muscle loss due to inactivity. Hormones regulate metabolic processes, and muscle mass is one of the most important factors in regular, healthy metabolism.[efn_note]Zurlo, F., Larson, K., Bogardus, C., & Ravussin, E. (1990). Skeletal muscle metabolism is a major determinant of resting energy expenditure. The Journal of Clinical Investigation, 86(5), 1423–1427. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI114857[/efn_note]
Changes in metabolic health after age 40 can slowly turn into the metabolic syndrome, putting men at risk of obesity, diabetes, heart trouble — and making it harder to get back into shape.
But don’t despair. Making significant changes to diet, exercise, and lifestyle will allow you to slow the rate of decline and even fend off these problems.
Neuromuscular function
As men age, the decline in strength is not merely a function of weaker muscles — it also happens due to neurological changes that interfere with our brain’s ability to control the muscles. Again, exercise is an important factor in maintaining healthy function.[efn_note]Clark, B. C. (2019). Neuromuscular Changes with Aging and Sarcopenia. The Journal of Frailty & Aging, 8(1), 7–9. https://doi.org/10.14283/jfa.2018.35[/efn_note]
Declining neuromuscular function is exactly what it sounds like: changes in your nervous system that make it more difficult for the nervous system to coordinate and control muscular activity. Communication from the brain to the muscles becomes less efficient and the connections get “looser.”
Nervous system (neural) decline is one of the reasons that strength — a function of muscle size and neuromuscular efficiency — can rapidly decay if you’re inactive, leading to decreased mobility, frailty, and a greater chance of catastrophic falls.[efn_note]Larsson, L., Degens, H., Li, M., Salviati, L., Lee, Y. I., Thompson, W., Kirkland, J. L., & Sandri, M. (2019). Sarcopenia: Aging-Related Loss of Muscle Mass and Function. Physiological Reviews, 99(1), 427–511. https://doi.org/10.1152/physrev.00061.2017[/efn_note]
Neuromuscular decline isn’t just important for lifting huge weights or getting buff. It’s a factor in everyday life, from getting out of a chair, to strength of grip, to protecting your joints from injury. Strength matters for all of us, and maintaining it after 40 is a huge factor for better health and quality of life!
Fortunately, strength and function is preserved, and can even be improved, through proper exercise: If you can keep your muscles active, you’ll improve strength and control, make daily life easier, and vastly improve your quality of life as your reach 50s, 60s, and beyond.
Feeling confident in yourself and what your body can do makes a huge difference.
You’re in control!
These risks and problems sound intense – and they are. It’s easy to get caught up in the negativity of risks and health problems and mortality.
Aging isn’t just some passive process that happens to you. It interacts with your lifestyle, choices, and habits. The changes that underpin what we refer to as aging don’t affect us all equally: 1 year of aging isn’t the same for everyone!
The aging process is something you actually have considerable control over. It’s a combination of physiological and behavioral factors. All the processes mentioned can be maintained or improved through an active lifestyle.
That’s the thing: you don’t just have to maintain. You can get into the best shape of your life after 40, after 50, after 60.
Habits for fighting aging: What should you do about it?
So, what do you do about this whole aging thing? Where do you get started? How do you know what your lifestyle should look like to make the most of the years ahead of you and improve yourself along the way?
There are a few key factors you need to pay close attention to. They are those simple habits that make up the majority of a healthy lifestyle:
Strength exercise is amazingly beneficial over 40. We’ve set out the benefits of strength exercise for aging people, which discusses the what, why, and how of proper strength training.
Endurance exercise is the other half of your perfect aging workout plan. The benefits of cardio for aging people are clear: better health and fitness.
The psychology of exercise is also key: the psychological benefits of regular exercise are a huge deal for mood, mental health, and long-term self-concept. It’s never a bad time to feel better.
Diet is at the centre of health and underlies everything else you mean to achieve. It is the driving force behind converting training to results, as well as keeping your body and mind healthy.
Sleep acts in a similar way to your food choices: it is a recovery and adaptation process that you can’t do without.
Stress-management is exactly that: controlling stress. Chronic stress sabotages your results and is toxic to both physical and mental health. Minimizing it and removing it are key for longevity.
Building an active lifestyle outside of exercise can also be a great choice to stay younger longer. It helps you to maintain activity levels and control over your health in any situation.
Final Thoughts
It’s important to remember that age-related decline isn’t just some far-flung idea of what you’ll be up to when you’re 100-years-old. It’s also what your life will look like between now and then: how many years will you enjoy as a healthy, active man as you age?
Aging isn’t your enemy.
Rather, most people suffer from aging because they get caught up with the expectations of it. They act how they think people over 40 or 50 or 60 “should” act – less active, more indulgent, settling into old age and decline by expectation.
The things that you do and don’t do after 40 are more important every year. Your lifestyle gets more important as a factor for how you look, feel, and perform. It’s not that you’re doomed to decline; it’s that you can’t get away with being lazy and eating like you could in your 20s!
You’re not getting worse: you’re getting consequences! Everything is more meaningful – as you should be able to see when you look at the difference between a fit, active 45-year-old and one that has a lifetime of bad habits.
This applies in reverse, too: the good choices you make matter more now than ever. It’s your opportunity to learn from inactive years and say “no, I want the next decade to be the one where I get this right!”.
This decision and attitude pays off for the rest of your life – which will be longer and happier if you pay attention to the risks of aging and respond with great habits.
The difference between choosing activity and settling for inactivity couldn’t be greater: a man over 40 who invests in his health is reaping the benefits for decades. A man who neglects them will spend those decades dealing with increasingly regular, severe problems.
The things you do are more important than you think – how much better do you think you’d be if you spent the next 10 years practicing good habits, instead?
Exercise and an active lifestyle over 40 pay off twice: it prevents these common risks of aging and health concerns as well as improving the way you look, feel, and perform.
