Optimizing the Aging Process
- Dr. Gregory Lowe PT, DPT, cert. MDT, CSCS
- Apr 25
- 4 min read
Are you looking to prioritize and enhance your health and fitness as you age?
Even if you’re not quite there yet, reference this information as you work towards a healthier body while you grow older (because let’s face it– none of us are getting any younger)!
Different stages of life call for varying nutrition and exercise needs, so knowing what you need at this stage of life– including men and postmenopausal women in the 50s-70s+ age range– is essential for optimizing health and performance.
We discussed several common goals addressing issues that accompany the aging process, so whether you’re training to perform in a marathon, finish a 5K, or aiming to stay healthy and active in order to chase grandkids around, these tips should help you AWAKEN your potential as you age!
Goal #1: Maintaining (and Gaining) Muscle and Bone Strength
Muscle and bone health become increasingly important with age in order to maintain balance, prevent falls and breaks, and to perform daily activities/exercise.
Aging causes accelerated muscle loss, and building muscle becomes increasingly more difficult– especially if your body lacks the proper training and nutrition to counter the aging process.
As you get older, it’s important to focus on strength and resistance training to help combat muscle loss.
So incorporate heavier lifting and strength exercises in order to help prevent elevated muscle loss and improve balance!
Integrating more strength training into your routine will also in turn help with bone growth– strength training actually stimulates bone growth by the act of muscle pulling on bone while lifting/working out.
If you’re unsure where to start with strength training and/or need help building the most effective plan to help you get stronger and prevent muscle loss with age, we can help!
One of the many services we offer at AWAKEN includes individualized strength and conditioning plans that we develop specifically for you!
In addition to lifting more, your body also requires more protein as you age.
In general, prioritizing protein intake day-to-day helps prevent a lot of the muscle loss that occurs with aging.
It’s also necessary to increase post-workout protein replenishment as you get older. The recommended amount of post-workout protein intake increases from 20-30g of protein to 30-40g for the aging population!
Goal #2: Supporting Cardiovascular Health and Brain Function
As you age, reducing the rate of cognitive decline and maintaining a healthy heart become vital when issues such as heart disease and dementia become more prevalent.
Incorporating omega-3 fatty acids into your diet can help mitigate causes of dementia, stroke, or cardiovascular disease. They reduce triglycerides in the blood– a type of fat associated with higher risk of these serious health issues.
Omega-3 fatty acids are essential for overall immune and nerve cell function and they act as natural anti-inflammatories.
Additionally, omega-3s actually increase reactivity to the muscle-building effects of amino acids found in protein!
Foods that contain high levels of omega-3 fatty acids include fatty fish like salmon or tuna, olive oil, and nuts and seeds– especially walnuts and flaxseed.
Fish oil supplements also represent a popular source of omega-3 fatty acids, so talk to your primary care doctor or registered dietitian to determine if supplementing with fish oil may be beneficial for you.
Goal #3: Maintaining Gut Health
Aging can cause issues with overall digestion and an impaired ability to eliminate bodily waste. Body systems involved in digestion tend to become more sluggish as you get older, so it’s important to maintain regular bowel movements.
Increasing fiber intake can help maintain gut health and support overall nutrition requirements. As an added benefit, fiber also helps maintain blood-sugar levels and can improve cardiovascular health as well.
Fiber-rich foods include vegetables, fruits, whole-grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds.
It’s also important to support your gut bacteria by enriching your diet with probiotics– the simplest way to do this is through eating a balanced nutrient-rich diet with plenty of variety.
Sources rich in probiotics include fermented foods such as yogurt, kefir, kombucha, aged cheeses, miso paste, and sourdough bread.
If you’re unsure how to incorporate these various nutrients into your diet to enhance the aging process, or need help with determining your individual nutritional requirements, we highly recommend working with a qualified Registered Dietitian! We personally have had great experience with Be Fueled Sports Nutrition.
Aging shouldn’t prevent you from chasing performance goals or doing the things you love! Embrace getting older, and save these tips to help you optimize a healthy and strong aging body!
And if you're looking for other ways to improve performance, or if you have a nagging pain or injury getting in the way of it, WE CAN HELP!
It's our mission at AWAKEN to provide the highest level of care through our process of determining the root cause of your issue, then establishing an individualized plan to help you prevent recurrence and come back stronger than before!
We offer several specialized services including orthopedic and sports physical therapy, strength and conditioning, 3D Running Gait Analysis, and personalized run coaching. All of our services include one-on-one individualized care with a doctor of physical therapy.
Reach out via the link below today to request a FREE phone consultation and learn about how our services can help you AWAKEN YOUR POTENTIAL!!!
Written By: Mackenzie Lowe and Dr. Gregory Lowe PT, DPT, cert. MDT, CSCS
References:
Alm, M. (2025, May 28). The Fueling Forward Podcast- Q&A With Maddie - 5. Fueling Forward Sports Nutrition. https://www.fuelingforward.com/podcast
Sims, S. T. (2016). Roar: How to match your food and fitness to your female physiology for Optimum Performance, great health, and a strong, lean body for life. Rodale.
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