Advantages of active aging

Aging is a natural process in the life cycle of all living beings, bringing with it morphological, functional, psychological, and social changes. Professor Eduar Alonso Ceballos Bernal, leader of the Nutrition, Fitness, and Sport research group (SINFID) within the Sports Science and Physical Education program at the UCundinamarca Soacha campus, explains the importance of understanding aging in terms of functionality as the primary predictor of overall well-being and quality of life.

According to the World Health Organization, active aging is the process of optimizing opportunities for health, participation, and security in order to enhance quality of life as people age. “The youth program has been promoting physical activity programs that address the real needs of older adults in the municipality.”.

Population aging presents a challenge for governments, society, and academia, because the increase in life expectancy does not necessarily imply quality of life; on the contrary, it is associated with an increase in disability rates in old age.

“Developing interdisciplinary programs is of vital importance, since according to WHO data, adults over 65 years of age currently represent 131% of the world's population, which allows us to project that by 2050 the number of older people will double, making it very likely that the population pyramid will invert.”.

Taking the above into account, physical activity, exercise, and other activities related to the field of sports science become a non-pharmacological treatment with a very high impact on the quality of life of older adults, since it allows reducing the loss of muscle mass and bone mass that sooner or later reduces the ability to generate force, maintain the proper gait pattern, and increases the risk of falls, among other things.

Can all older adults participate in physical activity?

The teacher stated that older adults can indeed practice physical activity, taking into account certain aspects, such as:

1. Having the respective endorsement of an interdisciplinary team (doctors, sports science professionals, physiotherapists, nutritionists).
2. Keep in mind the pathologies
3. Attend programs led by professionals trained in the field
4. Be consistent with your attendance at the programs, as results are not reflected overnight.

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