There’s no doubt that getting older changes your body and
appearance, but it also affects your ability to exercise. Your
maximum heart rate declines with age, which means your heart and
lungs can’t pump as much oxygen and blood to your muscles during
intense physical activity. As a result, your muscles won’t be
able to work as hard or as long as they once could. With age
comes reductions in muscle mass, reducing the maximum effort you
can sustain. Your tendons and ligaments will stiffen and
shorten, reducing your natural range of motion and flexibility.
And unless you’re very lucky, you’ll probably have some age-
related problems with bones, joints and/or nerves, like
arthritis or neuropathy, which will also affect your ability to
move as freely as you once did in your younger years.| But does
any of this mean you might as well accept the inevitable
decline, scrap your exercise plans, and head for your favorite
easy chair? Nope—just the opposite, in fact. Researchers have
discovered that much of the physical d