Ask any teenager, the thing(s) that cause them the greatest amount of angst and frustration.
You and all those RULES will be on the list, so will money, specifically lack of it, but for many of them, the worst part about life as a teen, is the mobility issue.
Not being able to get where you want/need to go, when you want to go – SERIOUSLY cramps your style.
When walking is not an option
Of course, for most teens walking is invariably an option… not a preferred option, although it should be, but an option to get from point A to point B.
For many older adults, walking stops being an option.
Leaving the golden years full of the angst and frustration, of not being able to get where you want/need to go, when you want to go.
And we’re not talking about going far – point A to point B, could just be the trip from the chair to the loo. This lack of mobility seriously cramps ones style.
So what determines whether you still have the keys to the car, when you’re too old to drive ?
Going nowhere slowly
A team of researchers from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Centre, using data from the Health ABC study, set out to find out what factors influence mobility in older people.
The team screened 3075 golden oldies, over that age of 70, looking for people who were still moving and grooving, without too much trouble.
To be classified as a mover and a groover, the person had to
- be able to walk 400 m without difficulty
- climb 10 steps
- perform basic living activities
- be free of a life-threatening disease
Not all the old folks made the cut – leaving them with 2099 participants.
The vitamin D levels, of the 2099 participants were recorded at the start of the study.
Moving and grooving over time
The team kept tabs on the moving and grooving of the gang, for 6 years. Just how much moving and grooving was happening was assessed each year, when the participants visited the clinic for their annual check in.
The team found, people with the lowest vitamin D level starting out – seized up, quicker than those with the higher levels.
The calculations suggested that low levels of vitamin D, doubled the risk of being stuck, unable to get where you want/need to go.
Could Vitamin D be the keys to the car ?
It makes sense……
Among the long list of jobs vitamin D does, it helps keep muscles in tip top shape. And strong muscles are a pre-requisite to hop out of chairs and climb stairs etc.
Being low on vitamin D is a widespread problem in the modern world, irrespective of age. For the most part, it is not a result of bad diet, but a lack of exposure to the sun.
Older people are particularly vulnerable to vitamin D insufficiency, because of indoor habits and inefficiencies. (The process of converting cholesterol to vitamin D, is not as efficient in wrinkly skin.)
So if you’re in the habit of hiding from the sun, but keen on enjoying fast and furious joy rides into your twighlight years.
Sun tan or supplement.
Get those vitamin D levels into the normal range.
Fast and furious joy rides
It does take more, than a key, to be mobile. Fast and furious joy rides, need a car with a good engine under the bonnet, a charged up battery and a tank full of fuel.
Engine maintenance can be tricky, but this study suggests, finding the car keys is quite easy.
NOTE : Getting the The 7 Big Spoons™ sorted, is a good place to fine tune that engine, especially if you’re dealing with an older model.
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| Balance Eicosanoids | Rein in insulin | Dial down stress | Sleep ! | Increase Vit D | Culivate microflora | Think champion |
Further reading
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| Muscle building for the testosterone challenged | Eating protein saves your muscles while the fat cells burn | A cup of coffee gets old muscles buzzing too |
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