Exercise, aging, and nutrition.

Age-associated declines in resting energy expenditure and the thermogenesis of activity result in lower energy requirements in older adults. Regular aerobic exercise programs and strength or resistive training may increase the daily energy expenditure and/or may preserve or increase the lean body mass, which decreases with increasing age. Regular strength training exercise programs may improve bone mineral density and ambulation in older adults. Nutritional assessments suggest that older adults' protein intake should be at least 1 g per kilogram of body weight, and that calcium intake should be between 1,200 and 1,500 mg/day. Regular strenuous physical activity may require subtle changes in vitamin and mineral intake to compensate for loss of minerals in sweat and for exercise-induced increases in metabolism. Older adults may have a decreased thirst response to fluid deprivation. Fluid intake must be closely monitored with exercise activity to prevent dehydration.

Metabolic and nutritional considerations for exercising older adults.

Age-associated declines in REE and the thermogenesis of activity result in lower energy requirements in older adults. Regular aerobic exercise and resistive exercise programs will increase ones daily energy expenditure and may preserve or increase the lean body mass which has been shown to decrease with increasing age. Further, regular resistive exercise programs may improve bone mineral density and ambulation in older adults. Normal age-associated changes in gastrointestinal function and the addition of exercise may require some modification of nutrient intake. However, in the absence of gastrointestinal disease, these modifications should not be great for healthy sedentary older adults. Protein intake should be at least 1.0 g/kg body weight for older adults especially, physically active older adults.