Nobody consciously wants to lose fitness, to become worse at our day to day activities and subsequently lose our independence. Relying on somebody else or technology to complete activities that used to come so easy sucks, but maybe we’re all to blame for our own decline? The subconscious decision to wrap ourselves in cotton wool in order to make sure we don’t hurt ourselves may in fact be having the opposite effect.

We have all undergone some form of training in order to gain the ability to complete every action we utilise on a day to day basis. We learnt how to walk through increasing the frequency of practice, we learnt to read by an accumulation of learning, and we gained the strength needed to open cans through training of our muscles over time through the repetition of daily activities.

In order to improve our performance an increase in stimulus or stressor must be placed upon an individual. This means that an individual must experience a greater stress on the body in order to cause the body to adapt. Doing more means you’ll present an opportunity for improvement in performance.

In the same way a reduction in the stimulus on the body over time will see a decline in performance and the ability to complete the task at hand.

As we age, or get diagnosed with a long term condition it seems natural to make the decision to reduce the amount we do in order to prevent overexertion. I’d like to propose the argument that this is one of the primary factors leading to a reduction in physical capacity associated with age and the diagnosis of long term conditions. Obviously there are numerous confounding variables that also contribute to the overall outcome however I’m of the belief that the attitude change is THE key variable in many cases.

The most prevalent example is that of a reduction in physical activity seen with age. It seems a common misconception that after an individual hits an age threshold, let’s use 60 years old for arguments sake, they must significantly reduce their activity levels and spend more of their time seated and sedentary. However as they make the decision to become more sedentary they are subconsciously reducing the training volume on their muscles, so what happens naturally? They experience detraining and lose strength and exercise capacity. The individual then experiences a detriment in perceived fitness and attribute this detriment to the ageing process, sure ageing probably has a role to play, but the key variable was the reduction in activity and not your 60th birthday.

I’m of the belief that our own attitudes, which are often expressed upon us by individuals most likely worried about potential implications caused by the current quick to the trigger legal system, is the primary cause in our detraining and exacerbation of the effects seen after diagnosis of a long term condition. In many circumstances it may be necessary to reduce total training volume to allow your body opportunity to adapt to another stressor but for the most part a maintenance or gradual increase of training stimulus will see huge benefit to individuals looking to improve their health and wellbeing.

Everyone can be better. You’re already more capable than you could ever imagine, let’s not lose that through a change in attitude.

Always consult a doctor before looking to apply a training stimulus. All doctors’ recommendations with regards to physical activity or any other stressor on the body must be followed.

Jack Barton (Researcher, Rescon Ltd)