| He looked down and stared in horror at his | | | | experienced a dramatic drop in their aerobic |
| withered painful leg. "My God, whose leg is that?" | | | | capacity equivalent to almost 20 years of aging. |
| he cried. "It can't be my leg. That's an old leg." But | | | | But it's never too late to start feelin' great! William |
| it wasn't old. The other leg was just as old, and it | | | | H. Evans, PH.D author of Biomarkers says it well. |
| looked fine. His right leg had deteriorated because | | | | "Aging is not a static irreversible biological condition |
| it had been in a cast for several weeks due to an | | | | of unwavering decrepitude. Rather, it's a dynamic |
| injury. | | | | state that, in most people, can be changed for |
| Stanford researcher and author, Walter M. Bortz, | | | | the better no matter how many years they've |
| M.D relates the above incident in his book, "We | | | | lived or neglected their body in the past." |
| Live Too Short and Die Too Long". Bortz came to | | | | Evans should know. His landmark studies at Tufts |
| the conclusion that many of the changes that are | | | | University involved people ranging in age to nearly |
| commonly attributed to aging are, in reality, | | | | 100 years. In a 12 week program of strength |
| caused by inactivity. They can occur within a | | | | training for men in their 60's and 70's, their lifting |
| matter of days in anyone, including young people, | | | | ability went from 44 to 85 pounds-nearly a 100% |
| who are forced to stay in bed. | | | | increase. |
| In the late 1960's, the Swedish physiologist, Bengt | | | | Yes, you have a second chance to right the |
| Saltin, asked five young men to remain in bed 24 | | | | wrongs you have committed against your body. |
| hours a day for three weeks to study their | | | | With the right exercise program, which includes |
| bodies' physiological response. Two of the men | | | | strength training, you can regain the vigor, vitality, |
| were athletes and the remaining three ranged | | | | heart health and endurance you thought were |
| from relatively active to sedentary. Saltin found | | | | gone forever! |
| that within those 21 days all of the men | | | | |