Aging in Place: VO2 MAX and Leg Strength

May you have a strong foundation when the winds of change shift…and may you be forever young.

– Bob Dylan

Aging in Place

I just posted a video on TikTok about 2 Key factors that Genx need to consider when helping their parents with aging in place. The two factors are 1) VO2 Max 2) Leg Strength.

As I suggested, your aging boomer parents can spend your potential inheritance on making their home accessible with ramps, rails, elevators, wide doorways and the latest tech gadgets, but if their bodies are available to them this could all be in vain.

Most aging in place discussions begin with the built environment–and for good reason, it’s the obvious place to begin. But, it’s not sufficient, and a better place would be (and FREE) your parent’s “physical environment,” if you will.

Let me unpack this starting with VO2 MAX. I will keep it simple, VO2 Max is an indicator of how well your body converts oxygen into energy. This is a VERY basic definition, there are more moving parts which you can look into, but for this post, I will use simple concepts.

Here are some Cutoff Points to consider:

Men: VO2 MAX less than 18 ml/kg/min and they won’t be able to preform ADLs (Activities of Daily Living), the energy required won’t be there.

Women: VO2 MAX less than 15 ml/kg/min and they won’t be able to preform ADLs (Activities of Daily Living), the energy required won’t be there.

So this can translate to loss of “independence” aka aging in place.

Decreasing VO2 MAX with Age

Under NORMAL conditions starting around age *25 there is a 1% decrease in VO2 MAX per decade. If there are underlying comorbidities, like a history of smoking, that number changes in favor of pathology.

So by age 70 (many of your parent’s age range), they will have a 20-30% decrease in VO2 Max.

Good News: This decline in VO2 MAX can be cut by 50% with aerobic activities.

~ Biking ~ Hiking ~ Swimming ~ Running ~ Brisk Walking (watch video for specifics)

Leg Strength Bad News / Good News

**Men lose muscle mass at a rate of 1-2% per year after age 50, and it accelerates after age 60.

Women lose muscle mass at a rate of .5-1 % per year after age 50, and it accelerates after age 60.

The Treatment is Resistance training and adequate protein intake.

See

Dan Go VO2 Max

*Physical activity predicts fitness and walking capacity after stroke: a diagnostic accuracy study

**An overview of sarcopenia: facts and numbers on prevalence and clinical impact

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