By Dani Borm, MS, LAT, ATC

If Lionel Messi steps onto the pitch for the Argentina v. Algeria match, this would be his 6th FIFA World Cup appearance. The average soccer player is around 25-27 years old. At nearly 39, Lionel Messi is the exception, not the rule.

So, why don’t we see 40-50 year old professional athletes? Because time is undefeated. As we age, we face unavoidable changes to our bodies. Recovery slows, muscle mass declines, and the effects of wear and tear begin to accumulate. Even the best athletes eventually have to adapt. Fortunately, industrial athletes don’t need to play at World Cup levels to stay active and capable. We simply need strategies that help us stay strong, healthy, and productive throughout our careers.

(Not) Forever Young

Professional athletes or not, we tend to see a decrease in sport participation as we age. In addition to the factors above, the following also contributes to less physical activity:

• Hormone changes
• Health conditions
• Aches and pains
• Perceived physical capability

Around 30-40 years of age, the driver of transformation within the body is the endocrine system (ES). The ES releases hormones into our blood and regulates tasks. When major life events occur, like psychological stressors or illness, this causes a fluctuation of our hormones. As we age, we have less growth hormone and insulin like growth factor-1. Consequently, we see reductions in muscle mass, muscle strength, and sleep, but increases in body fat and cortisol (stress hormone). While completely normal, these changes that happen while we age present new hurdles that affect our need (and even want) to stay physically active.

Beyond Regulation

The World Health Organization recommends 150 minutes of moderate activity per week, yet nearly 2 billion adults fall short of this goal. How do we make this number less daunting for people that aren’t consistent movers outside of work? Our goal isn’t to ‘catch up’ to professionals, but to create a consistent foundation for movement with small incremental changes.

Recent studies have shown that about 20 minutes of accumulated vigorous exercise weekly can decrease the risk of heart disease. If you’re breathing hard enough that talking in full sentences is difficult, you’ve likely reached “vigorous” intensity. These higher-intensity efforts can lower your risk of age-related health conditions. Below are some examples of vigorous activities:

Your daily work tasks shouldn’t be the stopping point of your physical activity. If you’re lifting materials from the ground, then you should strength train with deadlifts or farmers’ carries to minimize soreness and reduce injury risk. These small changes over time won’t train us to be world class athletes, but they will serve as a starting point to keep us moving. Instead of fighting against aging, we can embrace it and find proactive ways to continually fulfill our need for movement.

Dani Borm, MS, LAT, ATC || Dani received her Master’s of Science in Athletic Training from Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, CA. Before starting in the industrial setting this year, she worked in the collegiate setting in California and Washington. When she’s not working you can find her in a body of water or hiking somewhere when the weather is nice.

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Be sure to check out our other blogs for further injury prevention education and tips for the industrial athlete from Work Right!