Taekwondo as an Anti-Aging Agent

Okay fellow “old ladies” and anyone who may someday join our club, another study was recently published that highlights the physical benefits of practicing Taekwondo as we age. This study specifically measured the “effects of Taekwondo training on thigh muscle cross-sectional area, health-related physical fitness, HbA1c, and GLP-1 in sedentary older women.”

The study was relatively small, including 17 women in total over the age of 65 who were sedentary for more than 8 hours per day. The participants who were assigned to the Taekwondo group engaged in 60 minutes of Taekwondo training 3 times per week for 12 weeks. The control group continued their normal routine.

Study outcomes

While the study was small, the outcomes were positive across the board, including:

• Weight loss (as measured by decreased body weight, body mass index, and body fat)

• Lowered blood pressure (as measured by mean arterial blood pressure)

• Improved body composition scores (as measured by increased thigh muscle cross-sectional area, lean body mass, and lower limb muscle mass)

• Reduced triglyceride and free fatty acid levels

• Increased “good” cholesterol (as measured by HDL-levels)

• Reduced markers of type 2 diabetes (as measured by GLP-1 levels and suggested via an inverse correlation between thigh muscle cross-sectional area and fasting glucose, insulin, and HOMA-IR levels).

• Perhaps most exciting to this “old lady” was the measurable improvements in balance and gait speed

What does this mean?

Most of us understand the health risks associated with being overweight, having high blood pressure and/or high cholesterol, and being diabetic or pre-diabetic. We hear about these health risk factors all the time.

I want to talk about the consequences of “getting old” that are discussed less. For example, we all notice how much our balance is compromised as we age and the fact that getting up becomes more and more difficult. One test the researchers of this study used was called the “timed up-and-go test.” You can read more about it here. In short, the study participants who were assigned to the Taekwondo group were able to get up faster after 12 weeks of training. I find that result exciting! To make it even better, those participating in Taekwondo also improved their scores on a test that measured their ability to stand on one leg (explained more here). Taekwondo improved their ability to get up AND their balance. I would add that they probably had fun as well!

Why we should pay attention

There is a problem that we must contend with as we age: that is the conundrum of living in an aging body that is increasingly more difficult to move, compounded by the fact that failing to move exacerbates the problem. In other words, moving is hard, but not moving makes the problem worse. It is a vicious cycle that sneaks up on us and is difficult to escape from if we are not careful. I know this firsthand, as I find I need to work harder and harder to maintain the same amount of pain-free movement. It is frustrating, but the alternative is to ignore the plea of Dylan Thomas and find ourselves going “gentle into that good night.”