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Make Connections: The Problem with Falls According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one out of three people over the age of 65 suffers a fall. • Twenty to thirty percent of people who fall suffer cuts, hip fractures, or head traumas. Besides making it diff icult to perform everyday tasks, these injuries can increase the risk of early death. • Among the US population as a whole, falls are the most common cause of traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). In 2000, 46 percent of older adults who died from a fall did so because of TBIs caused by the fall. • Even if someone who falls is not physically injured, she may become afraid of falling again. So instead of being active, she may limit her activities. While understandable, it has long-term effects. Lack of activity can lead to more f lexibility problems and a decrease in physical f itness.

and have the same waist measurement but weigh different amounts. This is because of body composition. Body composition refers to the muscle, bone, and fat makeup of a person’s body. It is also called the muscle-bone-fat ratio. Some people mistakenly think muscle weighs more than fat. No matter what one is weighing, a pound will always equal 16 ounces; “A pound is a pound the world around.” But muscle is denser than fat and takes up less room in the body. When measured in terms of volume, muscle weighs more per cubic inch than fat. So if measuring by volume, muscle does weigh more. This is why body size can be misleading in terms of how much someone weighs.

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Eating Right & Additional Supplements for Fitness