1. Copyright © 2014 American College of Sports Medicine Understanding Human Aging Chapter 1

2. Copyright © 2014 American College of Sports Medicine Outline Definition of aging Biological theories of aging Concept of successful aging Physical activity and successful aging

3. Copyright © 2014 American College of Sports Medicine Definitions of age and the aging process Chronological age Biological age Psychological age Social age

4. Copyright © 2014 American College of Sports Medicine Chronological age Length of time or passage of calendar time Human aging — important to consider a broader perspective

5. Copyright © 2014 American College of Sports Medicine

6. Biological age Age-related changes in biological or physiological processes Biological age assessment

7. Copyright © 2014 American College of Sports Medicine

8. Psychological age Age-related changes in mental or cognitive functioning assessment of psychological aging

9. Copyright © 2014 American College of Sports Medicine

10. Social age Social roles and expectations Assessment

11. Copyright © 2014 American College of Sports Medicine

12. Biological theories of aging Large number of theories have been proposed Increasingly likely that aging is not caused by a single mechanism

13. Copyright © 2014 American College of Sports Medicine Biological theories of aging (cont.) Cellular theories of aging Genetic theories of aging Control theories of aging

14. Copyright © 2014 American College of Sports Medicine Cellular theories of aging Degenerative changes that occur at the microscopic level of analysis free-radical oxidation cross-links

15. Copyright © 2014 American College of Sports Medicine Genetic theories of aging Age-related changes can be attributed to genetic mechanisms “Hayflick limit” Telomere

16. Copyright © 2014 American College of Sports Medicine Control theories of aging Function of specific physiologic systems known to be vital for controlling our bodies’ ability to respond to stressors T-cell activity Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) Immune system

17. Copyright © 2014 American College of Sports Medicine Successful aging The rate and the extent of functional decline: differences between individuals Physical activity Benefits of physical activity for the individual persons Societal benefits of promoting physically active lifestyles among older person

18. Copyright © 2014 American College of Sports Medicine

22. Key Points Defining aging requires a broad perspective of chronological, biological, psychological, and social aspects. Aging is a complex process in which multiple biological mechanisms are acting at the molecular, cellular, and system levels. It makes difficult to identify a single unified theory of biological aging. Large scientific evidence links physical activity participation to successful aging.