Video: 10 ways an athlete's body changes with age By Mayo Clinic Staff Share Facebook Twitter Print details More and more adults are embracing their inner athlete through middle age and beyond. That leads to a question: Just how much does age affect your race finish time, max lift or risk of injury? The good news is older athletes are positioned to enjoy a healthy and active life for years to come. And continuing to train can slow many of the changes that come with age. Find out how staying in the game might be the fountain of youth after all. Show transcript 10 ways an athlete's body changes with age You feel less thirsty. You sweat less, too. Listen to your body to stay hydrated. Your brain-to-muscle communication slows. Practice key skills to stay sharp. It takes longer for muscles to recover. Prioritize one or two tough efforts a week, with active recovery in between. You're more prone to falls (yes, you too). Dedicated balance practices like yoga or tai chi can improve stability and prevent injury. Your muscle mass shrinks. Strength training can help you maintain more of your muscle mass. Metabolism slows with age. Though older athletes still burn more calories than inactive peers. Max heart rate drops by 10 beats each decade. But aerobic training can increase the amount of blood your heart can pump with each beat. Anaerobic capacity for sprints may drop. But you'll keep most of your aerobic capacity for endurance. Your strides get shorter. Some older sprinters take twice the steps to cover the same distance. Lung capacity may decline. The decline is less significant for exercisers: Combine strength and cardio to boost efficiency. Guidance from the doctors, physical therapists, trainers and performance coaches at Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine Get more healthy-action tips delivered daily when you download the Mayo Clinic app. Show references Brun SP. Clinical considerations for the ageing athlete. Australian Family Physician. 2016;45:478. Doering TM, et al. Lower integrated muscle protein synthesis in masters compared with younger athletes. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 2016;48:1613. Wright VJ. Masterful care of the aging triathlete. Sports Medicine and Arthroscopy Review. 2012;20:231. Borges N, et al. Age-related changes in performance and recovery kinetics in masters athletes: A narrative review. Journal of Aging and Physical Activity. 2016;24:149. VID-20305512