Hold on muscle...at all costs!

Published: Sun, 11/29/15

Hi

Sarcopenia is the loss of muscle mass as we age.

According to studies we lose between 0.5% and 1% of our muscle mass every year past 30 years of age and we lose 12% to 15% of strength per decade!

As we've discussed before, muscle is youth.

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Muscles help us move, obviously, however they also:
  • help us balance against the loads we are under throughout the day
  • balance and support joint movement so we don't wear away cartilage or bone
  • create and store energy in the form of glycogen, this is what our bodies create from carbs consumed so the more in the muscles, the less in the blood and liver
  • muscle is metabolically active, it uses calories and balances hormones
  • help us maintain good posture (when we keep them mobile)
  • muscles are denser that fat, therefore the more we have the less 'wobbly' we are
  • fight off the effects of osteoporosis and aging
  • and the most important thing...the stronger we are the easier life is!
The better we move the more we will want to.

The stronger we get the more we can do.

Holding onto your muscle mass is a guarantee on your activity levels when we are older.

Work all these years to build a retirement fund?

How is your muscle fund doing?
So, what can we do:

  1. train: use it or lose it! Research has shown that it is never too late to build some bulk. Studies on age ranges shows that a 70 year old can put on muscle at the same rate as a 20 somethings (they just need more rest in between!). 20 to 30 min, three times a week is enough
  2. DAILY mobility work and stretching keep our muscles full of blood, supple and soft. Do you want muscles like beef jerky or a juicy steak? (yum)
  3. Protein: 30g a meal of good quality source of fish, meat, eggs etc. 30g is much more than you think. Protein also satiates you well so this can help stave off grabbing those naughty snacks
  4. Get your Omega 3's: Omega 3 fatty acids provide more building blocks to maintain and build muscle. Salmon, walnuts and omega-3-enriched eggs give you a nutritional powerpack as you get omega-3s and muscle-building amino acids. Flaxseeds also give you a hit. Eating 4 ounces of cooked salmon plus 1/4 cup of walnuts a day is about all you need to reap the benefits. A good fish oil such as Eskimo also helps.
  5. Vitamin D: We often find people are deficient in this substance. Vit D is used in a VAST amount of process in the body as it is a hormone pre-cursor so worth keeping topped up. Get tested and if needed get plenty of sun or supplement in winter.
  6. Move lots: It isn't just about pumping iron. ANY movement uses our muscles, again, use it or lose it!
  7. Hydrate: we are 70% water so keep yourself topped up.
Ask anyone who is trying to add muscle and you will find out that it is hard. We need to challenge ourselves every day just past the level we did previous.

You need to be consistent, it can be monotonous and it is uncomfortable at those times of extra effort. You just have to keep at it..forever!

It is SO worth it though. Every rep, stretch, extra kg added in improves your body.

EVERY effort reaps a reward. 

Better return than my pension that's for sure!

Every time you move a limb, stand up or run for the bus, take a moment to be grateful for all those muscles that performed for you.

Did some not feel right or not perform as well as you needed? This is where you need to do the work then ;-)

Get out there are grow those beautiful lumpy bits!

J

James Chandler
Personal Trainer
07870 262741
www.eatwellandworkout.com
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