Although it’s almost imperceptible at first, nearly every cell, organ, and biological process gets a little worse every year of our lives starting around age 30. The sum of these processes is what we call aging.
For most of us, the loss of strength and muscle mass is one of the first and most obvious age-related changes we observe. Although it may only start with a few additional aches and pains, over time a lack of muscle mass can lead to a number of issues, including poor balance, frailty, and loss of independence. It is also associated with a myriad of health problems, including a higher risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease and even dementia.
While researchers don’t know exactly why muscle mass declines so much as we age, the good news is that we do know that regular exercise can help lessen this impact – and may even delay some of that inevitable muscle loss. . It has also been shown that regular physical activity lower risk of preventable diseasesmaintaining physical function well into old age, and even improve immune function.
To move
Given how important muscles are to our health, the best way to maintain them after 30 is to keep moving.
But let’s say you’re someone who hasn’t exercised regularly in a few years, or never done muscle-building exercises before.
First, remember that getting older doesn’t mean you have to avoid strenuous exercise. Our research has suggested that both younger and older men retrieved the same way to intense strength training, provided the training is tailored to the fitness level of each participant.
However, it is important to consider your abilities before you start exercising. A common mistake people make after not exercising for years (or even decades) is trying to do what they used to do, or doing too much too quickly when trying to do what they used to do. those first training sessions. This can lead to injury, so it’s important to gradually increase your workouts.
Realistically, the best training plan to follow is the NHS physical activity recommendations for 18-65 year olds. It says people should aim to be physically active almost every day and do muscle-building exercises at least two days a week.
But what kind of muscle building exercises should you do? Well, there are actually a myriad of resistance exercise types to choose from, and all of them are more or less also as beneficial like the other. The cliché people immediately think of is tall, muscular people lifting heavy weights in the gym, but there are plenty of other options.
So if you’d rather do bodyweight exercises like Pilates, use resistance bands, or work hard gardening than lifting dumbbells, that’s what you should aim to do twice a week. Fun matters a lot, especially if it means you’ll keep doing your new exercise routines.
Endurance-based exercises (like walking, running, and cycling) are also great for you in many ways, beyond just building muscle and improving heart health. There is also a very clear relationship between longevity and action light physical activity Daily.
However, it’s important not to do too many good things, especially resistance-based high-intensity training. Research shows that doing more high-intensity vigorous physical activity than recommended is not associated with substantial benefits for longevity. For clarity, this data does not suggest that high intensity is negative in terms of health, just that more is not necessarily better.
From a dietary point of view, many older people do not consume enough protein. Adequate protein intake is necessary for increase and maintain muscle mass – even more so if you exercise regularly. Current guidelines recommend a minimum of 0.8 grams of protein per kg body weight per day for all adults.
But you’ll need to double that to 1.6 grams per kg of body mass if you’re looking to to build up muscle. So, for a person who weighs 70 kg, he would need to eat about 112 g of protein per day to build muscle. That would equate to eating about a large chicken breast, a protein shake, three eggs, and a can of tuna (although this will vary depending on the products you use, so be sure to check labels).
This seems particularly important for physically active seniors(over 60 years old). It’s also good to evenly distribute the protein you consume throughout the day to help your body absorb as much protein as possible. per meal.
Although muscle inevitably declines with age, no matter how much exercise you do, being physically active is often still one of the best ways we know of to maximize both good health, fitness and fitness. lifetime. And the sooner you get into the habit of exercising, the better off you will be in old age.
