Muscle health - something that needs more attention as you age
Your muscular system is what allows your body to make movements. From little movements such as smiling to big moves such as running, muscles are the controlling force of your body. There are some muscles that you can control, such as the biceps, while others work without conscious effort. For instance, the muscles that help you breathe!
But there are some people who do not understand the importance of maintaining muscle health and prefer to neglect it until old age. If you belong to the group that does not consider maintenance of muscle health imperative, you are most likely to suffer in your old age.
Why maintaining muscle health is crucial as we age? As soon as you enter your late 40s, your entire body faces dramatic changes. This is because your muscles, joints and bones age as the years pass too. These changes then impact your well-being and lifestyle inevitably. And with that, you face lower mobility, flexibility and independence. Unhealthy muscles start to shrink and as you age, you start losing muscle mass even more. It’s all downhill from there onwards. While you may call it a natural process, the rate is much faster when a sedentary lifestyle is part of the equation!
Problems Related to Weak Muscles in Old Age The loss of muscle mass is directly connected to decrease in muscle strength. As we go on in our lives, this decrease in muscle strength causes the bones to get affected and we start losing bone mass as well. As a result, your joints get affected and you not only start losing mobility but also become prone to many age-related problems such as arthritis or sarcopenia.
You lose the strength to do the activities you once enjoyed. You remain tired and stressed which eventually deprives you of your good sleep pattern. That in turn damages the brain cells, affects your health and makes you dependent on others.
But if you think that you can handle the situation in your old age, you must understand that addressing a future illness is easier early on than stressing over it once you grow old. So to avoid crying over the lost bone mass, your best bet is to start working on your muscle maintenance today and reap the benefits later.
Maintaining Healthy Muscles is All about Maintaining a Fine Balance When we are happily living in our young age - between 20 to 40 years, we believe that muscle health starts from going to the gym and ends on taking protein shakes. While this is also a good practice and helps the body in keeping the muscles healthy, this is not necessarily enough. And this becomes more evident once you enter your 50s.
How well can you spend your life after retirement if you think twice before even getting up from bed? Healthy muscles are the key to healthy aging, especially if you aim towards living healthy in the prime time of life. Since there are almost 600 muscles in your body, small or large, connected with the bones and responsible for your movement, their maintenance is more than just lifting weights and following a healthy diet pattern.
Muscle health is about maintaining a good balance of; Regular physical activity Healthy diet plan Body weight
Physical Activity: People who manage to live their entire lives staying active and alert are the ones who spend a good portion of their time in activities like jogging or yoga – keeping themselves healthy and stress-free in the longer run. This helps strengthen the muscles and in getting more muscle mass. This in turn, supports the body’s balance, mobility, bones and joints as you grow old.
A Healthy Diet Plan: In addition to regular physical activity, healthy people maintain a balanced diet plan by taking food and fluids accordingly. They maintain a fine balance of meat, fruits and vegetables without compromising on the intake of different food items.
A healthy diet is not only crucial for your muscle mass but also helps the overall body metabolism in working smoothly. A good diet keeps you active and fresh, both mentally and physically, and improves your overall body functions. A good metabolism is also something that supports you in taking up all the fun activities and hobbies that you have planned to do after your retirement.
Maintaining Body Weight Your diet and physical activity goes parallel with your body weight. What you eat and how you consume the energy are the deciding factors of your body weight. Therefore, maintaining an optimal body weight, in relevance to your age and height, is only possible if you eat healthy and use this energy for your own betterment.
As a matter of fact, a sedentary lifestyle leads to obesity. And obesity is the main cause of suffering for many weight-related problems. If you have excess body weight, this will affect your bones and joints and you might end facing osteoarthritis or hypertension. Above all, you lose the lifestyle that would otherwise prove to be wondrous for your mind, body and spirit in an older age.
To Make Up For Lost Time The good news is; even in your old age, you can still do something about your muscle health! But the key to this transformation is Consistency. If you have the required consistency and motivation to do it, you must include these two tips in your lifestyle from now onwards.
Eat more protein. This is the building block of your muscles. Since you are old now, your body does not have much strength to efficiently process protein. So incorporate food items such as fish, eggs, lean meat, protein shakes or beans in your regular diet while you watch out for the body’s vitamin D levels as well.
Challenge your muscles, allow your body to strengthen them, and go for aerobics. While you might not end up becoming bulky, you will definitely get stronger in terms of the muscles and heart. For this, try running, walking, swimming or even 30-60 minutes gardening a few times a week. Since now you know the importance of maintaining muscle health, adjust your diet and activities and feel the change. After all, aging is natural but losing muscular strength is not!