If you have been reading my blog for any length of time, I’m sure you have heard me use the phrase “Use it or lose it” in heavy rotation in reference to all matter of things. I have found myself having this conversation repeatedly over the past few months with friends and family. I know I sound like a broken record, but the phrase applies to so many things. I’ve actually thought about getting certified as a personal trainer so that I can not only tell them, but actually teach them muscles matter; especially as we age.
First of all, in order to have a decent quality life in our old age, we are going to need the strength to maintain our independence. I don’t know about you, but I would prefer that I not need help getting on and off the toilet! You need muscles for all physical functions. Let’s just start with the ability to get the hell out of bed! Then you can proceed to go down the list of daily activities. You need those muscles to power movement. Muscle plays a crucial role in our overall health. Muscle allows us to stand, walk, lift, and BREATHE! Building and maintaining muscle is equally important for both men and women! Muscles are not optional.
By the time you hit 60, you’ve lost a good 20% of your muscle mass! This unfortunately, is part of the process of aging. Starting at middle age, muscles can lose as much as 10-15% of their size EVERY YEAR and even worse for those who are INACTIVE! We can’t exactly stop the calendar (unless you decide to off yourself and don’t do that!) We start aging as soon as we are born, however, in terms of biological aging, evidence has shown that the aging of your cells can be slowed, if not to some degree, reversed. Evidence has shown that with appropriate nutrition and exercise, muscle tissue can be regenerated as late as your 70’s and 80’s! Sixty, Smixty! I said 80’s! So, you see, it’s never too late to build muscle!
So, the name for age-associated muscle degeneration is sarcopenia. Sarcopenia means “lack of flesh.” It can rapidly progress when we hit 65 where you may have lost half of your body strength or as much as 80% if you are sedentary or have health issues. This loss can take a huge toll on your quality of life, but even worse, it also reduces life expectancy as compared to those who have maintained muscle strength. It is caused by an imbalance between signals for muscle cell growth (anabolism) and teardown signals. (catabolism) As we age, the imbalance tips toward catabolism, or muscle loss. During the aging process, the body becomes resistant to the normal growth signals, and this is what tips the balance toward catabolism and muscle loss.
And while aging is one of the causes of sarcopenia, there are other contributing factors such as:
- Sedentary lifestyle
Nothing kills muscles faster than not using them! Use it or lose it! GET UP!!! While you are just sitting there tapping on the keys or clicking the remote your muscle strength is decreasing and making your more fatigued!
- Diet
Insufficient calories (not typically the problem, but it can be!) and lack of protein can result in diminished muscle mass.
- Hormones
Although sarcopenia is seen mostly in people who are inactive, it also occurs in people who continue to be physically active. This would suggest that there are other factors at play such as hormone imbalance and deficiencies such as lower testosterone (the hormone that stimulates protein synthesis and muscle growth) and growth hormone as well as dietary deficiencies.
Combinations of aerobic exercise, resistance training and balance training, as well as dietary adjustments can not only prevent muscle loss, but can also reverse it! (Even in middle age or older, you can rebuild muscle!) The key is regular, and PROGRESSIVE training of your muscles. Progressive meaning such things as adding another set to your routine or decreasing the reps in your set and gradually increasing the weight or resistance to challenge yourself. By increasing the weight or resistance, a process call hypertrophy is triggered. (Muscles increasing in size and strength)
“Our lab and others have shown repeatedly that older muscles will grow and strengthen,” says Marcas Bamman, the director of the UAB Center for Exercise Medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
In his studies, men and women in their 60s and 70s who started a supervised weight training program were able to develop muscles comparable to those of your average 40-year-old.
As we get older, our muscles become less efficient utilizing protein to rebuild itself. Muscles lose their protein sensing mechanism. This means the signal telling muscles to grow is much weaker.
Our skeletal muscle has very specific amino acid requirements in order to maintain their structure and to build now muscle. We therefore need to adjust our diets to eat for muscle health by eating high quality proteins and the right nutrients.
But it’s not limited to the issue of strength. There’s so much more to this muscle mass thing! Building muscle is not just all about strength. Muscles = Longevity! Muscle mass or lack thereof can be in indicator of longevity. If you wish to have a longer and healthier life, you’re going to want to maintain and build new muscle and it’s definitely doable!
For instance, did you know that muscles help the body dispose of glucose? A lack of muscle mass can result in elevated glucose levels in the blood. That’s right. Less muscle can drive insulin up. And guess what happens when we have too much glucose floating around? Less muscle can mean higher insulin. This can lead to Insulin Resistance and Diabetes.
Your muscles help to keep your metabolic system functioning and intact. Muscle can help protect you against obesity by keeping your metabolism and hormone levels functioning better. As a result, muscles can also help to protect you against heart disease. Registered dietitians, nutritionists, and physicians all agree that muscle mass is important for optimal calorie burning, as well as increased energy. Muscles store blood and stem cells. Without muscle mass you’re more prone to breaks as you age. You’re falling and you can’t get up! You don’t have the strength!
But wait. There’s more. Did you know that muscles can help boost immunity? There are these things called Myokines. They’re small proteins produced by muscle cells as a result of muscle contractions. The proteins travel through our circulatory system to our organs and alter the biology of those organs. This process has a role in protecting us from metabolic disorders like diabetes, but also from some neurological disorders like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s! Insoo Kang, MD and Associate Professor of Medicine at the Yale School of Medicine lists exercise as one way to enhance an aging immune system. Physical activity may also help to protect us against certain cancers like breast and colon cancers.
“Skeletal muscles, especially the large muscles of the butt and thighs, release immunoprotectivecompounds called myokines during exercise,” states Insoo Kang, M.D
Dr. Joseph Ciccolo, an exercise researcher at Columbia University has studied the effects of strength training on anxiety, depression, and related conditions. His research suggests strength training can reduce some symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in women and men. “How strength training may benefit mental health is still under study. It might help lower certain hormones in the body associated with stress and depression,” says Ciccolo. And for my brothers, Ciccolo is doing a study to see if strength training can help relieve symptoms of depression specifically in African American men. “There’s huge stigma among black men with respect to counseling for mental illness,” he says. “We’re hoping this could be a nontraditional way to get at depression.”
I don’t think that I need to tell you about how a lack of sleep can wreak havoc on not only our physical health, but our mental health and overall well-being. Well, a new study suggests that weightlifting/strength and resistance training may also help us to sleep better. Since strength training, is more taxing to our muscles than cardio, it could actually make your body crave sleep.
SO WHAT DO YOU DO?
First and foremost, chat with your doctor. Hopefully you have a good one that isn’t just about pushing pills! So many are too quick to whip out that prescription pad (well, they’re electronic now, but you get the point.) They may very well not know the answers. But ask anyway. You can ask about how much and what type of strength training might be best for you. Then, if possible, work with an instructor or trainer to learn proper form. There are also plenty of videos online to guide you, but if you can, work with a trainer for at least the first session or two so you learn how to perform the exercises properly or to use the machines safely if you choose to go to the gym. I like mixing it up!
START STRENGTH & RESISTANCE TRAINING
Resistance training includes weightlifting, the pulling motion against resistance bands or moving part of the body against gravity. Resistance exercises create tension on muscle fibers signaling them to grow and repair themselves (turning on special muscle stem cells) and increase the action of growth-promoting hormones. Resistance exercises are one of the best ways to not only prevent muscle loss, but to increase muscle mass. That said, calisthenics like squats, push-ups and sit-ups are beneficial as well.
You might want to start out with strength training 2-3 times a week for 20-30 minutes, and doing 8-12 reps of each exercise to maintain and build muscles. Be sure to mix up exercises to target all of your major muscle groups. (You can target certain muscles groups on certain days.) Incorporate compound exercises into your routine. This allows you to work more than one muscle group at a time. Examples of this would be doing squat and curls at the same time. Start slow and work your way up, but START! Try every other day to start so you can rest and recover in between workouts.
You can mix it up by using your own bodyweight, (squats) resistance bands, barbells, exercise machines.
A good rule is to focus on legs. Building up your leg muscles are a great place to start especially since they are key for our mobility and are the largest muscle group!
WALKING
While strength training is one of the best ways to build muscle, plain old walking works too! If you are starting with a deficit of muscle, walking is a great start! A study of 227 Japanese adults over 65 years old found that six months of walking increased muscle mass, particularly in those who had low muscle mass. Another study of close to 900 adults over the age of 60 found that faster walkers were less likely to have sarcopenia. The speed in which you walk, apparently influenced the maintaining of muscle mass.
CORE EXERCISE
As we age, core strength can be a challenge. A weak core can lead to other issues caused by poor alignment and posture. A pain in the neck could also be a result of poor core strength and not just your other half or your kids! Core strength is important for balance and stability. Try including core exercises into your weekly exercise plan at least 3-4 times a week. You don’t need a thing! Body-weight exercises are great in building core strength.
CONSUME HEALTHY SOURCES OF PROTEIN
Proteins not only build and maintain muscle, but they also help to build and maintain your bone density. Our bodies break down protein into amino acids, which it then uses to build muscle.
According to a 2015 study, increasing protein intake helps “counterbalance muscle loss in older individuals.” It works by increasing the amino acids that are available to the body to use for creating muscle protein. Proteins in the diet signal the muscle tissue to grow in size and strength. The amino acid Leucine is particularly important in regulating muscle growth. Great sources of this amino acid are whey protein, meat, fish, and eggs.
You need to consume a nutrient-dense diet which includes healthy fats, fiber, and PROTEIN. That said, more isn’t always better. We tend to take everything to the extreme. Too much of anything can be harmful including protein! (Yes, that too!) We definitely need more protein as we get older. Consume healthy sources from wild salmon, eggs, yogurt and grass-fed poultry and meats.
Protein powders added to shakes can add up to 30grams of protein per scoop. While I’m not a fan of shakes, you can certainly supplement with protein powders if you struggle to consume enough protein in your meals.
The bottom line is building muscle strength is vital to maintaining mobility and good health throughout a long life. I don’t know about you, but I don’t just want life span. I want health span. By combining walking with weight and resistance training, you have a simple but very effective way to get and stay in shape. It’s NEVER TOO LATE.
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Great post. Lots of valuable information.
Very worthwhile read. One aspect of muscles that I’ve been considering lately as I age are fast twitch muscles. These muscles help with sudden bursts of energy like preventing falls. They are also the muscle types that are first to go as we age. I find that my stability and balance has enhanced since I’ve started my yoga practice.
Excellent point! Thanks for sharing. I have wanted to start a yoga practice for the past few years, but my schedule prior to Covid wouldn’t allow me to commit to classes and then there was Covid. I’m still not ready for deep breathing in shared spaces! If you are taking any classes online, by all means, share!