Muscle Loss + Aging
Sarcopenia affects millions of elderly people each year, but with early awareness and putting into action what I’m about to tell you, you can age with confidence, strength and have fun creating a lifestyle that supports you.
As we approach middle age, we naturally start to lose around 3% muscle mass each year unless we’re actively doing something about it. Sarcopenia is simply the term for age related muscle loss. Over time this loss of strength is linked to physical inactivity, decreased mobility, poor endurance, frailty, weight gain and it’s even linked to increased mortality.
Hence, why I feel like it’s so imperative to work with middle aged humans, like myself, to create awareness around this information, take advantage of our preventative mind set and support you with lifestyle changes that keep us feeling our best for as long as possible.
Combat muscle loss the natural way- with a good diet, exercise and lifestyle habits.
Incorporate resistance training into your movement schedule
RT is one of the best ways to counteract age related muscle loss because it puts stress on your muscles, telling them to grow stronger and bigger, which is the opposite of sarcopenia.
2. Walking- Studies have shown that people who walk regularly are less likely to develop sarcopenia- not to mention have better overall quality of life. I’m a big fan of add-ons so walking in nature, with a friend, with your pup, as an observer in complete silence or with a podcast in your ears make this free and accessible activity even more enjoyable.
3. Protein- the building block of muscle tissue. Quality is really important not so much for muscle growth but for your overall wellbeing. Pasture-raised, grass-fed meat are a great source of protein among other nutrients but you can do this without animal consumption as well. Nuts, legumes, beans, eggs, seeds, tofu, tempeh, powders if you wish and collagen too.
4. Antioxidants- Foods high in antioxidants help scavenger free radicals which helps lower inflammation and prevent oxidation with can lower your chances of sarcopenia. Ensuring that you nourish yourself with whole foods is very helpful and some with a high antioxidant content like berries, citrus fruits, purple and sweet potatoes, green tea, carrots, beets, spinach, the list goes on.
5. Get your Vitamin D- Our bodies need the hormone, vitamin D for maintaining bone density, absorbing calcium and keeping on muscle mass- amongst many other things. It even has an anti-inflammatory effect on our body. Just a few short minutes of direct sun on your skin is enough and supplementing where the sun don’t shine is very important too! If you plan on being out in direct sunlight for long periods of time, always consider a high quality mineral sunscreen - you could be doing more damage than good if not- but that's a topic for another day.
Now, this is not a dirty secret so you don’t have to keep it to yourself. I invite you as always to share with anyone you care about and want to live well with.
Aging is better when you know how to do it well,
Jess
