The amount of lean muscle in the body peaks in our twenties and begins to decline at a rate of about 10% every year. Having muscle on the body is important at any age and here are the reasons why:
In your 20s and 30s, having muscle:
- Prevents weight gain and obesity by keeping the metabolism high so that the calories taken in from food and drink are used up instead of being stored as body fat.
- Makes activities easier to do – whether you’re unloading the groceries or playing a singles match in tennis.
- Sets the stage for healthy aging. Maintaining lean muscle in your 20s and 30s begins the process of building up health reserves to keep us fit and healthy as we get older.
All of the benefits that you get from maintaining muscle in your 20s and 30s continue into your 40s and 40s. Maintaining your lean muscle in your 40s and 50s also:
- Protects your knees, shoulders and hips. Having muscle takes the pressure off of the joints of the body, helping to avoid the deterioration that can lead to shoulder surgeries and hip and knee replacements (becoming much more common for people in the 50’s and 60’s).
- Reduces the risk of low back pain. Strengthening the muscles of the core can prevent at least 80% of low back pain.
- Better posture. Lean muscle helps us to stand up straighter, avoiding sore necks, upper backs, shoulders and lower back.
- Increased bone density, allowing you to avoid osteoporosis and the accompanying medications with side effects that can lower health reserves.
In your 60s, 70s and beyond, the added benefits of having lean muscle means better balance and basic strength – especially important as living independently at home and preventing falls becomes top priority. Having strong, lean muscle also allows you to continue to perform your basic daily activities and continue to do all of the activities you love like traveling, gardening, golfing, playing tennis or skiing.
Here are 3 easy ways to maintain and even increase your muscle:
- Avoid skipping meals or going on low calorie diets. Skipping meals tells the body to conserve energy as body fat, increasing the risk of becoming overweight or obesity. Skipping meals also lowers existing muscle stores making it much easier to gain weight.
- Eat protein. Protein builds lean muscle.
- Do resistance training to maintain or increase your lean muscle. Working out with weights 3 times a week for 30 minutes will keep your muscles in great shape.
If you introduce these tips into your life, you will see noticeable improvements within 4 to 6 weeks. So, outsmart “old” and begin building that lean muscle today.