The one big thing you MUST do as you get older

…if you want to enjoy optimum health, that is.

 KEEP YOUR MUSCLE!

After age 35, we lose 5% of our muscle mass every 10 years, according to Dr. Michael Roizen, Chief Wellness Officer at the Cleveland Clinic. That’s IF we don’t exercise the right way to preserve muscle tissue.

If you don’t exercise, and you also don’t cut down on the number of calories you take in each day, you’ll put on body fat.

Less muscle. More fat. No wonder 65-year-old bodies look different than 25-year-old bodies.

So what, you say?

So be prepared to huff and puff during the ADL, or activities of daily living, as researchers call them: Going up and down stairs. Wheeling your grocery cart around the store. Doing the laundry. Vaccuuming your rugs. Putting away the dishes and pans. Scrubbing the floor. Dusting the living room. Making the bed.

Be prepared to get wiped out. To feel too tired to function. To spend increased time in a chair in front of the TV.

AND…to put yourself at increased risk for falls. Because your arms and legs will no longer be strong enough to support you.

Nope, not for you?  OK,  so what can you do?

• Perform strength training to maintain or build muscle.

I recommend 4 days per week of strength training. That way, you can exercise your entire body adequately without spending too much time at the gym–which can tire you out!  Four days per week of strength training gives you ample time for rest and recovery–also essential for building muscle. 

• Eat adequate amounts of protein to preserve or build muscle.

According to this article in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition–and yes, this pertains to YOU if you are exercising with the intent to fight muscle loss–research has indicated that athletes engaged in intense training need to consume about two times the RDA of protein in order to maintain protein balance. (Note the section in the article entitled “Protein.”)

I touched on this in an earlier post. Without sufficient dietary protein (1.4 to 2.0 g/kg/day, per the ISSN), your muscles may break down–not the direction you want to go in!

Divide your weight in pounds by 2.2 to get your weight in kilograms. (Check out my earlier post on protein needs for specifics.)

Please realize, this is a general recommendation. Refer to the article for more specific guidance–such as if you are an older adult, if you’re exercising for “general fitness,” or if you are training intensely. 

The JISSN article also offers advice for how and when to consume your protein.

When you’re contemplating your weekly schedule, don’t think twice when it comes to squeezing in some exercise time.

You need it! After all, you’d never stop brushing your teeth, would you? Not unless you want to be toothless at some point.

Don’t make the same mistake with your muscles. Yes, it takes a bit longer to work out than it does to brush your teeth. The results will be worth it.

And you’ll thank yourself every day that you wake up for the rest of your life.

Flickr photo, Aster-oid.