Maintaining Muscle

(Positively Ageless)
This chapter talks about our muscles. As we progress through our adult life, our muscles tend to become smaller and weaker. After age 30, your muscle mass dwindles approximately 3-8% each decade. Once you hit 60, these losses accelerate even more quickly. Decreased muscle mass means you'll burn fewer calories. Also, the vigor of your muscles is related to the strength of your bones. When your muscles are weak, your bones are more likely to be weak.
Exercise that helps your muscles helps your bones, too. Shrinking muscles may grow less responsive to insulin. Your muscles are avid consumers of glucose, or blood sugar, but they need to use the hormone insulin so the blood sugar can enter their cells. When they become insulin resistant, the sugar can't enter. This puts you at greater risk for type 2 diabetes,which in turn raises your risk of heart disease, stroke and perhaps Alzheimer's. So maintaining your muscles is about staying fit, vital, independent, and free of disease. Even people in their nineties can show impressive strength gains with exercise. Here are some of the factors that contribute to declining muscles as you venture into your later years.
Lack of use, insufficient protein, hormonal changes. To maintain your muscles, try to exercise 30 minutes daily, include resistance exercise, such as lifting weights, barbells, machines at the gym or elastic bands. Always check with your doctor and have a professional trainer guide you. Remember to warm up 5-10 minutes and stretch before and after a workout. Also get plenty of healthy protein. Remember you are in this life for the long haul so this needs to be enjoyable and fun. Find what you like. Remember to take time to rest too.