Muscle loss (sarcopenia) doesn’t have to be part of getting older, and anyone is actually in the perfect position to turn things around or keep the muscle they’ve got.
Resistance training
Resistance training is literally like a fountain of youth for your muscles. I’m talking about lifting weights, using resistance bands, or even just doing bodyweight stuff like push-ups against the wall. Your muscles absolutely love HIIT..I personally started doing this 4 times every single week more than a decade ago when I hit fifty, and holy crap, I feel stronger now than I did in my forties! You don’t need to become a gym rat though – just 20-30 minutes of challenging your muscles consistently is still okay. I get that some folks got arthritis…Less is still more.
PROTEIN
Here’s the game-changer most people miss – PROTEIN, and lots of it. To slow down muscle loss, eat a lot of protein. As people age, our bodies get lazy at using protein, so we need way more than younger folks. A beneficial goal would be about twenty to thirty grams of protein at each meal… eat some eggs, chicken, fish, Greek yogurt, whatever works for you. Energy levels will improve. TRY this, it will change everything.
SLEEP & STRESS
Get adequate sleep (at least 9 hours of good night sleep) and managing stress. Muscles love sleep and rest, rebuilding themselves while you sleep. Plus, chronic stress pumps out cortisol which eats muscle like crazy. If you want to stop losing muscle you need to do your best to avoid stress. Try to enjoy yourself, practice gratitude. Pray, worship or meditate. The first two will help you get you closer to the Holy Spirit, and the Spirit of God chases away anxiety. Meditation, yoga, relaxation therapy help alleviate stress. Find your ways to do that and practice it.
Don’t let anyone tell you that getting older means getting weaker – that’s just lazy thinking from people who gave up too early! Most people think getting weaker is just part of aging. That’s misguided thinking.
It’s your call !
