Build strength and muscle now, and it will pay off for years—maybe even for a lifetime. Here's how!
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As your muscles get older, they begin to shrink and lose mass. Additionally, the number of muscle fibers you have begins to decrease. Your bone mineral density also decreases, increasing your risk for falls and fractures. And don't forget your joints, which begin to lose their flexibility because of changes in tendon and ligament structure. Rather depressing, right?
But here's the good news: Research has shown that many of the changes your musculoskeletal system will experience are more the result of physical inactivity rather than aging itself. Maintaining your fitness level well into your golden years will do wonders when it comes to your body composition, balance, coordination, and overall quality of life.
If you need a pick-me-up three weeks into your transformation, here it is—and here are the details!
Lift to Counteract the Effects of Aging
People who are inactive can lose as much as 3-5 percent of their muscle mass every decade after the age of 30, so we can't stress enough the importance of lifting weights! There are numerous benefits to resistance training, including the likelihood and symptoms of:
- Arthritis
- Type 2 diabetes
- Osteoporosis (weak bones)
- Obesity
- Lower back pain
Done regularly—like 2-3 times per week, like in the Transformed plan—resistance training can effectively turn back the clock. It helps to build muscle strength and mass, preserve bone density, promote independence, and increase vitality. Don't forget that muscle mass and life expectancy have been shown to be highly interrelated the older you get. Muscle just might be the fountain of youth we've all been looking for!
Regular exercise can also prevent age-associated increases in body fat. Muscle loss leads to a drop in your metabolic rate of about 2-5 percent per decade. Calories that at one point were being used to fuel your muscles are put into fat storage, resulting in the all-too-familiar gradual weight gain over time. However, regular lifting sessions have been shown to reverse this trend, increasing muscle mass while dropping body fat in older individuals.
Of course, no pill or powder can completely reverse the aging process, but a well-balanced diet and a properly structured training program can go a long way toward helping you stay in tip-top shape.
You may have thought that Transformed was your plan for the next few months, but our hope is that it can be the plan that changes the rest of your life!
* Ratings as of article's date of publication
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