Building Muscle Mass After 60 for Greater Longevity
Building Muscle Mass After 60 is almost an art form of sorts, like sculpting your body as an artist would do. Working out as an elderly or disabled person is the same for all others, we just need to adjust the particular exercise to the particular situation.
So the first thing is to develop a consistent schedule, even if only 15 minutes a day, 5 times a week. Keep the schedule the same so your body and mind can look forward to that routine.
What is the same for all of us, is that building muscle takes dedication and determination, because after a workout, your body can feel quite tired.
You might even feel the burn in your muscles and sometimes, it can reach the point to where you might start wondering why you even keep going. There’s relief at hand for you, for those times when your muscles experience the pain of a workout.
Key Tips For Building Muscle Mass After 60 For Elderly and Disabled Persons
The key tips we share at Highly Mobile for all doing resistance training is to stay on a schedule that is consistent day in and day out.
Have your diet adjusted accordingly so you have proper nutrition before and after your work outs. We like vegan protein smoothies before the work outs and steamed vegetables like yams and broccoli after the workouts.
And most importantly, do not strain yourself, simply focus on exercises you are comfortable with. Do not push yourself at first, in fact only go 80% of your capacity with an exercise you are comfortable with.
If you are wheelchair bound we have a workout we will share with you in another blog. Even something as simple as lifting your arms, in a nice easy repetitive way, is a great way to get in your resistance training, that is designed exactly for your needs.
If you are on crutches, just walking longer and further is a good workout. Of course, you can sit and do your upper body in a convenient manner.
Alternate days of lower body and upper body workouts. For the lower body we encourage standing and walking. We do not like running and jumping for anyone that is movement challenged.
Walking is simply the most profound of exercises. Then simple leg lifts are great, with or without weights. And of course if you can do some light squats, they are the best all-around lower body exercise.
For the upper body workout, even if you are sitting in place or in a wheelchair, move your arms. Do arm lifts, side arm extensions and even pinwheels where you are rotating your arms in a circle.
At Highly Mobile we encourage you to keep moving and find a good personal trainer in your area or care facility, that will design the right exercises and routine for you. Whatever it is, have fun and keep moving!
Improve Your Quality of Life and Longevity By Building Muscle Mass
We now know that we can avoid the problems of muscle loss by lowering our caloric intake and increasing our resistance training.
We now know how to do this safely, with care and focus, to enhance all areas of our life. Finally, we can all see that our daily life will be improved on a consistent basis while we improve our quality of life and overall expectancy.
It has now been showed in many studies and in real life that the more we move, the happier and healthier we are. It has also been shown that the greater our muscle mass the greater our ability to move, and in more complex ways.
In a recent study titled “Mechanisms by which Calorie Restriction Delays the Onset of Sarcopenia” this is discussed in great detail.
The study CR Delays the Onset of Sarcopenia shows that CR delays the onset of sarcopenia, the rapid loss of muscle with aging and that sarcopenia leads to numerous pathways to morbidity and death.
While they focus on Caloric Restriction, we also know that modest resistance training will also reduce the effects of sarcopenia. We will explore both avenues here at Highly Mobile.
Why Building Muscle Mass is Importance for Greater Longevity
Epidemiological investigations show that the muscle mass of the human body decreases by approximately 1.5% yearly after the age of 50 and by 2.5-3.0% yearly after the age of 60.
The rate of sarcopenia among individuals over 80 years old is as high as 50%. Studies have shown that a 10% decrease in muscle mass leads to a decrease in immune function and an increase in the risk of infection.
A 20% reduction in muscle mass results in muscle weakness, a decreased ability to participate in activities of daily living, and an increased risk of falling.
A 30% reduction in muscle mass results in disability, loss of independent living ability, and failure of wound and pressure ulcer healing.
A 40% reduction in muscle mass results in a markedly increased risk of death from pneumonia, respiratory dysfunction, etc.
In addition, muscle is a protein storehouse and the primary tissue site of glycolipid metabolism. Muscle is responsible for the consumption of nearly 80% of the body’s glucose content, and its resting metabolic rate accounts for 30% of the entire body’s resting metabolic rate.
How Weight Training Reverses Muscle Loss at Every Age
The main manifestations of sarcopenia in elderly individuals are a decreased cross-sectional area of muscle fibers and reduced muscle strength and function.
Clinical studies have shown that the reduction in muscle mass is much greater in the lower limbs than in the upper limbs.
Gait speed or the short physical performance battery (SPPB) are commonly used to assess muscle function.
Muscle strength tends to decrease with age, as manifested by reduced grip strength and knee joint extension, weakened hip joint bending activity, decreased pace, and increased time to maximal muscle contraction compared with those of young individuals. n
So now we know that CR, Caloric Restriction delays sarcopenia, but we also know so does general movement and most effectively weight training.
At Highly Mobile we see first-hand how weight training reverses muscle loss at every age. Numerous studies over the last 60 years show that resistance training works to rebuild muscle at most any age, even in spite of other co-morbidities and disease states.
“Sarcopenia is a prominent manifestation of human weakness and aging, presenting as the loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength with aging.
Delaying aging while promoting healthy aging has historically been a challenge for humans. The protective effects of CR on sarcopenia are manifested as improved protein quality, maintenance of muscle strength, and enhanced muscle function, and these effects may be achieved via mitigation of cellular oxidative stress, promotion of mitochondrial function, alleviation of the inflammatory response, inhibition of apoptosis and activation of autophagy, and other mechanisms.
It is important to move, reduce calories and stay positive. By following what we are sharing here you will and years of quality living to your life. So as we like to say, Come Move With Us and experience the best life possible no matter what your age or lifestyle.
