Men who work out and lift weight are very easy on the eye. Imagine how attractive a man is after extensive working out and wearing a fitting shirt. It feels good to be well sculpted and even feels better when a man attracts attention, especially from the ladies. However, is this sustainable? How long can a man stay fit before their hands start drooping and their muscles disappear, literally. It’s very common to see a very petit elderly man with gangly limbs and no muscles. Ageing is a natural process, and it comes with its fair share of complications, one of them for a ripped guy, is the loss of the muscles that they once cherished and nurtured, in the gym. Everyone wants to turn back the hands of time when it comes to beauty. But how possible is it to do so when Mother Nature comes calling? Fighting ageing can be as impossible as chasing the wind. This research will help you in the Dos and DON’Ts in regard to staying ripped for several decades.
Sarcopenia
Sarcopenia literally means “lack of flesh.” It’s a condition of age-associated muscle degeneration that becomes more common in people over the age of 50. Well to be fair, it just doesn’t hit you at fifty, it starts at 30, and while it’s a natural ageing process, it can actually be slowed down or prevented altogether.
Researchers say that men lose muscle at 5% per decade that means that when one hits fifty years, they would have significantly lost so much muscles, up to ten percent. This can be devastating as it comes with lower metabolism, fatigue and general muscle loss.
Having weaker muscles will in the long run affect your quality of life. Regular things that you enjoyed doing in your youthful days will become a huge task. Even the morning jog could turn to a stroll that ends in breathlessness.
So, a healthy young man has a balance with two bodily processes; anabolism and catabolism. Anabolism is the growth of muscle cells, while catabolism is the destruction of muscle cells. The two work hand in hand in a delicate process. When there is some imbalance, with mostly catabolism being dominant, sarcopenia takes place. During aging, the body becomes resistant to the normal growth signals, tipping the balance toward catabolism and muscle loss.
Ageing is the biggest trigger for sarcopenia but, not totally, there are several factors that contribute.
What causes Sarcopenia?
1. Immobility
Stay active! Anabolism reduces when we are immobile so keep it moving. Working out increases our metabolism hence new muscle cells will be formed with every work out. Do you know that two to three weeks of being dormant is enough trigger for sarcopenia? There are various workouts we can have to build muscle;
Aerobics; run, jog or even cycle as this will increase our heartbeats rate while in turn facilitating the production of new muscle cells. It indeed pays to go an extra mile, literally. A study found that five days per week of cycling, jogging or hiking increased muscle mass. Women started with 15 minutes of these activities per day, increasing to 45 minutes over 12 months.
Power up; I know most of us love convenience. We would rather use the lift rather than the stairs, we even prefer driving to distances that we can easily walk. Avoid conveniences that makes us sedentary, use your power, it pays in the long run.
Resistance train9ijng; resistance training actually builds body mass, ask any body builder. In fact if you can start it as early as 30 it will be fine. In a study of 1328 men over the age of 50, those who underwent resistance exercise saw significant increases in lean mass compared to those who didn’t train in this way
Full body workout; when you hit the gym ensures you do a full body work out. Use the treadmill, carry the dump bells, skip ropes, jump on the trampoline, go for a swim as long as every muscle is being worked out.
2. Diet
Proteins are very important. Anyone who attended a Biology class is aware that proteins are the body builders. Remember Anabolism? It cannot take place where there is no protein. The amino acids required for the process are found in protein. As people age, their muscles become more resistant to this signal, so they need to consume more protein to increase muscle growth. Vegans should ensure that they get alternative sources of proteins otherwise sarcopenia may easily catch up with those who are totally vegan as there will be no way to replace the destroyed cells during catabolism.
Most elderly people may not have teeth strong enough to deal with meat hence may take less protein. Proteins should actually be consumed more in the old age, unlike how most people go vegetarian as they age, those are fad diets. Proteins will actually keep you younger as they help in the formation of new muscle cells. Fish, dairy eggs and meat are very important especially when we hit 30 years. Please avoid fad diets that tell you your aging process will be slowed down when you don’t touch meat. Grab a biology book.
Vitamin D is also important as it aids in bone formation. Its deficiency is not directly linked to sarcopenia, but weak bones will cause immobility which is a cause for sarcopenia, you get the connection? The best dose of vitamin D for preventing sarcopenia is currently unclear.
3. Creatine
Creatine is very important for muscle function. It works both as part of the creatine-phosphocreatine system during high-energy activities, and as a player in the creatine-phosphocreatine system used in less intent muscular activity. You can consider getting it as a supplement. Creatine is probably not beneficial for sarcopenia if used alone, without exercise. Out of all the supplements available creatine monohydrate is the cheapest and most common.
4. Omega 3
Athletes are known to use omega 3 acids to build muscle fat. It can also be used by the elderly as a supplement.
Sarcopenia, the loss of muscle mass and strength, becomes more common with age and can decrease lifespan and quality of life.
Nevertheless, exercising is the most effective way to prevent and reverse sarcopenia. Move more, enjoy a balanced diet, and ensure that testorene levels are under check.
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