Keep Those Muscles Pumped: How to Stay Strong as You Get Older!

Alright, so here’s the deal with getting older: most people shrink a bit as they age. For older adults, building and maintaining muscle becomes more challenging compared to their younger days. It’s like the saying goes, “use it or lose it.” That’s exactly what I focus on when working with older women who want to keep their muscles strong and healthy.

Why Muscle Loss Happens

A bunch of factors contribute to involuntary muscle loss as we age. It can start at different ages for different folks, but around your 30s, noticeable changes begin. After age 30, muscle mass decreases by about 3-8% per decade, and that rate speeds up after 60. Losing strength isn’t just frustrating for daily tasks, it can have serious health consequences too.
What’s really interesting is that how much muscle you lose can predict some pretty important things, like your life expectancy, your risk of illness or hospitalization, and how well you can take care of yourself.

The Science Behind Muscle Loss

Muscle is a dynamic tissue—it’s constantly growing new muscle while breaking down old muscle. The type of muscle we usually look at when talking about muscle loss is skeletal muscle. As we age, we start losing muscle cells and mitochondria (the powerhouses of our muscles). Even mutations can cause proteins to malfunction, making our muscles weaker.

The connection between your brain and muscles, called the neuromuscular junction, also starts to weaken, leading to muscle mass decline. Plus, hormones like testosterone decrease with age, which slows muscle protein production. Poor nutrition can also worsen muscle loss.

How to Combat Muscle Loss

Here’s the good news: physical activity, particularly exercise, can help combat muscle loss. While aging is a factor, staying active is key. Even short breaks in muscle use can lead to muscle loss—even in younger people!

So, regular exercise is crucial. Resistance training, like lifting weights, is especially beneficial for older adults to increase muscle mass. High-velocity resistance training, which means lifting weights quickly, is a great option. And don’t worry, it’s not just for athletes—simple exercises like chair stands or leg lifts can be incredibly effective.

Why It Matters

Losing muscle mass can lead to falls and injuries, and it can impact how well you handle medical treatments or surgeries. That’s why understanding what causes muscle loss and staying active is vital as we age.

So, keep those muscles pumped and stay strong—your body will thank you!