Most people over the age of 50 look at me funny when I ask them if they know about “sarcopenia.” You’d think I was asking them about a diesease or some weird illness.
The truth is sarcopenia is a common but little known health problem that effects older adults. In fact, 50% of adults age 75 and older have this condition. What is it? Its age related muscle loss also known as muscle atrophy.
Sarcopenia can have several causes but it’s mostly attributed to a lack of physical activity, insufficient dietary protein, and diminishing levels of testosterone and growth hormone.
The body naturally declines in both testosterone and growth hormone as you age but there are a few ways you can counteract the resulting muscle loss.
Sacropenia progresses gradually with aging but you can expect to lose about 2% of your muscle mass every year after the age of 65. That is unless you take steps to stop the muscle loss.
The good news is you can substantially control the muscle loss, even reverse it, with strength training, supportive nutrition, and hormone replacement. Numerous studies have shown that even as little as two months of strength training can boost muscle strength by as much as 40%.
While many older adults walk for physical activity they neglect strength training in part of their fitness programs. This is a common mistake that shouldn’t be overlooked.
The benefits of completing strength training as you get older…
Maintaining independence- muscle strength enables you to complete every day tasks with ease. Don’t wait until you experience difficulty with simple things like picking up a small child, getting out of the tub, climbing stairs, etc. There is no replacement for muscle strength when it comes to staying active and remaining independent.
Avoiding slips and falls- muscle strength is essential for balance and helps to minimize the risks of hip fractures and other injuries common with falls in older adults. Proprioception- or muscle awareness- is maintained with strength training but can quickly be diminished if the only physical activity you’re getting is walking.
This is easily demonstrated when you step on a wet floor, like when getting out of the shower or bath tub. When you start to lose your footing, the muscles work with integration to provide stability and support. If you don’t work your muscles regularly, they lose their ability to “fire” rapidly and provide stability in these situations.
Increase metabolism- most older adults tend to gain weight more easily due to the muscle loss and decrease in hormones. Muscle burns more blood sugar (glucose) than fat does so it’s essential that you maintain lean muscle mass to keep your weight down. The more lean muscle you have, the higher your metabolism will be.
Why walking alone is not enough to prevent muscle loss as you get older
Aerobic exercise like walking is great for cardiovascular health in older adults but it’s not enough to prevent sarcopenia. That’s because walking does not prevent you from losing muscle mass as there’s no resistance against gravity on the major muscle groups.
Your core muscles (abdominals, low back, hips, and glutes) along with the (chest, shoulder, upper back and leg muscles) should all be worked with resistance training.
Recommendations for strength training if you’re over 50…
Adults 50 and up should look to do two-three strength training workouts a week with each containing six to eight exercises. Functional strength training with free weights, cable machines, medicine balls, resistance bands, and bodyweight exercises work best.
You want to avoid doing exercises solely on machines where you sit down as there’s little integration of the major muscle groups. For best results, do functional movements where you reach, rotate, push, pull, and change levels on your feet- just like you do in everyday life.
We specialize in Charleston senior fitness programs using functional strength training…
My recommendation is to consult with a certified personal trainer who can design you a safe and effective program built around your unique needs. Shaping Concepts provides a free, no-obligations trial that includes an assessment and two sessions for local residents interested in a Charleston senior fitness program with personal instruction.
Additional Tips…
Increase your protein intake to ensure you don’t lose muscle mass
Recent research studies have shown that up to 27% of older Americans are not getting even the bare minimum of recommended daily protein intake. This is a big problem since protein is even more important as you age due to your body becoming less efficient at converting it into muscle.
To get a good estimate of your daily protein requirement, divide your body weight in half, and aim for that number in grams of protein. For example: if you weigh 150 pounds look to eat approximately 75 grams of protein daily.
Lean protein choices like chicken, fish, turkey, beef, pork, etc are great since they contain around 20 grams of protein per 4 ounce serving size. You don’t have to eat a lot to meet your daily requirements. Other good protein choices include eggs, cottage cheese, yogurt, and legumes.
Consider hormone replacement strategies using natural bioidentical hormones
There are a lot of misconceptions about the use of testosterone and growth hormone supplementation. It gets a lot of media coverage with pro athletes breaking the rules in attempts to improve performance, but in older adults this can be a safe and effective strategy for decreasing muscle loss and slowing the aging process.
Bottom line….
Strength training is an absolute must for older adults who want to offset the effects of sarcopenia. Maintaining muscle mass is one of the most important things you can do to remain active and slow the aging process.
I recommend you work with a certified personal trainer on developing a strength training program that best meets your needs and look to consume plenty of protein in your diet.
Finally, don’t neglect the fact that you’re naturally losing testosterone and growth hormone as you age. Strength training can help slow the decline in both hormones but you may want to consider seeking the counsel of a physician trained in hormone replacement strategies.
Combined with regular cardiovascular exercise this is your recipe for remaining fit, active, and healthy as you age.
Shane Doll is a certified Charleston personal trainer, fitness expert, speaker, and founder of Shaping Concepts Personal Training Studios. Learn more about how you can receive a FREE no-obligations trial of his Charleston senior fitness programs.
Posted:
Monday, October 12th, 2009 at 10:52 am
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