Adults….if you’re not already doing so, you need to incorporate strength training into your fitness routine. Although all of us will have some degree of muscle loss over time, how much muscle is lost and how fast it happens depends a lot on how well we take care of our bodies. Staying active and exercising regularly can significantly slow muscle loss due to aging.

The process of losing muscle mass as we grow older is called aging sarcopenia. Sarcopenia is, in its most literal sense, the loss of muscle mass, strength and function related to aging. It begins around the age of 25, but it becomes much more noticeable after age 50. As we lose muscle mass, our bodies get weaker.

To decrease the effects of sarcopenia, you need to build muscle. To build muscle you need to engage in some form of resistance training that will place a load on the muscles hard enough to stress them into getting stronger.

Combining strength training with aerobic exercise, as well as, mobility/stability and stretching exercises can increase the benefit to your muscles even more. An added advantage is that this type of regular physical activity can promote heart, bone, metabolic and mental health, too.

Loss of muscle mass is a process that comes with aging, but you have the power to control it. Regularly making time to fit exercise into your schedule is well worth it. You will see long-term benefits not only in strength, but also in your flexibility and balance, and improvement in your overall fitness, health and — particularly important — your quality of life.

Ready to get stronger?….Don’t know where to start?……Stop in and talk with us, we’d love to help.