Keep Your Muscles Strong As You Age
A review of 16 major studies found that just thirty minutes a week of strength training is
associated with up to a 20 percent reduced risk for dying from any cause, or from cancer, heart disease or diabetes.
Adding aerobic exercise reduced risk for dying by 40 percent (British J of Sports Medicine, June 16, 2022;56(13):755-763).
The World Health Organization recommends at least two days a week of muscle-strengthening activities for adults because having larger and stronger muscles appears to help prevent many diseases and prolong lives.
Not moving your muscles puts you at increased risk for heart failure and premature death
(J Am Coll Cardiol,October 2018;7214)
Lack of Exercise Causes Muscle Loss
Stopping exercise, even for a short time, causes a dramatic loss of muscle size and
strength. It usually takes at least three times as long to recover the muscle strength that you lost through inactivity (J Am Med Assoc, 2007; 297: 1772-1774).
Recommendations
With aging comes progressive loss of muscle, including heart muscle. Not
exercising as you age speeds up this loss of skeletal and heart muscle, to increase
risk for heart attacks, heart failure, diabetes, obesity, arthritis, and premature death.
Exercise is just one part of an anti-inflammatory lifestyle that is so important for
preventing disease and maintaining your quality of life.
Other anti-inflammatory lifestyle habits include:
Following an anti-inflammatory diet that includes lots of vegetables, beans, whole
Grains and other seeds, and restricts sugar-added foods, all sugared drinks,
Processed meats and fried foods
Maintaining a healthy weight
Avoiding smoking
Avoiding or restricting alcohol
Vitamin D deficiency
To help you get started on your exercise program, just contact me on this website to try my online group training complimentary for 1 week.
Your Health Coach,
Christine!
