After age 40, we begin to lose 5% of our muscle mass every decade unless we do something to stop the loss.
Muscle building exercises for healthy aging and longevity are essential if we want to stay active and live a long, productive life.
In fact, exercising is one of the 13 habits linked to a long life.
Regular physical activity promotes overall good health, helps prevent weight gain, and reduces the risk of developing chronic diseases, like diabetes and heart disease.
The regular exercise that most people engage in to stay fit and healthy is walking, which is very good, but there’s more we can do to promote healthy aging and longevity; we can do muscle-building exercises.
Recent Studies
Recent studies conducted on the correlation between muscle-building exercises (aka resistance or strength training) and healthy aging have revealed more than what was originally thought.
Research from Harvard University stated that as little as 15 minutes of physical activity a day could boost your lifespan by three years.
A study, performed at Ball State University led by Scott Trappe, the director of the Human Performance Laboratory, found that men and women in their 70s who exercise regularly have the heart, lung and muscle fitness of healthy people 30 years younger.
“We were shocked,” says Scott Trappe, author of that study. “We assume that as you get older, you become frail and weak. But just looking at the muscle of older exercisers compared to younger ones, we couldn’t tell who was young and who was old.”
Researchers at Brigham Young evaluated DNA samples of almost 6,000 adults. They measured the lengths of study participants’ telomeres, the compound structure at the end of chromosomes (similar to shoelace tips) that tend to get shorter with age.
They found that people with higher activity levels had longer telomeres than those who were sedentary.
In fact, the exercisers had a “biological age” that was about nine years younger.
While it’s evident that resistant training will build stronger muscles, this study revealed that people who engage in regular resistance training build their confidence, motivation, and get a positive boost to their emotional well being.
Studies conducted by the CDC revealed that muscle-building exercise can also improve balance, reduce the likelihood of falls, improve blood-sugar control, and improve sleep and mental health.
All research that has been conducted on the impact of muscle-building exercises and healthy aging have shown positive results.
As long as the strength training is done in moderation and safely, there is nothing to lose (except excess weight) and everything to gain.
The Department of Health and Human Services declared that most people over the age of 45 are not engaging in enough strength training exercises to help them prevent bone and muscle loss as they age.
It’s not only the loss of bone and muscles that we need to be concerned about as we age, but there are also many other health benefits we can receive from regular strength training.
Benefits of Muscle Building Exercises
The benefits of strength training are almost immediate for anyone of any age. It’s never too late to begin a program designed to help you build stronger muscles and improve your health.
You’ll be Stronger
Being strong enough to take care of yourself as you age is vitally important, and strong muscles will help you live an independent life now and in the future.
Protects Bones and Muscles
Bones and muscles naturally become weaker as we age, but muscle-building exercises can slow the process down and in some cases, even reverse it.
Osteoporosis can be prevented, or at least slowed down, with regular strength training.
Muscles that help us with our daily tasks can be strengthened to prevent injury and allow us to continue to be independent as we grow older.
Weight Control
Strength training increases your resting metabolism and calories continue to burn at a higher rate after a workout.
Muscle building exercises keeping your metabolism active longer than walking or jogging after the exercise has stopped.
Excess weight can lead to a wide range of chronic health conditions, so controlling you are reducing your risk of developing these chronic diseases.
Improve Balance and Coordination
A fall can be devastating for an older person.
Quality of life may never be regained after a fall that results in a bone fracture.
Help prevent falls with regular strength training that will improve your balance and coordination.
Help Manage Chronic Diseases
Joint stiffness and pain associated with arthritis can be reduced with regular strength training exercises.
The range of motion and quality of life can be improved for anyone suffering from arthritis.
Boosts Energy Level and Mood
There is a decline in the energy level as we age, and age-related health issues often contribute to foul moods.
Engaging in regular muscle-building exercises can boost the energy level and the mood through the release of endorphins (natural opiates produced by the brain).
Sleep Better
Not sleeping well is another age-related complaint that can be helped with regular strength training.
Your body can relax better after a workout and this helps you fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer.
Sample Exercises
Muscle building exercises does not mean lifting heavy weights, and you don’t even have to join a gym to develop stronger muscles.
This beneficial type of activity is all about resistance.
Resist the weight of your body and/or small hand weights.
Start slow and gradually increase the time and intensity of the workout.
Squats
You can hold onto the back of a chair to stabilize yourself and squat 10 times.
Add small hand weights as you adjust to this exercise and continue doing it for 1 minute.
Overhead Shoulder Press
Lift small hand weights over your head several times.
Forward and Reverse Row
Hold 2 small hand weights and lifting them forward up to the chest 10 times, then lifting them towards the back 10 times.
Many strength training, muscle building exercises can be down while sitting in a straight chair.
In summary
It’s never too late to start.
Studies have demonstrated that people who start exercising late in their life, even in their 80s and 90s, experience tremendous health and longevity benefits.
A published study in the International Journal of Stroke indicated that those who became fit later in life (ages 40 to 59) were able to cut their risk of stroke in half, while those who had exercised when younger and stopped when older doubled their risk.
Sources:
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2727269
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29878445
https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/downloads/growing_stronger.pdf
