The Best Anti-Aging Hack: Build Muscle!
Everyone wants to look as young as possible. Muscle is everything.
Muscles are anti-inflammatory factories, creating myokines that have a beneficial effects on the rest of the body.
They are also little sponges that soak up excess glucose, making you less likely to develop Type 2 Diabetes.
It protects your heart: low muscle mass is associated with increased risk of T2D, which increases risk of hypertension, both contributors to heart disease.
More muscle mass has also been associated with better cognition: “This cohort study found that the presence of low muscle mass measured by DXA was significantly and independently associated with faster subsequent executive function decline over 3 years among adults aged at least 65 years.”
It makes you strong, grip strength has been determined to be a great predictor of longevity. Muscle mass begins a steady decline as early as the 30s. After age 30, you begin to lose as much as 3% to 5% per decade. Researchers estimate that, generally, those between ages 60 and 70 have lost 12 percent of their muscle mass, with those over 80 having lost 30 percent. This loss is not just about sagging skin and flabby arms. Loss of muscle mass leads to varying degrees of inability to perform daily activities, like walking.
You look younger. The more muscle you have, the better you look.
To build muscle, you need to lift weights and eat enough protein. Lifting weights needs to be heavy enough to stimulate hypertrophy: Hypertrophy is an increase and growth of muscle cells. Hypertrophy refers to an increase in muscular size achieved through exercise. A hypertrophy workout consists of exercises utilizing low to intermediate repetition ranges with progressive overload. An example of this is 3-5 sets of 6-12 repetitions. How heavy? You should not be able to do more than 13 reps per set. Ideally, you are moving large and many muscles at once: squats, deadlifts, lunges, strict press, bench press, pull up, bent-over-row, etc. These are known as compound movements.
How to get enough protein: go animal-based. The older you get, the less calories you need, but the more protein you need. Animal protein, besides protein powders, have the highest concentration of protein without the excess carbohydrates (often in vegetarian protein sources). Aim for minimum 30 grams of protein per meal and closer to 1 gram per pound of ideal body weight as you reach middle age.
It’s never too late to start! This is Ernestine Shepherd. She was born in 1936 but she didn’t start bodybuilding until she was 56 years old.. and yes, she is 86 years old and looks amazing. She is the definition of #mylifegoals. Follow her on Insta here.