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Put some muscle into it!

Building and maintaining muscle is extremely important for your health.

When you have healthy muscle mass you are more insulin sensitive, can perform more tasks easily, and even maintain cognitive function.

Loss of muscle mass can result in faster weight gain, disability and frailty, and has been associated with dementia. 

So how do we maintain or even gain muscle mass?

As you age, it gets a little tougher to synthesize muscle so, like most things related to your health, it’s important to start with diet. Make sure you are getting enough protein to support your lean muscle maintenance and/or growth. This doesn’t mean changing your diet to mega doses of protein it just means making sure you are getting an appropriate amount.

To maintain your lean muscle mass you can use this easy equation to get a baseline for how much protein you should include in your diet: BODY WEIGHT (lbs)/2= GRAMS OF PROTEIN NEEDED. For example: a 200lb person (divide 200 by 2) would benefit from 100g of protein per day as far as maintaining their lean muscle. That much protein can be found in 12oz of lean sirloin beef.

When it comes to increasing muscle mass, amino acids are an important factor. Essential Amino Acids (EAA’s) are utilized in protein synthesis and studies have shown that older adults and seniors experience greater protein synthesis when they supplement with Essential Amino Acids, either from blue green algae sources like Chlorella or by using Branched Chain Amino Acids. EAA’s are useful when it comes to weight loss, as the increase in lean tissue will result in a higher metabolic rate. It’s also worth mentioning that EAA’s  prevent muscular breakdown during intense exercise and protect your cells’ mitochondria (the energy factory of the cell).

Additionally, resistance training aids in muscle growth and maintenance. This does not mean you must become a powerlifter if you don’t want to. Resistance exercises using light weights, exercise bands, and water are some methods which can be low intensity but extremely beneficial, especially when performed on a regular basis. This form of exercise promotes muscle growth, improves range of motion, and helps improve circulation which can have a positive effect on general health.

Eating protein, supplementing with Essential Amino Acids, which aid in protein synthesis, and resistance exercises all have a positive effect on your lean muscle mass and by extension your overall health. Something they all have in common is if it is missing from your lifestyle, the benefits will also be missing.

Speak to the Live Well team at Pharmasave Summerland  for more information about how improved muscle mass can benefit your health.

Dan Cassidy, Nutritional Product Advisor (Registered)