There’s good news and there’s bad news. The bad news is that we all naturally experience loss of muscle mass (known as muscle atrophy) as we age. In fact, around the age of 65, 10-16% of us will be diagnosed with sarcopenia – a musculoskeletal disease in which muscle mass, strength, and performance are significantly compromised. This loss of muscle mass can begin as early as the age of 30, and as society moves to become more sedentary, the prevalence of musculoskeletal diseases is sure to increase as a result of lifestyle choices. Sarcopenia negatively impacts a person’s quality of life by reducing a person’s ability to perform simple tasks of everyday living without assistance. According to Aging in Motion, people with Sarcopenia are two times more likely to be hospitalized, and the mortality rate is 41% higher than those without Sarcopenia. Not only that, but those who are alive and not infirmed can experience:

• Weakness or Frailty
• Poor Balance
• Difficulty Moving
• Lower Endurance

By now, you are probably thinking, ok…so where’s the good news. The good news is that many instances of sarcopenia are preventable or even reversable. After reading all the doom and gloom above you hopefully feel inspired to learn how you can avoid falling into this category. As with most lifestyle induced comorbidities, the best way to avoid them is through proper nutrition and exercise. Specifically, incorporating strength and resistance training is the best weapon to combat against nature’s way of depleting our muscle mass as we age. A good strength plan for anyone at any age will include:

• Core strengthening and stability movements.
• Squat variations – modifications can be made to accommodate any level.
• Deadlift variations – any sort of movement where you pick an item up from the floor and return it to the floor.
• Press variations – raising arms or objects overhead, or over your chest if lying down on a bench.

Resistance training modalities include:

• Bodyweight Movements
• Resistance Bands
• Free Weights
• Machines

Adopting a balanced nutrition plan is also fundamental in preventing or reversing muscle atrophy and sarcopenia. While eating an adequate amount of protein is key in reducing muscle loss, the following are also great principles to adopt:

• Eat plenty of fiber
• Consume healthy fats
• Reduce consumption of process foods
• Stay hydrated
• Be sure to get you daily recommendation of Vitamin D

Together, we can overcome these numbers and reduce the statistics of aging individuals living with sarcopenia. We simply need to move more and eat good food. As a Waite Training client, we can dial into more specifics about training and nutrition plans that are ideal for you.