What is the relationship between muscles and age?
Without any other external influences, muscle mass and age have an inverse relationship – as you get older, your muscle mass decreases 🙄. To add some numbers to the explanation, post the age of 30 years, you lose 3-5% of muscle mass per decade¹.
Why is it not a simple linear relationship?
Without any external intervention, the average 60-year-old would have lost 9-15% of muscle mass. This does not sound too serious given they are six decades old, however, there are two other factors at play:
1. If we assume the 60-year-old lost the average 12% muscle mass, but their bone density, body fat etc. remained the same, their overall body fat percentage would have increased relative to their weight.
2. It would be great if the 60-year-old just lost muscle mass and nothing else changed, but in most cases the impact of losing muscle mass is a double-whammy. The first whammy is as described in point one. The second whammy is related to muscles aiding your body’s ability to burn fat. Muscle mass helps your body burn fat – a body with a high percentage of muscle mass is more efficient at burning fat, as muscle mass increases your metabolic rate! As your body loses muscle mass, the amount of fat in most cases increases 😥. This results in a disproportionate increase in body fat percentage relative to the simple 4%, 8% or 12% (these are the averages per decade based on a loss of muscle mass of 3-5% per decade) loss in muscle mass as you age. This also explains why the average 45-year-old feels like they are in a bit of a downward (or rather upward) spiral in terms of fat gain.
Other undesirable effects of muscle mass decline:
1. Posture: Your muscles and bones help you to stand tall and maintain a good posture. As you lose muscle mass, your posture suffers. The ageing process also has a double impact on posture given that bone density also decreases with age which explains why you get more hunched as you age😭. This also increases the risk of falls and fractures.
2. Loss of muscle mass can result in several medical conditions:
Impact on cardiovascular health: Your heart is a muscle and a reduction in muscle mass can impact the health of your heart.
Insulin resistance: Muscles use blood glucose for fuel. A decline in muscle mass may increase the risk of insulin resistance.
Life expectancy: A higher ratio of fat to muscle mass may increase your life expectancy.
3. Looking good in a pair of fitted jeans 😁: have you ever wondered why your jeans do not fit as they used to? Well, less muscle mass in your glutes results in a more square, flat look.
How can you combat loss of muscle mass🦾
The simple answer – resistance training, commonly known as weight training. It is great if you start early, but imperative to start resistance training in your early thirties at the latest. The common problem is that a lot of young people weight train in their teens and twenties, but slow down or stop all together in their thirties and beyond, at a time they need it most. Weight training is also good for maintaining healthy bone density. You should aim to lift weights three to five times a week and target all muscle groups – big biceps are great, but they are not going to help your posture when you are 60 years old 😉.
References:
1. https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/preserve-your-muscle-mass
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