It wasn’t until recent times that the process of losing muscle and muscle tone during adult life acquired a name, sarcopenia, which simply means “vanishing flesh or muscle tissue.
Sarcopenia is a serious condition marked by a reduction in muscle strength as well as muscle mass and directly affects the muscles…not the bones…however, it is still associated with bone loss because our muscles are directly attached to our bones and if we don’t keep them strong there is less pull on the bones that they are attached to so they end up getting weak as well.
Since healthy bones and healthy skeletal muscles are mandatory for just about everything we do in life, the quality of our lives is severely diminished with sarcopenia. Rising from chairs, walking and maintaining balance, difficulty gripping objects and other more subtle symptoms are all the result of sarcopenia.
It’s hard to believe, but millions of people worldwide suffer with this disease and age is not a factor. Both the young and the old can be afflicted.
Sarcopenia is slated to become a major world health challenge in coming years and has become a very hot top in anti-aging circles these days. Researchers worldwide along with the medical profession have finally started paying attention.
The simple formula for building muscle, maintaining maximum mobility and avoiding sarcopenia is to work the major muscle groups through a range of movements under sufficient weight. This type of challenging and muscle stimulating movement cannot be achieved from normal tasks and everyday activities (unless of course you are a manual laborer).
We pay a high price when we don’t get the right kind of challenging exercise. The heart, blood vessels, liver, bones, brain, immune system and every other organ in the
human body is adversely affected. The truth is, your body is a “use it or lose it” machine and your muscles are a prime example of that. Just as unused brain neurons die, nerves not being used degenerate, an unused heart becomes weak and scrawny, your lung capacity diminishes if oxygen demand is low and unloaded bones lose density, your unused muscles weaken and shrink.
And, if physical damage is not enough to put you on the right road to challenging exercise, then maybe the anxiety, depression and added stress that an inactive person suffers will get your attention.
Your mental clarity, self-confidence and self-esteem will all suffer.
Truth is, if you are not building muscle then you are losing muscle.
When we are actively engaged in working our muscles it forces our body to grow while sitting around and participating in nothing but “channel surfing” encourages the body to decay.
Throw away the notion that muscles are for looks. They are essential to your health and to looking, appearing and acting younger. They keep your metabolism humming and burning fat, and provide you lots of energy.
Being physically active is the key stimulus to getting your body working at peak performance as well as preventing it from deteriorating.
There is no big secret here…the stronger you are in relation to your body mass…the healthier you are and the more vitality and zest for life you will experience.
For a mindset reprogram to make it effortless to both begin and stick to new healthy lifestyle changes The Weight Loss Motivation Bible is the place to start.
For more tools and resources from Carolyn Hansen to assist you in attaining your goals and achieving the success you desire in life, please feel free to visit and browse through my catalog of self-improvement products all geared towards health and fitness.
