Muscle Loss As We Age

Muscle loss begins in your 30s, but older doesn’t have to mean flabbier. Preserve muscle mass with strength-training exercises.
I honestly am not trying to scare you into action, but sedentary people over the age of 50 lose muscle at a rate of 0.4 pounds per year. Though muscle loss gets worse as you get older, even young adults aren’t immune.
For people who spend more time on the couch than on their feet, muscle loss can kick in as early as your 30s. Luckily, you can combat flaccid biceps and gelatin thighs with regular strength-training activities.
Not only can strength training prevent muscle loss, it also builds bone density and boosts metabolic burn. A study in the American Journal of Medicine found that, in 18 to 20 weeks, people were able to increase their muscle strength by 25 to 30 percent and boost muscle mass by 2.42 pounds.
If you don’t have access to a gym or weights, do exercises that rely on your body weight for resistance, like squats, lunges, leg lifts, dips, planks and push-ups.