Sure, there are ways to look younger… Even add years to your life. But are there natural ways to hold on to your independence as you age?
According to a new study from the University of Copenhagen, there’s a simple solution… And it’s one we’ve told Health Watch readers about before.
Researchers studied physically active men. They wanted to see how inactivity affected their muscle strength. A brace kept these men from using one of their legs. Two weeks later, they lost up to 30% of their leg strength.
Then the subjects trained on a bike three to four times a week to regain their strength. They did this for six weeks. The result? They did get some strength back… But not all of it.1
Muscle atrophy in your legs is bad enough… It can make it hard for you to do the simplest of tasks. But what happens if you become bedridden from illness or injury for weeks at a time?
Inactivity can cause you to lose muscle strength at a rate of about 12% a week.2 You can see how this could add up…
That could mean being sedentary for six weeks may rob you of as much as 72% of your strength in any muscles you aren’t using. And for reference, six weeks is the average healing time for ankle fractures. It’s one of the most common types of fracture among the elderly.3
So how do you get that strength back—and keep your independence? You just have to get the right kind of exercise.
According to researchers in this latest study, “If you want to regain your muscular strength following a period of inactivity… You need to include weight training.”4
If you’ve lost muscle, you need to build it back up. Try doing bodyweight exercises—like pushups and squats—if you are new to exercise… Or if it’s just been a while.
Next, you can move on to resistance bands and then dumbbells. Gradually increasing the weight or resistance with each workout will not only strengthen your muscles, it will strengthen your bones as well.
This can help you avoid dangerous fractures while preserving—even building—muscular strength.
Be sure to eat a diet rich in quality proteins… Like wild-caught salmon and grass-fed beef. This will feed your muscles the protein they need to grow.5 You can also add more organic apples to your diet to protect your muscles from aging.
These simple diet and lifestyle changes will not only help you preserve—or rebuild—muscle… They will have you fighting aging and keep you feeling younger.
In Good Health,
Angela Salerno
Publisher, INH Health Watch
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References:
1http://healthyaging.ku.dk/news/inactivity-reduces-peoples-muscle-strength/
2http://www.nursingtimes.net/effects-of-bedrest-3-musculoskeletal-and-immune-systems-skin-and-self-perception/5003298.article#
3http://www.cdc.gov/homeandrecreationalsafety/falls/adultfalls.html
4Ibid
5http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3276215/