Older adults: Build muscle and you’ll live longer | UCLA

 

New UCLA research suggests that the more muscle mass older Americans have, the less likely they are to die prematurely. The findings add to the growing evidence that overall body composition — and not the widely used body mass index, or BMI — is a better predictor of all-cause mortality.

Source: Older adults: Build muscle and you’ll live longer | UCLA

A couple of weeks ago I did a body mass composition test on one of my clients. He’s in his early 60s and has been training with me for about 3 months. He comes in twice a week.

During that time he has gained 2 pounds. This may sound like a failure, but when you look at his numbers there’s another story, something fantastic. He has gained 5 pounds of muscle mass, and dropped about 3 pounds of fat. His total weight is up slightly, but his body looks different. He’s much leaner. (Fat takes up more space than muscle!) His quads have gotten stronger. His shoulders look rounded and powerful.

My client came in because he was prepping himself for hip surgery. He wanted to be in the best possible shape going in to surgery. He knew that increasing muscle mass and strengthening his quadriceps in particular was an important component in his healing process. He worked hard for his gains by training and eating enough protein to increase his muscle mass.

The second part of his plan is as important. The recommended daily allowance for protein is far too low, and studies suggest that older adults need more protein than younger people in order to avoid age associated muscle loss (sarcopenia).

This story reminds me of the importance of getting everyone to understand that body weight is not the end all of measurements. In fact, to pay attention only to the scale often leads to people starving themselves, losing muscle mass, and ultimately gaining fat, even though they may actually weigh less. In the long run, especially as we age, this is counterproductive to good health.

If you find yourself where you don’t know what to do and want to lose weight, get help and create a balanced approach to eating wisely along with an effective strength training plan.

You are worth it.

Join us.

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Categorized as Fitness, Food

By Carlos Gonzalez

Carlos Gonzalez teaches English at Miami Dade College and yoga and wellness in the community through Miami Firm Body, the company he co-founded with his wife, Maribel. He works with words, movement, and the body. His calling is to invite others to join him in the joy of searching within and finding the strength and courage to walk toward wholeness. Carlos is a spell caster, an educational trickster whose core mission is to transform grief into a source of possible beauty, vulnerability into strength, and fear into wonder.

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