As we age we lose muscle and that can lead to frailty in our later years of life. In prior blogs I talked about the importance of adequate protein to minimize muscle loss. However, nutrition is only half the story. 

Staying active is key

Although adequate protein intake is crucial for maintaining lean muscle as we age, it is actually daily activity that has the greater role. 

For example, you could consume adequate protein but never leave the couch and you would lose muscle. Simply, if you don’t use it, you lose it.

That example is a bit extreme, but it is what is seen in hospitalized patients that are bed bound for extended time periods. Without physical stress put on muscle, there is no need for the body to keep it around. 

By using and stressing your muscles you can maintain your muscle mass into your oldest years. Keep in mind that I am talking about maintaining your muscle, not increasing the size of your muscle mass.

In order to increase your muscle mass, you need adequate stress on the muscle with a surplus of calories for growth.

Depending on whether your goal is to maintain, or increase will determine how much physical stress and calories are needed. 

Maintaining your muscle mass

If your goal is to maintain your muscle mass as you age, staying active every day is an easy way to achieve it. Of course, you have to make sure you’re stressing your upper body muscles as well. Taking a walk may be a great activity for your lower body but does nothing for your upper body.

Regular chores such as sweeping, vacuuming, putting dishes away, cleaning, etc. are good ways to stress your upper body muscles. The key is to do something every single day. This will help maintain muscle and even increase strength depending on the activity. 

Daily activities to stress your whole body:

• Household chores 

• Carrying your groceries from the store and leaving the cart behind (only if you can handle the amount of bags)

• Yardwork

• Gardening

• Going for a hike/walk with hiking poles

• Washing your car/s

• Doing body weight exercises at home or going to a gym

Increasing your muscle mass

If your goal is to increase your muscle mass, you have to make sure you’re stressing your muscle enough along with an increase of calories. Although it is possible to lose weight while gaining muscle it is difficult to do so.

If adequate stress is placed on the muscle it will respond by enlarging to be able to better handle the same level of stress next time. This is also why it is crucial to keep increasing the physical stress as long as you’re looking to increase mass and strength.

There are two ways to increase stress on the muscles to make them grow. You can stress them by applying heavier loads (weight) or by increasing the time the muscle is under tension. 

Time under tension is a great option especially if you have joint problems as it reduces the total load on the joint while still stressing the muscle. 

Try this to see how time under tension works. 

• Grab 2 cans from your pantry

• Hold 1 can in each hand and raise your arms to your sides until they are horizontal

• Hold your arms there for 1 second

• Lower your arms all the way over 1-2 seconds 

• Raise your arms again and hold for 1 second

• This time slowly lower your arms over 4-5 seconds

• Did you notice a difference?

The Key Takeaway

In order to maintain muscle mass as you age you need to use the muscle. Getting adequate protein intake is important but it alone will not prevent muscle loss. 

Aim for daily activities that incorporate the whole body. These can include going to the gym, chores around the house, etc. 

It doesn’t have to be a very strenuous activity, but it does have to stress the muscle. If you are aiming to gain muscle, you have to have increased stress on the muscle along with increased calorie intake. 

If you would like a custom workout plan to get you started email me at dietitian2go@gmail.com.

Written by: Adam Skowyra MPPD, RDN, LD