Jack LaLanne, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Phelps, Rocky Balboa, the Incredible Hulk, and Super Man are all names of people or characters that make you think of muscles and strength. When people think of health, they often focus their attention and energy into managing cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar numbers. Others focus on brain health and cognitive abilities. These are certainly critical factors for aging well, but keeping your muscles strong as you age is vital to your whole body
Muscle Health and Exercise are Essential for Aging Well
Strong muscles and exercise are critical for maintaining and achieving health. For example, weak muscles put more load on your joints and cartilage lending to faster breakdown. Muscle mass, strength, and vitality directly affect blood pressure, blood sugar and insulin management, lymphatic movement, thyroid hormone activation, cortisol management, respiratory and cardiovascular health, and your gut motility and microbiome. They affect neurotransmitter production, mood and cognitive function, bones, liver, gallbladder, immune, sex hormone function, mitochondria biogenesis, and more.Aging, 21st Century sedentary lifestyles, high fat and sugar diets, and chronic low-grade inflammation work against your muscles. Other factors like illness, trauma, and medications, such as steroids, etc. also weaken muscle strength and mass. If you have ever taken a few months off from an exercise routine or spent a few days in bed from an illness, you know how quickly your muscle strength deteriorated.
More Than a Muscle Fiber
Skeletal muscle and heart muscle cells are more than just muscle fibers that contract and relax to make your skeletal frame move or heart contract. These muscle cells are densely filled with tightly organized protein structures, mitochondria, and other organelles. They are also packed with complex signaling mechanisms that turn on/off gene signals, turn on tissue growth and repair, energy production, and greatly affect immune and metabolic mechanisms.Exercise engages these mechanisms and functions. It promotes the growth of new proteins and mitochondria inside each cell, which increases the size of the muscle fiber and the volume of activity. Exercise and physical activity promotes muscle vitality and supports the health and function of your whole body.
Muscle Fiber Shrinkage: Oh My!
Age, sedentary activity, illness, and lack of use provoke the opposite effect on muscle cell structure and function. Proteins, mitochondria, and organelles shrink or atrophy leading to muscle weakness, decreased stamina, and breakdown. Mitochondria energy production and immune vitality are adversely impacted.Balance and movement become more challenging. Metabolism becomes less efficient. Gene signals and cell signaling mechanisms change. A decline in muscle mass and lack of exercise also affects hormones, blood flow, brain and nerves, detoxification, and elimination activities and more. When muscle strength and mass dwindle, vitality, vigor, and youthful movement become a distant memory.
Feed Your Muscles
Physical activity and exercise are obvious requirements for developing and maintaining muscle strength in all ages, but there is much more to it. You need to feed your muscles just as much as you need to feed your brain, joints, heart, thyroid, etc for health. Individuals of all ages need protein, unrefined complex carbohydrates, fruits, vegetables, quality oils and fat, and hydration to feed muscles for strength, stamina, and repair.Protein
In general, the amount of protein needed per day for adults is 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight (0.8 gm/kg). One kilogram equals 2.2 pounds. For a 150 pound adult, this equates to about 54 grams of protein per day.Athletes, elderly adults and others with loss of muscle or who have high muscle repair needs may need at least 1.0 – 1.2 gm/kg or more of protein per body weight per day. For a 150 pound adult, this equals 68 – 82 grams of protein per day. These requirements may be different for obese individuals or those with very limited kidney function. Check in with your provider if you have special needs.
Animal protein has better bioavailability of amino acids compared to plant proteins. Fiber and phytic acid found in plants restricts the availability of the amino acids in plant proteins making it more difficult to satisfy your body’s needs.
Whey Protein and Select Amino Acids
Whey protein is especially helpful for muscle health. Whey protein, which is rich in the amino acid leucine, increases muscle mass, muscle fiber size, and grip strength by increasing mTOR signaling. mTOR, a muscle protein repair compound, affects a host of activities related with building new muscle, strength, and metabolism.High leucine intake is required to turn on mTOR and helps build muscle mass even in the elderly. More information may be found in the article Whey Protein and Glycomacropeptides.
Glutamine supports production of new muscle cells, while blocking protein-breakdown signals. It also protects muscles against breakdown caused by steroid medication use. More information may be found in the article Glutamine: Critical for Gut, Immune System, and Muscles during Stress and Aging.
Arginine, another conditionally essential amino acid, is a game changer for athletes and those who want to up the game on their muscle strength and recovery. More information may be found in the article Performa Plus: Newly Enhanced for Circulation, Endurance, and Exercise.
Taurine also aids in increased protein levels in muscle cells and supports the microscopic infrastructure of muscle fibers. It has been shown to help negate the loss of muscle from lack of use, as it down regulates gene signals involved with muscle breakdown.
Taurine is also essential for mitochondrial function in muscles. Further information may be found in the article Plant-Based Diets Lack Taurine.
Minerals
Minerals are vital to protect muscle breakdown and loss, muscle strength, and contraction/relaxation. Magnesium, calcium, and selenium support muscle performance and buffer the movement of pro-inflammatory compounds (TNF-alpha, IL-6, etc) into muscle cells. Iron, zinc, and copper also help with muscle metabolism, energy production, mitochondria, and aerobic activity.Vitamins and Antioxidants
Vitamins and antioxidants provide important protection necessary for muscle energy production. Curcumin/turmeric has been shown to provide anti-fatigue effects, increased hand-grip strength, improved endurance, and protects muscles against oxidative stress.Omega-3 EPA/DHA (3000 mg/day), vitamin D, B vitamins, vitamin A, C, E, carotenes, coenzyme Q10, and ginger impact mitochondrial function within muscles, nerve signals to muscles, and cytokine and free radical management within skeletal and heart muscle cells.
Studies show that elderly adults who have better nutritional status with magnesium, selenium, iron, zinc, and calcium have better physical strength with healthier aging, compared to those who had lower nutritional values. Other research showed that seniors who consumed low amounts of zinc, folate, lycopene, and vitamin A had less muscle strength and muscle mass compared to other elderly adults.
Prepare Your Mitochondria
If the idea of exercise and physical activity brings anticipation of exhaustion and sore muscles use nutrients to prepare your mitochondria for the upcoming workload and demands. This can be helpful for young and old alike with various abilities. Prepping your mitochondria helps support your exercise tolerance, muscle power, stamina, and recovery. "Preparing for battle" ahead of time can make a substantial impact in the performance and recovery outcome. You can learn more in the article Exercise and Mitochondria: Use It and Nurture It.Helpful Tips
Busy schedules, family and work demands, not feeling well, and even lack of interest can get in the way of exercise and physical activity. Here are some tips to help you get back on track.1. Schedule exercise into your daily routine.
2. Do a variety of activities that you enjoy and can do consistently at least 3-5 days per week. If you don’t enjoy the activity, you won’t continue.
3. Consider exercising with a friend or personal trainer to help motivate and guide you for those tough times.
4. Set goals to motivate and review your achievements.
5. Work with your health care professional to measure how your health has improved with exercise and muscle strength. Positive effects may be seen over time with blood sugar, blood pressure, bone density, liver metabolism, and range of motion, joint tolerance, mood, and much more.
Diet and Supplement Support
Jack LaLanne feasted on 10 vegetables in two meals per day. Popeye loved his spinach. Rocky Balboa guzzled down raw eggs. You may not follow in their footsteps with their dietary choices, but you need to feed your muscles well. The first step is to consume a whole foods diet and omit the junk. If you have a treat, make it a small one with a meal. Follow the Five Rules of The Leptin Diet. Today’s foods fail to provide all the nourishment that your body requires.Consider supplementation to augment your muscle health with Daily Protein Restore, which contains a blend of whey protein, collagen peptides, and Turmeric Gold. Other fundamental support like Daily Energy Multiple Vitamin, Daily Protector, Leptinal, Joint All, Daily Builder, and Super Coenzyme Q10 Ubiquinol addresses the needs described above. More extensive support may include Performa Plus and GI & Muscle Helper. In doing so, you might just find yourself running up the stairs and doing your own victory dance as you feel better and stronger.
