As we get up in years, we gain immeasurable benefits such as wisdom, experience, and a wider perspective on life. Unfortunately, we lose a couple things too. Sure, some of those things we’re glad to lose, like understanding this year’s ridiculous slang terms and caring about what a “meme” is; but more importantly, we tend to lose energy, flexibility, and muscle tissue. 

And those losses can amount to serious injury risk later down the road. So to keep you ahead of the curve, let’s talk about what you can do right now, to ensure you’re staying active and retaining your muscle mass as you get into those golden years.

Why Is Maintaining Muscle Important?

Now, you may be wondering to yourself, “look, I don’t need to be walking down the boardwalk, tanked up and guns blazin’ when I’m 72, do I?” But you would be oh-so-wrong. Maintaining your muscle mass isn’t just about your appearance, but your overall health. Our musculature is essential to performing everyday tasks such as lifting, walking, maintaining balance, and preventing detrimental injuries. It’s also been shown that maintaining proper muscle mass is linked with a lessening of osteoporosis, diabetes, and heart disease. 

So How Do We Retain Muscle as We Age?

Thankfully, there are a number of activities you can start doing now to help you keep the muscles you have, and even gain some in the near future. Here are our top picks:

Increase Your Protein

Turns out, beefing up your protein isn’t just for bodybuilders! When we increase our protein intake, you can help your body repair muscle tissue and even build more. To stay healthy and avoid ultra heavy foods, stick to lighter sources such as fish, chicken, beans, lentils, and greek yogurt.

Increase Your Hydration

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, hydration is vital to some of the most important bodily functions we experience. Water makes up around 75% of our muscles, and our bodies tend to lose the ability to retain water as we age. So it’s extra important to stay hydrated throughout the day. Carrying a water bottle around with you all day is an easy hack to help you remember to take a sip.

Increase Those ZZZ’s

Is there anything not improved by getting in some extra sleep? We don’t think so. When we get ample shut-eye, our bodies release growth hormones that help us rebuild our muscles and repair any damage we’ve done during the day. It’s a good idea to invest in some solid sleep accoutrement, like a good pillow, fluffy mattress, and black-out curtains if you so need. 

Increase Cardiovascular Exercise

Although we’re talking about maintaining muscle mass, your cardio fitness routine also plays a part in these processes. Namely, having good cardio means your heart is working as it should, pumping vital oxygen to all parts of your body which helps boost your energy levels and helps stimulate muscle growth. If you’re getting up there in years and having trouble moving around, consider specially designed chair workouts for seniors.

Increase Your Resistance Training

Now’s where we get to the good stuff! Strength training is one of the all-around best things you can do for your body, period. And before you go thinking, “I don’t want to turn into Arnold Schwarzenegger tomorrow!” Just relax – try as you might, that’s not going to be a direction you can accidentally slip into. Instead, strength training will be a key factor towards building functional strength and musculature that can help you live a longer, happier, and healthier life. The more muscle you build, the less likely you’ll experience injuries and fatigue, and the less fat you’ll put on!

And if you need any more guidance, sign up for a Free Trial with Studio SWEAT onDemand! We’ve got a huge library of onDemand workouts, including Senior Workouts, Virtual Strength Training Classes, and a whole lot more. Sign up today, and let’s make those golden years…well, golden!