Stronger body longer life

Treat your muscles like an RRSP: The younger you invest, the more you’ll benefit later on.

- LESLEY YOUNG

THOUGH IT’S DIFFICULT TO IMAGINE ourselves in old age, the attention we devote to building and maintaining four crucial muscle areas – upper body, core, pelvis and knees – today will make a significant difference 20, 30 or 40 years down the road, when it comes to carrying out even basic actions, such as walking and bending. In fact, our skeletal muscles – the fibres anchored to our bones and tendons that enable both motion and force – are integral to how we function. If we don’t take care of these muscles, which start to deteriorate as young as age 25, we’re at risk of injury and a range of problems, from incontinence to weak bones to an increased risk of falls, which often reduces lifespan in those over age 65.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE LOSE MUSCLE?

Women are at several disadvantages when it comes to optimal muscle health. With age, our muscles deteriorate at a faster rate than men’s, explains Michael Bemben, an exercise physiologist and a professor in the department of health and exercise science at the University of Oklahoma. The neurons that control muscles in both genders are programmed to die with age. “Men typically have more muscle to begin with, so they can afford to lose some, whereas women can’t,” he adds.

It’s also more difficult for women to replace lost muscle than it is for men. A study in the journal PLOS One last year found that older women have less effective muscle protein synthesis – the process that breaks down food to build muscle – than men. As a result, the researchers advise women to eat enough protein (see “Eating Protein Helps Build Muscle,” right).