A sixty-something year old buddy of mine said something
funny to me the other day. He told me that when he was a
younger man, he had "a really nice butt". Funny… I didn't
even ask for that information; he just blurted it out when
we were talking about body shape changes that normally
accompany aging. He said that this particular bodily
feature had been one of the things that attracted his wife
when they were both young and as fresh as store-bought
lettuce.
"Well, why don't you still have a really nice one?" I asked
while only feigning ignorance of his probable answer.
"GOA", he answered with a smile. "General old age."
Now I'd heard it all. Here was a guy who only minutes
before had admitted he'd spent the previous thirty years
eating whatever he felt like in the moment while steering
clear of any edifice resembling a gym. Now only in his
early sixties, he laid blame for the loss of his previously
athletic shape on only the passing of those three decades.
Apparently, he didn't see the connections among his
sedentary life, his ravenous intake of sugary foods, and
the relentless conversion of his body into a soft and
shapeless form. He also refused to see that he could turn
it all around.
There's a name for the condition that had relegated my
buddy's "nice posterior" to the dust-heap of a nostalgic
memory. It's call sarcopenia; the natural progression of
muscle degradation with advancing age. It actually starts
to occur at a nearly imperceptible rate after age 25 and
accelerates on the other side of the 50 year mark. It's the
reason that even when you get back down to your youthful
body weight as a seasoned person, you don't necessarily
regain that youthful shape. And like most other tell-tale
signs of aging, the ravages of this scourge can be slowed
down immensely with both a bit of effort and a bit of
restraint.
The effort comes in the form of resistance training
(bodybuilding) and the restraint comes from at least
greatly reducing junk-food consumption, if not eradicating
it completely. Bodybuilding is our best frontline defense
in the fight to keep our muscles from deteriorating at a
rate that can reach one pound a year after the age of
fifty. Abstaining from foods devoid of antioxidants and
high in destructiveness (glycation) can greatly reduce the
overall age-related deterioration of our bodies.
Following is a list of the basic steps you can take to
greatly push back the onset of sarcopenia as you get older
and wiser:
• Utilize an effective bodybuilding/strength training
program
What most of us bodybuilders have known instinctively is
finely becoming accepted in medical circles; namely, that
aerobic exercise isn't enough for maintaining the health of
aging adults. Resistance exercise (weight training) is
absolutely essential. More highly developed muscles enhance
protein metabolism and speed up resting metabolic rate.
They also enhance posture, immune response, and bone
strength. There's even new research showing that bigger
muscles help stave off cancer and heart disease.
Notice that I used the word "effective" bodybuilding and
strength training program. I estimate that for every
effective methodology for putting on natural muscle mass,
there are probably a thousand that will provide you nothing
but more wasted time. Nail down a routine that works.
• Eat plenty of Protein with More Frequent Meals throughout
the Day
It surprises me how many people will allow their eating
habits to cause their solid flesh to waste away. That's
exactly what they're doing when they begin the morning with
some toast and a glass of orange juice, eat a salad for
lunch, and munch on some noodles in the evening. Where's
the protein?
Even those who get some with every meal are usually
consuming inadequate amounts for muscle cell regeneration.
Eat thirty to fifty grams of protein with each meal when
building muscle through resistance training.
Also, be skeptical of those who claim these high protein
levels are bad for your kidneys. There's no empirical
evidence that this is true for people with healthy kidneys.
Your kidneys were designed for processing protein.
• Eliminate or Greatly Reduce Sugar Intake
I'll opt for some excess protein in my kidneys over excess
sugar in my bloodstream any day of the week. Too much sugar
can wreak havoc on our cells when it bonds with protein or
lipid molecules. This creates a process called
"cross-linking", resulting in a phenomenon known as
'glycation'. Heavily cross-linked tissue (including the
skin and nervous system) can also lead to accelerated loss
of muscle.
Your best defenses against this are to kick the high sugar
habit and take a supplement called Carnosine. This dietary
supplement has been shown to significantly reduce glycation
in the body.
• Stick with mostly Low Glycemic Carbohydrate Intake
I grew up hearing the commercial that said "a day without
orange juice is like a day without sunshine." For the
longest time I thought: 'Wow, missing either one of those
must be bad'. Now I'm wondering if including either of
those is good – especially the orange juice (sugar in a
glass).
If you want to keep more of your youthful muscles as you
get older, eat mostly carbohydrates that are below 70 on
the glycemic index. Not only will your muscles thank you
for steering clear of the doughnuts and cheesecake, but
your pancreas will function better too. This can lead to
more control over blood sugar which will help eliminate
body fat and keep your shape on the youthful side.
That old saying "we are what we eat" is true, with a slight
modification: "We are what we eat and do". Put efficient
and effective bodybuilding to work for you and modify your
eating habits to ward off sarcopenia. For doing this, your
spouse or S.O. just might tell you you've still got a nice
'you-know-what' even when you're well beyond sixty.
----------------------------------------------------
Scott Abbett is the author of HardBody Success: 28
Principles to Create Your Ultimate Body and Shape Your Mind
for Incredible Success. He is a certified fitness trainer
and a Master Practitioner and Trainer of NLP. To see his
personal transformation, visit http://
http://www.hardbodysuccess.com
No comments:
Post a Comment