Greetings, KABOOMERs. I’m NOT undermining Muscle Growth. Quite the CONTRARY.
If it wasn’t for SARCOPENIA in our 7th and 8th decades on this planet, I wouldn’t rock our Boat about Muscle.
‘Tis sad, yet it IS a natural truth that LOSS of skeletal muscle accelerates as we age. Can we counteract that loss of flesh?
It Depends. I offer a resounding YES – IF we do the Resistance work to DEcelerate muscle loss.
Conversely, I give a tragic “NO” if dormant, immobile lifestyles persist. Here’s what orthopedists sadly offer IF we do NOTHING:
“it has been observed that muscle strength decreases by 15% in the 6th decade of life. Furthermore, muscle strength may decrease by an extra 30% in the 7th decade of life.”
Boomers may accept LOSS of 50% of their youthful muscle mass by their 80th birthdays. If so, here’s what our NIH offers as tragic TRUTH and CONSEQUENCES:
“pathological changes to this important metabolically active tissue [note – Muscle as MAT] can have profound consequences on the older adult. The consequences of sarcopenia are often severe in older adults, as the strength and functional declines associated with sarcopenia can in turn contribute to a number of adverse health outcomes, including loss of function, disability, and frailty. Sarcopenia is also associated with acute and chronic disease states, increased insulin resistance, fatigue, falls, and mortality. Of chronic diseases, sarcopenia has been especially associated with rheumatologic conditions, especially rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in women.”
And here is another nail on the head – “increased fat mass was associated with lower muscle quality and an accelerated loss of lean body mass.” Granted, there are “multifactorial” reasons for muscle loss – 1. increased inflammation (think clean eating), 2. hormonal changes, and 3 – lowered motor neuron function. YET – activity is a no-brainer to me as remediation and mitigation of sarcopenia.
KABOOMERS will NOT lose function. They will not become frail! ! A key element for Thriving and Striving into our Nineties is RESISTANCE Work, and recruiting our MIND with MUSCLE. Motion is medicine, and moving stuff is uber-medicine – even when we are pushing 85 or 90 years of age. Trust your Koach.
Here’s Why… “people think muscle strength depends on muscle size, but it has more to do with muscle memory…” Envision your muscles performing when you are at rest, and then they should perform better when they are loaded and moving.
According to Mens Journal, “mental-imagery [helps] our muscles act as “puppets to the nervous system.”
These minded puppets make for our good news! “Spend five minutes at your desk imagining an arm, leg or ab exercise can actually have a tangible effect…” Yet, our noggins cannot do it all! ‘…don’t rely solely on your brain for getting you in tip-top shape.” Amen. Don’t rely on mind over muscle solely, yet mold your muscle memory. There is merit to the adage, “BELIEVE to ACHIEVE.”
KABOOM.
Your next weblog will discuss our “strong oaks that won’t wither” as JRR Tolkein wrote. That post will describe how each individual KABOOMER athlete can perform her or his resistance training BEST. Yes, as you’re read and heard, IT DEPENDS!
Be strong, and remember => Muscle Under Mind!
Koach Dave
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