Our muscle plays a critical role in allowing us to lead a healthy and active lifestyle.
We’re here to look at ways to improve overall muscle health so you can enjoy all activities of life at every age.
Early prevention of muscle loss and building your muscle reserve are crucial factors to maintaining quality of life as we age. Since muscle mass peaks at the age 30, paying attention to muscle health now than later is important.
Time to prioritize your muscle health and here is where you start.
Shop for a Balanced Diet
I’m sure you’ve heard it a million times “eat a balanced diet”. But there is a reason you’ve heard this phrase… it’s because it’s TRUE.
You should consume a variety of macronutrients which are made up of protein, fats, and carbohydrates. When shopping in a grocery store look for whole foods. Stay away from boxed items/processed foods – these tend to be found in the middle aisles of a grocery store.
Below is a list of healthy options to help you shop.
Proteins:
- Lean beef
- Chicken
- Eggs
- Greek yogurt
- Fish
- Cottage cheese
- Tofu
- Soy
- Tempeh
- Seitan
Fats:
- Avocados
- Cheese
- Eggs
- Fish
- Nuts & Seeds
- Olive oil
Carbohydrates:
- Oats
- Potatoes
- Quinoa
- Prunes
- Pumpkin
- Buckwheat
- Beets
- Bananas
- Carrots
- Beans
- Any fruit or vegetables fit into this category
Shop for an Exercise Routine
While nutrition is a key factor in leading a healthy lifestyle, it’s not going to build your muscle reserve.
What will build your muscles? Exercise.
So, the next thing you need to start shopping for is an exercise routine. This can be a daunting or overwhelming task. But don’t fret, here are some different options that may spark your interest:
- Biking
- Bodybuilding
- Bodyweight exercises (push-ups, squats, burpees, lunges, etc.)
- Boxing
- Cross-country skiing
- CrossFit
- Dancing
- Frisbee
- Golfing (lose the cart)
- Join a team sport (soccer, volleyball, kickball, softball)
- Kayaking
- Martial arts
- Paddle boarding
- Powerlifting
- Rock climbing
- Rollerblading
- Skiing / Snowboarding
- Slacklining
- Snowshoeing
- Swimming
- Tennis
- Trampolining
- Trapeze, Circus or Aerial Silks
- Walking / Hiking / Jogging
- Weightlifting
- Yoga
When starting a new exercise routine, be sure to ease in. Start with 10-20 minutes a couple times a week and keep increasing volume overtime. A good goal would be to workout 3-5 times per week for 30-60 minutes. If your day only allows for 10-20 minutes that’s fine too. Doing some type of physical activity is better than none.
At the end of the day, if you hate the style of exercise you’re doing, then you won’t stick to it. Find something you enjoy and love to do so it doesn’t feel like work.
Shop for Muscle Health Supplements
While making sure your nutrition and exercise are on point, sometimes there are still holes in our armor. As we age, the way our body metabolizes food also changes.
Protein-based nutrition plays an essential role in stimulating muscle protein synthesis and preventing muscle protein breakdown. Our bodies constantly metabolize proteins to replace those that have been damaged through normal function, age-related loss or by external stressors such as training, activity, illness, or injury.
We need to make sure we are consuming enough protein to protect our muscles from breaking down. If this can’t be done through food alone, we can add supplements to the mix. Below are some options if consuming protein through food alone is hard for you.
- Whey protein (dairy)
- Casein protein (dairy) – slow digesting, best taken at night/bedtime
- Soy protein (plant-based)
- Pea protein (plant-based)
- Hemp protein (plant-based)
While consuming protein offers support to fight against muscle loss, it can sometimes be an uphill battle to consume the amount the body needs. Underlying factors such as age and protein quality can impair the body’s ability to utilize amino acids for protein synthesis. Thus, protein intake is not the only factor regulating muscle mass.
MyHMB is a unique ingredient that turns on the muscle machinery responsible for increasing protein building in muscle while reducing the breakdown of protein in muscle. From this dual-mechanism, HMB has been found to help protein perform more optimally. 1
Learn more on how supplementing with myHMB can aid muscle health.
The Take Home Message
At the end of the day, we are all aiming for the same thing – a healthy life.
Make simple changes in your daily life to create better and healthier habits. If you continue to introduce easy, doable habits you will be able to maintain them and improve your muscle health and quality of life.
Want to try myHMB. Check out these products.
References:
- Rittig N, Bach E, Thomsen HH, et al. Anabolic effects of leucine-rich whey protein, carbohydrate, and soy protein with and without β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate (HMB) during fasting-induced catabolism: A human randomized crossover trial. Clin Nutr. 2017 Jun;36(3):697-705. doi: 10.1016/j.clnu.2016.05.004. View abstract.
