How do muscles change with age?
In order for health to accompany us for a long time, in old age it is necessary to pay sufficient attention to your body.
As we age, body composition changes and physical abilities progressively decrease even in people who are in good health. Over the years there is a loss of muscle mass and strength: in essence, the muscle ages, thins and becomes inefficient.
Science has shown how the muscles begin to decline at a young age: from 20 to 45 years the approximate decline is equal to 5% per decade, and then accelerates, reaching 10% per decade. By the age of 80, up to 50% of muscle strength can be lost.
This reduction is partly caused by physical inactivity and decreasing levels of growth hormone and testosterone, which stimulate muscle development. Furthermore, the muscles cannot contract as quickly as before, due to the loss of much of the muscle fibers responsible for a rapid contraction compared to the muscle fibers responsible for a slow contraction.
How to fight aging?
Aging is a physiological process. To a large extent it depends on genetics, but there is still a lot that can be done to limit the changes that, as we have seen, begin at a young age.
Lifestyle, especially when it comes to nutrition and physical activity, has a decisive impact on how the body ages. In addition to the importance of physical activity, it is recommended from a young age, to adopt a correct diet, complete and balanced in micro and macronutrients, to which habitual physical exercise is associated.
Researchers at Tel Aviv University's Sackler School of Medicine found that resistance exercises promote the production of stem cells in the muscles and ensure that muscle mass is maintained over the years. This then explains why people who have been physically active all their life age better.
The importance of sport after the age of fifty
Physical activity is essential at any age, but it becomes even more so after the age of fifty.
As we mentioned earlier, preventive forms of exercise such as the warm up, strengthening, stretching and coordination become more and more important over time: strong muscles protect the joints and ensure stability. Sport is also able to increase bone density and therefore reduce the risk of fractures in the event of a fall.
Carrying out physical activity consistently and staying active over time, with at least three hours a week dedicated to some form of movement, therefore contributes significantly to counteracting aging.
Physical activity also has a positive effect on hormones and facilitates weight control, which becomes more difficult to maintain in old age without physical activity.
As a support for muscular effort, we always recommend our products, which are useful for helping your body to relieve the sense of fatigue. We recommend our article: "Sport and the use of cosmetic products”, To decide which products are right for you.
Sport therefore proves, once again, the main ally of health. We have shown it, practicing it consistently brings numerous benefits and fights aging.
You can also start practicing sports at an advanced age, certainly benefiting from it.