Many people weigh themselves on the bathroom scale and when it doesn’t change for year’s people assume all is well as it appears they are not putting on any excess body fat. But the problem with the bathroom scale is that it cannot differentiate between body fat and lean muscle mass.
The truth of the matter is many people have lost half the muscle tissue they had at 30 by the time they are 70. This is why they cannot get up from a chair unassisted. It also leads to reduced calorie use meaning that your body requires fewer calories each minute in order to maintain your weight and so the average person over 30 also adds about 10 pounds of weight in the form of fat each decade.
If you add into the equation the 5 pounds of lost muscle tissue that is hidden by the increase in fat, the body has added 15 pounds of fat during every decade. This means you enter your senior years with too little muscle tissue and too much fat even though the bathroom scales may stay the same.
It should be obvious that these changes in body composition (muscle tissue/fat ratio) are not desirable, but most adults are more aware and concerned about the fat gain rather than the muscle loss. They then start reducing food intake and diet to ‘lose weight’ – which further reduces their muscle mass because 30 percent of the weight lost through dieting and strict food restriction is muscle tissue.
One of the most negative consequences of the aging process is the loss of muscle tissue from not doing enough muscle building and maintaining activity. As many people get older they believe that is no longer necessary to be active yet they could not be further from the truth. There is absolutely no valid reason we all cannot be physically active so we stay strong and live a healthy vibrant life until the very day we die.
It is critical that every adult should begin or continue with a proper exercise program made up of mostly strength training. You will need to understand that as you trade fat for lean muscle mass (an extremely positive development) your bathroom scale may not show much progress.
You may be wondering why strength exercise is important for healthy aging and the first reason is that it helps reduce the rate at which you lose muscle mass. As this happens it drags health down with it as a general body weakening means a weakening of the immune system. This is the body’s amour and defense system and the last thing in the world you want to let weaken.
Second, strength training contributes to healthy aging by increasing bone density. Brittle bones are another inevitable result of growing older and lower muscle mass makes your bones even more fragile and at risk. When you exercise your muscles you exercise your bones keeping them strong to support the stronger muscles they are attached to.
Regardless of whether or not you think you should be doing a proper exercise program it is so critical to protect your health it could can mean the difference between spending your last precious years in a nursing home or spending them traveling, doing recreational pursuits or enjoying your family. Surely that choice is a no brainer.
Do you want to discover the secret to rejuvenating your body and improving the quality of your life? Download my free ebook “Ive Found the Fountain of Youth- Let Me Show You Too!” here: Health Related Fitness For Free Fitness Report here Fitness Weight Loss Carolyn Hansen is a certified fitness expert and fitness center owner who coaches clients to look and feel younger.
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