Hey

Earlier this spring, I wrote two posts about age-related muscle loss. 

These posts discussed the dangerous consequences of muscle loss, especially for women. They also established a critical timeline when it was still possible to prevent and even reverse the negative impacts of muscle loss. Judging by the comments I received, these posts really hit the nerve. 

To be honest, I had some close-to-home reasons for writing about muscle loss. Late last year, a family member fell and broke her nose and both shoulders when our dog suddenly took off during their daily walk. The X-rays revealed that she had advanced osteoporosis, making it impossible for her surgeon to set the break...

A month later, one of my closest friends was diagnosed with osteopenia, a condition that indicates the initial stages of bone loss, at just 48 years old.

You may be wondering why I'm writing about muscles when my friends are dealing with bone loss. Here's something we haven't learned in school: age-related muscle loss can exacerbate bone health problems, leading to accelerated bone loss, osteoporosis, and fractures.

Let's take a closer look: 

As we age, men and women naturally lose muscle mass. If we don't do anything to prevent this loss, we can lose up to 8% of our strength every decade after we turn 30. This means that by the time we reach 55, we might be a whole 20% weaker. Scary, isn't it?

For women, this natural process is even worse. Hormonal changes in our 30s and 40s exacerbate muscle loss while robbing us of our sleep and energy. Not only does this add to the natural decline in muscle and bone mass, but it also makes it more difficult to get active and keep active.

So, what can we do to prevent this decline and maintain our strength and muscle mass as we age?

Movement to the rescue! 

Estrogen plays a crucial role in protecting our muscle and bone mass. 

However, as we enter our perimenopausal and menopausal years, our estrogen levels drop, and we lose this essential protection. It's worth noting that perimenopause can start as early as our mid-thirties. 

We must find a different way to stimulate muscle growth to stay strong. 

The only way to do it is through regular muscle use. 

When we use our muscles, we signal to the brain that we need all the muscle fibres available to us. This establishes the necessary neuromuscular connections; with time, more muscle fibres work more coherently to create better muscle strength.

The dietary protein dilemma: 

Consuming adequate protein promotes muscle growth. However, muscle growth cannot be accomplished through diet alone. You've got to move. 

Movement is not optional; it only becomes more crucial as we age.

, thank you for taking the time to read this far. I would love to hear your thoughts and experiences on this!