No longer is muscle building the domain of bodybuilders. Instead, it is something we all should be focusing on. We’re not saying you need to build your muscles beyond recognition, but that building your lean mass is important. As we age, our lean body mass starts to drop, where at age 40 it lowers by 8% each decade, up to age 70 where it lowers at a rate of 15% per decade. That makes it vital you start to build your muscles up now!
Top 5 reasons you need to build your muscle mass
- More muscles = more strength – it makes sense that the larger your muscles are, the stronger they become. This lets you remain physically active and independent for longer. Strong muscles can help prevent fractures as they protect your joints and bones too.
- Muscles help control blood sugar – larger muscles have more room for storing carbohydrates such as sugar. By increasing your lean muscle mass, you lower your blood sugar and reduce your risk of developing diabetes.
- More muscles help you live longer – a Tufts University study showed that a person with more muscle mass had a better chance of living longer than someone who didn’t.
- Strong muscles make life easier – besides making daily activities such as walking, bending and lifting easier, strong muscles also help give us better posture which reduces chronic pain due to sciatica.
- Muscle burns calories – the more muscle you have, the higher the number of calories you will burn. This is important because as we age, our bodies burn fewer calories naturally which cause us to gain weight easily. If you have a lot of muscle, your metabolic rate is higher, which helps you burn unwanted calories.
For ideas on ways and activities to help build your muscles, head over to our Active Body section for inspiration.