Move It Or Lose It!: Gazette

Marnie Sanborn Myhre, PT, CYT

Recently I went for a walk with a dear friend I don’t get to see very often and she mentioned her concern regarding losing muscle mass as we age.  A few days later I received Harvard Medical School’s Healthbeat magazine which featured an article explaining that muscle mass declines 1-2% per decade after the age of 35. Yes, age 35, which seems quite young, but then that loss accelerates to 3-8% after the age of 60.  This age related loss of muscle is called sarcopenia.  That lost muscle is replaced with fat and an accumulated loss of muscle mass can lead to weakness affecting balance and increasing the potential for injuries, falls, and other disabilities.  My friend had expressed a healthy concern!  

Those falls can have a big impact on our lives as we age.  This same friend had taken a bad fall on the ice a couple years earlier and had fractured her wrist.  Was the ice to blame, or had weakness played a part?  I was hiking in Europe on a recent family vacation and I suffered a couple of falls.  No ice to blame, but lots of rocks and roots popping up to trip me up.  Is that muscle loss percentage catching up with me, I wondered?  

Muscle loss can be especially rapid after immobilization due to injury or surgery.  Patients are commonly instructed to rest to promote healing, but too much bed rest for an injury in one limb can be ill advised.  Too much rest can not only speed muscle loss but also reduce bone strength.  A recent study demonstrated that as quickly as 24 hours of bedrest can lead to a loss of calcium from the bones, making the bones more porous.  

However, we have options for minimizing this process.  Those convalescing can exercise while seated and move the other uninjured limbs and trunk to promote healing. Movement helps keep the rest of the body mobile and promotes good blood flow throughout the body to help minimize the loss of muscle and bone as we heal. 

According to a recent study published in the National Library of Medicine (NIH), the three main causes of our loss of muscle mass are changes in the endocrine system, a lack of exercise and poor nutrition.  We have some control over those last two factors.  Frequent and regular exercise and healthy nutrition can delay or even reverse the process.  Studies emphasize the effectiveness of resistance or weight-bearing exercises as most effective.  That would include using weights, resistance bands or supporting one’s own body as in doing push-ups.  Yoga is another excellent option as most yoga poses involve stabilizing one joint or limb as the other is stretching or moving. Tai Chi involves simple weight bearing movements that help with maintaining balance and strength.

Walking or running is another simple but effective way to maintain muscle mass as it combines aerobics with weight-bearing exercise.  I frequently hear people say they don’t walk outside in the winter for fear of falling, a healthy fear.  However, there are important measures we can take to minimize the chances of falling - using ice cleats on winter boots and walking sticks with pointed ends, for example.  Or better yet, whenever possible try to walk indoors when ice is a problem.  Create your own course around the house and start doing some laps.  If you can navigate a stairway, all the better!

As we age we also need more protein or essential amino acids to offset muscle loss.  Eating a healthy diet featuring a rainbow of colors, including fruits and vegetables along with protein while minimizing starchy carbs or processed food will provide the best fuel for promoting healthy muscles.  

The loss of muscle mass with age starts early and can have dramatic, and sometimes devastating, effects on the body.  However, we can offset some of that loss with movement and good nutrition.  It’s important for movement to be safe, and making it fun will encourage even more success.  Walk or run with a friend or a pet to help keep your body healthy and strong.  Join us in the library for Tai Chi to explore a new way of combining fun with movement.  There are several yoga instructors on the island eager to share their skills and what a lovely way to minimize muscle loss with gentle movement and a meditative community.  Ski season is upon us soon, another wonderful way to enjoy moving outside in the winter.  Not sure how to start?  Give a friend a call and brainstorm some options for building some muscle mass this week.  Your body will thank you!

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Marnie Myhre