Fact: As we get older, we tend to become less and less active.
The reason this happens varies from person to person, but the effect remains the same: your muscles atrophy. Without stimulation, your muscles will not grow and utilize the food you are taking in for energy. Instead, your body will store the food as fat.
Another cruel fact about getting older is that by the age of 26 your body will start to lose muscle at a rate of about 1% per year. That may not seem like a lot, but by the time you are 50 you will have lost a quarter of your muscle. And since muscle is the foundation of fat loss, you will have lost a quarter of your ability to burn fat and calories.
To demonstrate, think of your body as a car. The tires on the car are its muscles – they help it move and function. If the car lost one of its tires (a quarter of its muscle) it could still go on for a bit more, but not very effectively. It would cause a lot of strain on the remaining 3 tires and make them wear down faster and eventually the car would become immobile. Our bodies are the exact same way. Once we start losing that muscle the rest of the body has to work harder to keep us moving and eventually, we, too, get worn down and become less and less mobile.
So, what can be done?
No matter how old you are, you need to start now. By making your muscles stronger, you can slow the aging process. The majority of people will not feel as agile and boisterous at 50 as they did at 25. It is not about getting back to that point in your life. It is about making a change for the future. Every little bit helps and you have complete control.
If you are already 50 or even 75 years old, it’s not too late. Strength training can be done at any age, but you have to consult a very knowledgeable trainer that can specify the correct methods for you. Here at inerTRAIN we will have trainers that work with every age group, so you are in luck!
Focus on keeping active and maintaining your muscle tone. The more effort you put in to it, the longer your body will be around to thank you.