Saturday, December 27, 2008

Lose Weight, Gain Muscle

By Henry John

Did you know that you lose between 0.5 and 2% of your muscle mass every year over the age of forty? Thats quite scary, isnt it? Just when you think youve got the measure of life, you start to wither away! Just think what its like when youre 70 +, you will have lost a lot of muscle " maybe up to 60%.

Can you imagine yourself having lost 60% of your muscle mass? Its frightening to think how it would be possible to cope with everyday life. Unfortunately, this is what happens to millions of people.

Along with your vanishing muscle mass theres another problem. Because you have less muscle your ability to burn calories becomes impaired. A less efficient metabolism means that you put on fat. The bottom line is that over the age of 40 you have a reducing muscle mass and a less efficient metabolism " everything youve ever wanted!

Its a sad fact the old age can bring misery and discomfort purely because of what has been called the aging process. Performing basic functions becomes difficult. Health care services are going to wilt under the strain of the coming grey tsunami

Can anything be done? Is it possible to do anything about reversing muscle loss? Until recently it was thought that it was impossible to reverse the effects of age related muscle loss. This is no longer the case. Muscle can be regenerated. A regular program of resistance exercises will help to regenerate muscle.

There is also an added bonus because it has also been found that having healthy muscles helps to strengthen your bones too. Theres another plus. Healthy, well exercised muscles will keep your metabolism functioning properly and youll be able to keep any weight gain in check.

Dont think that this muscle regeneration applies only to old people, it applies to everybody. If you want to keep your metabolism in trim you need to have healthy muscles. This is a fitness for life issue as well as being a means to keep control of your weight.

If youre overweight its a good idea to tackle this as early as possible. If you carry too much weight with you as you get older, youll find it more and more difficult to get rid of it, but get rid of it you must. To lose weight permanently you need to make personal change. The best way to do this is to find a program that will help you to make change by learning new habits " slim habits. Ideally it should also include a personal exercise plan. If you think you need to take action, dont delay. Look after that body of yours, its the only one youll ever have!

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