Are you over 30? If yes, sarcopenia should be on your radar.
From the 4th decade of our lives and beyond, we can lose up to 50% of our muscle mass.
Loss of muscle doesn’t simply mean we’ll be weaker but a host of other problems will emerge:
loss of mobility
loss of effective processing of nutrients resulting in diabetes, obesity and other metabolic related diseases.
increasing difficulty with normal daily activities ie. getting out of sitting positions, walking up stairs, carrying stuff, preventing falls when moving on uneven surfaces, etc.
If you want to go deeper, check out Dr. Brendan Egan’s TEDx talk about why muscle matters.
It’s a common notion that those challenges are just part of aging. But it doesn’t have to be that way if we prioritize the health of our skeletal muscular system.
Our muscular system is the largest organ system in our bodies. It affects all other systems and their organs at primary levels. At root levels, many diseases are caused by lack of muscle. From obesity to osteoporosis to diabetes; too often, treatment is a focus on diet and adiposity (fat tissue status).
But contrary to conventional knowledge and practice, Dr. Gabrielle Lyon is a medical doctor who centers on the necessity for quality muscles and protein for longterm vitality. I’ve been watching numerous youtube videos where she’s been hosted by medical, scientific, and health professionals and gurus and it’s been very encouraging and inspirational to hear about muscle centric medicine. It makes so much more sense than focusing on fat loss and various diets. Those topics are important but should be secondary to strength training and quality protein consumption to improve our overall musculature and long term health.
Click below for an interview by Mark Hyman MD discussing muscle’s role in long term vitality.
Another person I’ve been learning from is Jonathon Sullivan MD, PhD, SSC, host of the Youtube channel Greysteel. He passionately prescribes strength training for the second half of life. Click below for Dr. Sullivan’s intro to the medicine of getting stronger to get healthier.
He’s got a great book titled The Barbell Prescription. I recommend getting a copy! Click below to watch a video that introduces the content of the book.
In addition, women have even more reason to get under the bar. Click below and watch “The Barbell Prescription is for WOMEN!”
6:12-7:46 in the video is incredibly inspiring!
So if you want to start on this journey, here are 5 primary movements that will improve WHAT ACTUALLY MATTERS (that strongly contributes to a healthy second half of life):
Squats (king of exercises)
Deadlifts (queen of exercises)
Pulling (pull ups, lat pull downs, rows)
Pushing (bench press, push ups)
Pressing (shoulder presses)
Consistently getting your body to move in these primary ways under load will affect you down to the molecular level. Lifting heavy weights (properly) will integrate you with your physical existence like nothing else. It is a life giving medicine that radically changes how your body works chemically, neurally, mechanically and even spiritually.
Are you ready to get stronger as a lifestyle that generates greater health and thriving longevity? Here’s an overview of the process:
Get a doctor’s OK
Work on stability and connective tissue conditioning.
Work on your core and balance.
Get equipment/ join a gym.
Commit to consistency by making it sustainable.
Over time, increase intensity of effort.
Maximize your strength
Enjoy the results.
Ready to pull the trigger?
Purchase a squat rack, a bench, and an olympic barbell weight set.
Secondly, create space for this equipment and your workouts.
Thirdly, start watching instructive youtube videos on squats, dead lifts, bench press, shoulder press, rows, and pull ups (assisted if you can’t do 1 rep).
Or better yet, message me to create a plan and program to not only get you started but also supported for long term, positive results towards a life time commitment to strength and wholeness.