It’s a fact – our health and fitness will be going downhill after age 40. Yes, it is not hard to imagine that at this point in life, most of us can be very tied down to achieving career success, taking care of families and elders and plus lots of other commitments in life. And this is where we start to lose focus on our own fitness and health. We tend to eat and eat and neglect about the physical body.
According to new research conducted by the University of California, Los Angeles, even healthy middle aged individuals will lose some of the insulation in the motor-control part of the brain. Myelin which is a fat that protects nerve fibers of the body and brain is key for the brain’s wiring to fire fast commands to the body’s muscles. When the myelin is healthy and strong, it conducts quick electrical signals to the brain to send commands. The higher-frequency electrical discharges control all movement, for e.g. competing for an event or replying to an argument with friends.
These findings will have an impact on our mental and physical health. So as we age, Myelin which serves to function as a protective layer on our nerve fibers will get thinner and thinner. It gets till to the point where it erodes and there will be no replacement. Thus, we may experience slower reflex in mental ability and thinking over time. Thus, we need to know how to eat to maintain and build muscle, as well as provide a hedge against the physical and mental degeneration that would otherwise inevitably ensue.
There are many reasons why we have to exercise and weight-lift to maintain muscle mass and lose fat. But here we will be discussing the main six.
Prevent muscle loss and bone loss
Our bodies are made to move, not to sit in the office. Over time, if the muscles and bones are not maximized for bodily functions, they will erode or wasted away. That is clearly evident in elderly who got brittle bones and spines and thus can easily get fractures. In some cases, muscle loss and bone loss are happening more than ever when we cross over 40. For those who don’t exercise their muscles may lose their ability to move one fine day. Weight training has been found to be the best way to prevent muscle loss and bone loss.
Maintain metabolic rates and calorie intakes
This is important for fat control. One can observe that in the younger days, we can be eating a lot and still may not cumulate fats easily in our bodies. As we tend to be more active and adventurous, our metabolic rates are well-controlled and balanced. However, after age 40 it brought about a whole of bodily changes. Our metabolism slows down with age. So even one is taking constant amount of food all this while, excess calories absorbed by the body will be stored up as excess fats. Hence, the message here is we still need to continue reducing body fat and increasing our metabolism by exercising with enough intensity levels.
Maintain strong and attractive body that ages gracefully
We all love to be young and beautiful. But the day will come where all these will be gone for good. Even if you go for cosmetic surgery, it will not last and not forgetting the side effects. By maintaining muscle mass and losing fats through regular exercise, we can achieve a strong, attractive body that ages more naturally and gracefully.
According to researchers, 3 hours of exercise a week can slow the ageing process and give you a body 10 years younger than sedentary person of the same age.
Scientists at King’s College London measured the length of telomeres, which cap the chromosomes in cells and protect them from damage. The team made an interesting finding that people who were active had longer telomeres than those of the same age that were sedentary. In addition, good nutrition can diminish or even slow many of the effects associated with aging.
Less ailments and health problems
Exercise can reduce or prevent most of the on-set ailments or health problems that one can face in one’s life regardless at any age. It is especially helpful to note that regular exercises started early in one life can greatly benefit through less ailments as one approaches old age. Health problems like diabetes and high blood pressure can be controlled better as well.
Maintain anabolic hormones, aids recovery and less injury
This got to do with our bodies day-to-day functions. Naturally, if one can maintain a regular weight-training programme to maintain muscle gains and fat loss, one can truly experience the true benefits of exercising. Other than anabolic hormones which aid in body regulations, exercise helps to keep your immune system level strong and peaked at all times so that one would not fall sick easily. Even if one would to fall sick, once would be able to recover quickly.
After age 40, our cartilage, tendons and ligaments start to “wear out” after all these years. Reflex and agility, physical stamina, strength and endurance levels will not be as good as in the early 20s. So to maintain all of these, having a stable and safe exercise routine will greatly result in increased regulation of anabolic hormones, faster recovery in the body and a greater ability to overcome body injuries.
More energy for hobbies and family
When it is the last time you race with your children towards the mountain top without panting like a hot dog? How is that experience compared to when you were 20, and running after the bus was easy as hopping over a bridge? Clearly, it is not the same anymore. All the more you should be thinking about how to at least maintain that energy level, isn’t it?
If you want more energy for more physical activities and hobbies, and especially more time and energy for family and friends, then go for exercise program that can help you to do all this!
As you can see, a regular exercise program is the best way to build muscle fast and loose fat. I can’t stress enough that when you incorporated it into your lifestyle, it will transform your life for the better and in time to come you will reap the benefits much, much more.
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Hello,
I really enjoyed reading this post. This encourages me to start back to weight lifting. I would like some emails of encouragement. Thanks again. Mark Markin