Simple Secret to Staying Spry for Life

Spry for Life… in About an Hour a Week

It’s one of the great tragedies of modern medicine. Americans are living longer than ever. But many aren’t enjoying those extra years the way they should.

Here in southern Florida, I see this tragedy played out over and over. Wonderful people living well into their 80’s and 90’s… but without the strength or energy to continue with their favorite activities. And most of the time they’re told it’s “just a normal part of aging.”

It’s true that we lose some muscle as we age. But it’s also true that you can slow… stop… or even reverse the process. And you can do it in as little as an hour a week.

From about the age of 30, you gradually lose a little more muscle every year. By the time you reach 60, the process accelerates. And you may celebrate your 80th birthday with 30% less muscle than when you were 30.

At least that’s what happens if you don’t fight back. The key is staying active. But not just any activity will do.
Resistance training – working your muscles against resistance – is the best muscle-builder there is. And study after study shows that people who regularly practice resistance training can slow – or even reverse – muscle loss.

And here’s why that’s such great news. Because you won’t just build muscle. You’ll preserve your independence.

A couple of years ago, researchers at Indiana University combed through 22 years worth of studies. They discovered that mature adults who took up resistance training…
• Were able to walk faster
• Improved their overall strength
• Found everyday tasks – like getting up from a chair – were easier
• And they even experienced less joint discomfort.1
Not a bad payoff for an investment of an hour a week.

But it gets even better. Doctors at Rutgers University confirmed that resistance exercise can literally reverse the effects of aging on skeletal muscle. In just 6 months, their volunteers experienced an average 21% increase in strength!
2

And the great thing about resistance training is that you can do it anywhere – even without special equipment.

For example, place your hands on the arms of your chair while sitting up. Now lift your body straight up with your arms and lower it again. You’ve just performed a triceps’ dip, which builds upper body strength.

You can use any exercise that takes advantage of your own body’s weight – pushups, chin-ups, leg lifts, etc. Or use your muscles to push against each other – isometrics.

If you have two plastic water jugs, you can use them as weights. Just fill them to a level that’s comfortable for you (1 pint of water = 1 pound), and use them in place of dumbbells.

Rutgers researchers also discovered that two nutritional supplements – creatine and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) – appear to amplify the effect of resistance training. After six months, volunteers taking these supplements made bigger strength gains than those who just used resistance training. Plus, the nutrient group showed bigger gains in performing day-to-day functions.3

Another nutrient that may help is the mineral potassium.
You need about 4,700 mg of potassium a day. But a team from the U.S. Department of Agriculture found that people with a higher intake of potassium tend to lose muscle mass more slowly than people who get less potassium.

In fact, they calculated that just getting more potassium could reduce the age-related loss of muscle by about 75%!
4

Three 20-minute sessions a week is all it takes to begin rebuilding lost muscle. And as you’re able to increase your effort, you should see equally bigger gains. Over time, this small investment could pay big dividends… as you continue to enjoy your favorite activities years longer.

Yours in continued good health,
Dr. Kenneth Woliner, M.D.
1 P Liu, C.J. and Latham, N.K., “Progressive resistance strength training for improving physical function in older adults,” Cochrane Database Syst Rev. Jul 8, 2009; (3): CD002759.
2 Melov, S. et al, “Resistance Exercise Reverses Aging in Human Skeletal Muscle,” PLoS ONE. 2007; 2(5): e465.
3 Tarnopolsky, M., et al, “Creatine Monohydrate and Conjugated Linoleic Acid Improve Strength and Body Composition Following Resistance Exercise in Older Adults,” PLoS ONE. 2007; 2(10): e991.
4 Bliss, R.M., “Plant Foods for Preserving Muscle Mass,” Agricultural Research Service, U.S.D.A. May 23, 2008.