Use it or Lose it

Did you know you are born with all the muscle cells you will ever have?

You don’t create any new ones.
AND if you don’t use them, you lose them. Full Stop.

On average you lose 3-5% of your muscle each decade after the age of 30. Studies have shown people will lose 30-50% of the muscle cells they were born with in their life time. Yikes!

Our bodies are pretty amazing. They build strength where it is needed. Your body NEEDS some stress, some loading with weight and resistance and some compression for it to function well and to give you not only ‘life span’ but ‘health span.’ So that you can do all the things that you want to do.

Resistance exercises will build muscle tissue strength, Exercises such as yoga poses and tai chi will build longer, stronger muscles, cardiovascular exercise builds strength and endurance in the smooth muscles that are found in your heart and lungs, power exercises are needed for things like climbing stairs, running and jumping.

So which do you do?

Athletes will do specific training for performance. But for the rest of us, ideally you do a bit of everything! We are all different. There is no ‘one shoe fits all’ approach. A range of exercise though, keep those muscle cells, longer, stronger with more endurance and keep you living well.

If you are only just starting out on your exercise journey, fear not! Whilst you can’t build new muscle fibres, you can build more strength in the ones you have.

It is never too late to start exercise.

If you aren’t sure, see your health professional and get guidance. Exercise Physiologists, Registered Personal trainers and Physiotherapists are here to help you create a program that suits you and to help you measure your progress to celebrate your milestones.

The journey starts with a single step… (or a bicep curl, a yoga pose or maybe a long walk)

#araratphysio #useitorloseit #musclebuilding #ageingwell #strongerlonger #weighttraining #healthforlife