What Steps Can You Take to Support Your Health and Vitality?
You may follow a skincare routine, take daily walks, or keep your mind sharp with puzzles. While these activities can certainly contribute to overall wellness, recent research suggests that maintaining muscle health may play a key role in supporting a youthful feeling and enhancing longevity.
You might be thinking: “Another article recommending the gym. I get it already!” But building and maintaining healthy muscles goes beyond lifting weights—it’s about supporting your muscles in a variety of ways.
Even light exercise and proper nutrition can make a big difference by supporting muscle health. Studies show that muscle mass is associated with better overall health, including improved functional capacity as we age and a greater ability to stay active and engaged [1].
You don’t need to be a bodybuilder to experience the benefits of muscle health. Understanding the connection between muscle maintenance and your overall well-being can help you make informed choices to feel stronger, more energized, and improve your long-term health.
Muscles Are More Than Just for Movement
Many people view muscles as just tissue that helps with movement, lifting, and the occasional workout. However, muscles are far more crucial than that.
Muscles are metabolically active tissue, which means they play a key role in supporting your body’s energy needs and helping your metabolism function properly. Often referred to as the engines of your metabolism, muscles contribute to the overall energy processes in the body.
Increasing muscle mass can support a healthier metabolism, helping your body process nutrients more effectively and support fat metabolism. This can have a positive effect on your body’s ability to perform daily functions efficiently, from the cellular level and beyond. This is why muscle health is important for maintaining balance throughout the body [2].
Muscles are not only essential for physical movement—they are also important components of the musculoskeletal system and contribute to the proper functioning of the body as a whole. Supporting muscle health can help you maintain overall well-being over time.
The Role of Muscle Health in Longevity
Muscle has been called the organ of longevity because of the positive impact it has on so many signs of aging and chronic illnesses.
Just how important is muscle mass to your long-term health?
First of all, building more muscle combats the deadliest chronic diseases affecting Americans, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease and liver disease.
This is because muscle reduces toxic visceral fat and improves your body’s ability to manage blood sugar levels [3]. Building muscle also combats obesity, which reduces the risk of many chronic issues and slows signs of aging [4].
Aside from the obvious fat-burning benefits, increased muscle strengthens the immune system.
This can have a major impact on longevity in the case of chronic disease.
When your body gets sick over a long period, your immune system can get worn out, leaving you with low defenses. Research has found that muscles may support the immune system during this time, kind of like giving Pop-eye a can of spinach [5].
As you age, mobility issues and falls can speed up aging and decrease longevity.
For example, 1 in 3 adults who suffer a hip fracture after age 50 die within a year of the incident [6].
Building muscle supports balance and protects your bones as you get older (weight-bearing exercise helps maintain and even build bone mineral density as compared to most aerobic activities do not). Even in those with reduced mobility, building more muscle mass reduced the risk of becoming disabled by 20% [7].
How about stress, the silent killer? Building muscle boosts mood-enhancing endorphins and increases energy levels. This helps you maintain a better mood and a clearer head even during tough situations [8].
Increased muscle mass also correlates with lower inflammation body-wide [9].
Chronic inflammation is another silent killer thought to be responsible for many deadly illnesses and signs of aging [10].
So, yeah, your muscles are no less than extremely important for leading a long and happy life. However, it gets harder to maintain muscle mass and build new muscle as you get older [11].
How can you support your muscle health so your muscles can continue to fire on all cylinders?
Tips for Supporting Long-Term Muscle Health
Maintaining muscle health is essential for overall well-being, and regular physical activity is key to keeping your muscles in good shape.
After all, your muscles play a vital role in many body functions, and taking care of them can support your long-term health. But don’t worry—you don’t need to train like a bodybuilder to see the benefits.
Try incorporating these simple tips into your routine to help support lean muscle and promote healthy aging.
Exercise Regularly
Regular physical activity is essential for maintaining and supporting muscle health. You may already know that exercise helps with muscle maintenance, but it’s good to remember that it doesn’t always require heavy lifting. In fact, performing more repetitions with lighter weights can be an effective way to build and strengthen muscles.
Cardiovascular activity is also important for overall health. You don’t need intense workouts to benefit—getting your heart rate up while still being able to converse, like during a light jog, can enhance cellular metabolism and improve oxygen delivery to muscles.
Eat More Protein
Protein is essential for supporting muscle growth. During exercise, muscles are put under stress, and small tears occur. This process, known as micro-tearing, is a natural part of working out and can sometimes result in soreness.
Following exercise, your body repairs these tears, which leads to muscle strengthening. Protein plays a critical role in this recovery process. While younger individuals may effectively use protein throughout the day, it becomes especially important to consume protein soon after exercising as you age, to support muscle maintenance.
For optimal support, consider lean protein sources such as chicken, fish, legumes, and tofu. It’s best to limit the intake of higher-fat proteins, including red meat and processed meats. Aiming for about 30g of protein within an hour after exercise can be beneficial. If eating a meal is not convenient, a protein shake is a simple alternative.
For those following a plant-based diet, high-quality protein options are available, or you can combine plant-based foods, such as beans and rice, to create a complete protein source.
Prioritize Nutrition
In addition to vitamin D, other vitamins and minerals play key roles in supporting muscle health. These include vitamins A, B complex, C, and E, as well as essential minerals like calcium and magnesium. Maintaining a balanced intake of these nutrients can help support overall muscle function and general health.
If you find it challenging to consume enough fruits, vegetables, and protein through your daily diet, a multivitamin may provide additional nutritional support to help maintain your muscle health.
In addition to vitamin D, other essential vitamins and minerals, including vitamins A, B complex, C, E, calcium, and magnesium, contribute to overall muscle function.
It’s important to ensure you are getting adequate amounts of these nutrients daily to support your muscle health.
If your diet doesn’t include sufficient fruits, vegetables, and protein, a multivitamin may help provide additional nutritional support for your muscles.
The Importance of Lean Muscle for Overall Health
Building lean muscle is not just about improving appearance—it plays a key role in overall health. Your muscles influence various functions in your body, including breathing, heart function (as the heart is also a muscle), and even mood. Taking time to care for your muscles, even with just one hour of exercise a week, can have a positive impact on multiple aspects of your well-being.
This is especially important as you age. As the body becomes less efficient at processing vitamin D and building muscle, the risk of chronic illness and age-related degeneration increases. Maintaining muscle health, along with proper nutrition, is crucial for supporting overall health as you age.
Regardless of age, regular exercise and a balanced diet that supports muscle health can contribute to overall well-being. It’s not just about longevity—it’s about improving quality of life. With your muscles functioning well, your body’s metabolic systems work more effectively, which supports a healthier, more active lifestyle.
FAQ
Building muscle is crucial for longevity because it enhances metabolism, supports bone health, reduces the risk of chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease, and improves overall body function.
Muscle mass is metabolically active, meaning it helps burn calories and fuels bodily functions efficiently. Greater muscle mass leads to a healthier metabolism, allowing your body to process nutrition more effectively and maintain energy.
Beyond enhancing strength, muscle health contributes to better balance, reduced risk of falls, lower inflammation levels, and improved mood and cognitive function due to the release of endorphins.
Both strength training and cardiovascular exercises are beneficial for building muscle. Strength training, like lifting weights or bodyweight exercises, directly builds muscle mass, while cardio, like jogging or cycling, supports muscle endurance and health.
A balanced diet rich in lean proteins (like chicken, fish, legumes, and tofu), complex carbohydrates, healthy fats, and essential vitamins and minerals is crucial for supporting muscle health. Consuming protein soon after a workout is particularly important for muscle recovery and growth.
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30376511/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3762482/
- https://www.howardluksmd.com/muscle-mass-strength-and-longevity/#:~:text=Muscle%20mass%20correlates%20with%20a,in%20all%2Dcause%20mortality%20risk.
- https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/03/180308143123.htm
- https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/06/200615092747.htm
- https://edition.cnn.com/2019/05/13/health/hip-fracture-death-partner/index.html#:~:text=That’s%20because%20a%20hip%20fracture,of%20suffering%20a%20hip%20fracture.
- https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/1875328
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/exercise-and-stress/art-20044469
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32992047/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3492709/
- https://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/japplphysiol.01383.2003
- https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/07/160712094259.htm?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26440213/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4188243/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35684089/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2129105/
