Fight Aging

The greatest fat burner is muscle. This is a proven medical fact. However, there are a lot of misconceptions about muscle and fat. There are some people that think muscle will turn into fat if you stop working out. This myth has come about because there have been some well conditioned athletes with a lot of muscle mass that leave their sport and then gain a lot of body fat. The reason this happens is very simple.

To maintain the amount of muscle mass these athletes have, they need to eat a lot of calories. Most will eat anywhere between 3,000 to 4,000 calories a day (some eat even more). They also burn a lot of calories because of their activity to stay well conditioned and to be competitve. When they stop competing, a lot of them continue to eat the same but they will cut way back on their exercising. Thus they are not burning as much calories as before which means that the excess will turn to fat.

Now that this myth has been explained, I can now go into an afflication every man in the world goes through. Every male is subject to sarcopenia. This is the loss of muscle mass that occurs naturally with aging. This starts at the age of 25. But we do not have to let this happen.

Exercise physiologist Gianni Maddalozzo, PhD of Oregon State University conducted research that focused on the study of osteoporosis and muscle strength in adults ages 40 to 80. Most suffered from advanced sarcopenia. Sarcopenia happens gradually by losing a fifth of a pound of muscle per year from the age of 25 to 50, then picks up speed to up to a pound of muscle each year. It is usually not noticable because the muscle is usually replaced (not turned into) by fat.

The reduction in muscle has been linked to declines in the immune system and the onset of heart disease and diabetes. In addition to this you will have weaker bones, stiffer joints, and slumping postures.

The old way to train an aging population was to not let them lift weights. The thinking back then was that this was too much of a strain for older people. Now we know better. Everyone needs to have some strength (resistance) training. With proper nutrition and a safe, effective resistance program, we can prevent the onset of sarcopenia. A proper program can slow the aging process. It is even believed that muscle mass can help to prevent some cancers.

I plan on aging slowly. I have been very successful thus far and plan on being able to do what I do now for another 40, 50 or even 60 years. If you want to join me, I can help. So find a good program out there that offers a mix of cardio, resistance training, and nutrition counseling. It is not hard and you will feel better. Your family will thank you.