How to reverse muscle “osteoporosis”

If it is important to you to lead a high quality, independent, functional, long life, then listen up!
Have you heard of something called sarcopenia?
When we are young, our hormones make it easy to put on muscle mass, but as we get into our 30’s and 40’s (and beyond), things change.



Sarcopenia is a condition where you slowly and gradually lose muscle (hence why it is sometimes referred to as muscle osteoporosis). Sarcopenia has been associated with many negative outcomes, such as functional disability, falls, health care costs, and even death. 
Additionally, the gradual loss of your muscle tissue is associated with accelerated aging (shortening of your chromosomes)!
Now, I’m not telling you that you need to become a body builder or anything, but preserving a healthy balance of muscle tissue relative to fat tissue is essential for preventing sarcopenia and all the risks that come with it. True, you can’t stop aging but you sure can stop some of the things that greatly reduce your quality of life!
Here are 3 tips to help you build your health and help prevent sarcopenia:
1. Get enough protein. Experts advise 1.2-1.5 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight to support muscle building and repair. To calculate your weight in kilograms, take your weight in pounds and divide by 2.2. Then, take that number and multiply it by 1.2 to get your daily protein requirements. And the type of protein matters too! Certain amino acids (the building blocks of protein), such as leucine, are more helpful for building muscle tissue and preserving muscle tissue. Foods high in leucine include beef, lamb, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy and to a lesser extent soybeans, chickpeas, almonds, lentils and peanuts. 
2. Do muscle building activities 3x/wk. Activities that load your muscles are critical. Examples include progressive resistance training such as body-weight exercises like pushups (can be modified to start), squats, and step ups; resistance bands, PACE interval training (here’s a sample video) and exercises with added weight like hand weights, medicine balls, and kettlebells.
3. Block ATF4. This protein reduces muscle building and there are 2 molecules that block it: ursolic acid and tomatidine. Tomatidine is found in green tomatoes. Ursolic acid is found in a variety of foods including apple peel, cherries, prunes, holy basil, lavender, oregano, sage and thyme.

I hope this information is helpful to you! Bottom line, your muscle tissue is incredibly important for quality of life, reducing the risk of falling and other injuries, and longevity. Your diet and lifestyle have everything to do with building and preserving your precious muscles.

It is my passion to work with people like you whose health symptoms are getting in the way of you living life fully and with a sense of freedom in your body. I can help you to regain your health so you can feel great and free to enjoy life fully.

If you’re ready to discover where your best health has been hiding, I’d love to connect with you!

Apply for a complimentary Unstoppable Health Discovery Session. bit.ly/schedulinghealth (subject to availability).

Until next time, I’m wishing you unstoppable health!
~Rebecca