Aging passionately

Yes you can keep the show on the road to vitality and longevity with the help of a healthy gut, great nutrition, clean water, regular exposure to sunlight, reduced chemical load, daily exercise, sound sleep, satisfying sex (all the stuff I write about in this blog) but at the end of the day, attitude is everything. Eloquently put by Isabel Allende! Watch her!

On aging and muscle building

I shattered my right kneecap 10 weeks ago. Then this week my 88 year old Mum had a fall and broke a rib - so not a good year for the bones of the Roberts women. But thanks to fabulous nutritious food including lots of high-quality protein, a plethora of healing, regenerative nutrients and the inspired services of a hugely knowledgeable personal trainer, I reckon I’ve earned a High Distinction for kneecap rehab. But now helping Mum deal with her own fracture, I’m reminded of the paramount importance of muscle building at any stage of life.

MUSCLE = NUMBER ONE Biomarker for Vitality and Longevity!

Without a concerted effort to build muscle (that means regularly working out against weights or against your body weight) you will lose muscle mass at the rate of 1.5kg/decade from the time you’re in your 20s and that loss will accelerate with age. Muscle is an organ and while it’s vital to help you maintain balance and move your body around comfortably and safely, it has functions that are as important as those of your heart, lung and kidneys. So believe me when I say, your resistance training will pay off and the sooner you begin, the better. Having said that it is actually possible to build muscle at any age! 

Yes, build it or lose it and losing it as you get older not only means weaker bones, but more falls, reduced ability to regain mobility after a fracture and on and on. Old age will come to all of us, whether you spend yours walking safely, strongly and confidently or creeping along behind a Zimmer frame is dependent on how diligently you get behind your weight training program in your youth ... so start pushing those weights now and keep on pushing them!