How To Handle Muscle Mass Loss In Seniors

The process of losing muscle mass is often known as sarcopenia, the age-related progressive loss of muscle mass and strength. Some common symptoms include muscle weakness which can affect the performance of daily activities, reduced balance and a visible decrease in muscle size. One might be less active as they age and are thus more susceptible to a loss in muscle mass due to inactivity. It is as simple as – the less you move, the more strength you lose. 

While no medications have been approved for the treatment of sarcopenia, here are some ways that you can manage the condition and regain muscle mass. 

Kick Start a Strength Training Regimen 

Strength training has got to be one of the most effective ways to help one maintain and rebuild muscle. Strength training creates that tension on your muscle fibres which promotes growth and as such increases strength. Furthermore, it is also beneficial in preventing the loss of bone mass and improving balance, which is key in helping older persons prevent falls.

Gradually as one gets stronger, it helps with activities of daily living and cultivates higher levels of independence.

If you find strength training hard, simply keeping active is also another great option. As one ages, keeping active becomes all the more important to stay healthy. Start slow, start small – Walking is a perfect way to start exercising. It requires no special equipment, aside from a pair of comfortable walking shoes, and can be done almost anywhere. Other options to consider are group fitness classes where one can do with friends, water aerobics and taichi which are all great ways to keep active.

Healthy and well-balanced diet

As much as exercising is important, a healthy and balanced diet triumphs over them all. One can be engaging in a lot of strength training but if this is not supplemented with a well balanced diet, there would be minimal benefits. For older persons, consuming nutritionally dense food is especially important in strengthening not only our muscles but is also great in boosting immunity. 

Not consuming protein is a main contributing factor to the loss in muscle mass. Healthcare providers recommend an intake of 20-35 grams of protein per meal to promote muscle protein synthesis and reverse age-related loss of muscle mass and strength

These are some recommended nutrients that can be found in both food and vitamins that can help fight loss in muscle mass. Vitamin D, Omega-3 Fatty Acids and creatine supplements can increase muscle strength and complement your strength trainings. 

Mental health strategies

As much as we can try to slow down the process and the extent of muscle loss, we need to be realistic and acknowledge that muscle loss from ageing is a natural process and we can never completely defy this. Coming to terms with this might not necessarily be an easy process and might affect one’s mental health seeing themselves gradually lose strength and unable to do what they used to be able to do. 

For starters, it helps to read up and learn more about the condition – what are the common symptoms and ways to fight it etc. Sometimes, having a sound understanding on the issue at hand helps us better come to terms with it and adopt a more positive mindset surrounding it. “How can I best live with a gradual loss in muscle mass?” This way, it might better help us manage our emotions and subsequently our mental health. 

Conclusion

While preventing the loss in muscle mass due to natural ageing is near impossible, we should take precautionary measures to ensure that we slow down this process or to best strengthen our muscles. 

If not taken seriously this condition increases one’s risk of falls, fractures, and hospitalisations. It is never too late to start getting more activity in and having a well balanced diet – start today!