Appropriate nutrition – eat right and well!

Good nutrition can help to  reduce muscle degeneration. Research suggests that even though your metabolism and your body’s ability to use nutrients declines with age, your nutritional requirement increases— this means that the size of your meals should be smaller, but their nutritive value should be higher.

Make sure your diet is balanced and nutrient-rich. Protein-rich foods such as legumes, nuts, whole grains, meat, eggs and dairy contain essential amino acids that help muscle growth, decrease muscle soreness, reduce exercise fatigue and prevent muscle wasting. Also ensure that your meals have adequate amounts of calcium, Vitamin D, Vitamin E and micronutrients like Omega-3-fatty acids, Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, Zinc, and Folate, to promote muscle growth and bone health.

Science-based nutrition supplements can complement your diet and help bridge nutritional gaps. For example, HMB or β-hydroxy-β-methyl butyrate is a chemical naturally produced when the body breaks down leucine, an essential amino acid, found in small amounts in foods like avocado, grapefruit, cauliflower etc. However, it is difficult to get enough HMB through food to support declining muscle health. Nutrition supplements can help you meet your nutritive requirement and ensure that your body is able to keep up with the level of physical activity that it needs in order to stay healthy. 

Balanced and strong workouts

An ideal workout plan must target all areas of fitness— strength, flexibility and endurance. Resistance training that aims to strengthen muscles has been proven effective in countering sarcopenia. Yoga, too, has a number of benefits, including improving your strength, balance and flexibility as well as reducing stress and enhancing relaxation.

Your risk of heart disease also increases with age. One way to stay as heart-healthy as possible is to include aerobic exercise in your workout routine. The WHO recommends at least 150 to 300 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous aerobic exercise every week for adults below the age of 65.

Having a trainer or a fitness instructor plan and supervise your workout routine is always a good idea.

Checking in with yourself

Exercise is critical to maintain good health, but it is equally crucial for you to tune in to the needs of your body. Red flags like feeling nauseous or dizzy while working out must be attended to immediately, to rule out the possibility of a severe health episode.

In case you are suffering from a chronic health condition, or have a family history of one, consult your physician or a health expert who can advise you on what sort of physical activity you should and should not engage in. Technology, too, can help you regulate your activity levels— health innovations are making it possible for us to have a more intuitive understanding of our bodies; they’re helping people with chronic conditions take charge of their health effortlessly.

Working out regularly has several health benefits including greater insulin sensitivity, better blood pressure regulation, and improved heart, bone and muscle health; but your workout must be tailored to the demands of your body, considering its potential, constraints and history. A key part of healthy aging is knowing when to listen to your body and when to push it to test its limits— because age may be just a number, but when it comes to your health, it’s one that truly counts.

Disclaimer: The information mentioned in this document is only suggestive /for patient education and shall not be considered as a substitute for doctor’s advice or recommendations from Abbott. Please consult your doctor for more information.