USE IT OR LOSE IT

Sounds like a cliche. It is, and it's true, too - when talking about exercise, that is. Those diminishing muscles in your arms and legs are not disappearing because you're "getting older." Muscle weakness is not directly proportionate to the number of candles on your birthday cake. It is a function of what you are doing - or not doing - with those muscles.

So you claim you clean the house, walk the dog, mow the lawn, shop at Lowes ... the usual day-to-day stuff. That's exercise, right? Your muscles shouldn't get smaller doing all of those chores. Hmm. Well, yes and no. Those activities involve movement and movement is good for you. But the stress to your skeletal muscles may not be enough to enlarge them or even maintain their size. Add to that equation all of those labor-saving devices and your muscles are essentially coasting.

When a muscle is forcefully stressed beyond what load it is used to handling, it meets that demand by enlarging. This is called hypertrophy. The larger the muscle fiber's diameter, the more forcefully it contracts. It's getting stronger. When activities don't challenge your muscles enough, they get lazy and eventually reduce in size. This is called atrophy. Now they are less strong. Even the remote control feels heavy. In addition, when exercise is inconsistent or of short duration, the muscle fibers have a hard time resisting fatigue. Both the load placed upon a muscle during exercise and the duration of that exercise determine its strength and endurance. Riding the lawnmower or pushing the grocery cart each weekend just aren't enough.

So, what if your muscles are a little smaller and weaker than in your youth, you say. It's not like you're competing for a spot on California's Muscle Beach. Okay, but remember, reduced size equals reduced strength. And if the strength goes unchallenged and decreases, you have Jello for muscles. Jello cannot get you up from a chair, help you walk or climb, nor can it lift your golf club to swing. Jello just wiggles and squishes if you push on it. It's not stable and neither will you be.

How can you "use it so you don't lose it?" Challenge your muscles to work harder through weight training to insure that all major muscles are participating. No coasting. No seasonal exercise only. Consistent resistance training for an extended period of time will maintain your body's mobility and strength. Jello is not an option.