You know the old adage… “use it or lose it.” As a follow up to the concept of training for “longevity” we need to be aware of what information we are feeding our genes. Think of it this way.. our body is a supercomputer.. its the hardware. Our genes are the software. and WE get to program our software. What information are we feeding our bodies?. In future musings.. we get to talk about the concept of epigenetics.. reprogramming our genes.. not changing them, but altering how they are expressed. The Deeper dive… PrimalMed Plus…for those inclined, is coming in a few months.. not now.
Which brings us to the importance of the message we tell our muscles. Ever hear of the term “Sarcopenia?”…. It’s age related muscle loss…and if you want those 100 candles.. the follow up to “don’t fall” is “maintain and build muscle”. As we age, we lose muscle mass and gain fat mass… I see it on CT and MRI studies everyday.. its a thing…And muscle IS important. its a crucial organ of metabolic importance and an important driver of metabolic health and longevity.
Think of muscle as a glucose sink. Ya gotta eat.. and your body can only handle so much sugar and glucose.. a little in your bloodstream and some is stored in the liver and muscle as glycogen... after that it gets converted to fat and it is stored in your liver or around your internal organs as fat or gets deposited as those infamous love handles. More muscle = more reserve. More muscle, you more effectively manage your insulin and sugar metabolism. More muscle.. you are “harder to kill.”
We don’t need to go full “Hans and Franz”(for those not of a certain age.. Google ‘em) live on creatine and whey shakes and get jacked and swol.. but we DO NEED to tell our muscles that they are essential and crucial to healthy aging. We need to send a message to our genes that to stay alive and remain vibrant and robust, we must challenge our musculoskeletal system.
Once in a while, we need to “pick things up and put things down.”. Do that several times a day with something a little heavier that your iPad. Depending on your personal circumstances, it may be a 5 lb weight or a 40 lb bag of mulch. I have a cousin who told me he exercises when lifts a case of the finest Kentucky bourbon out of his car trunk and carries it to his basement. Let’s see.. its 25 lbs.. its a squat, rotational lunge, farmers carry and a stressor on his biceps and core.. so yes.. it counts …Way to go !!!
To be clear…that is not MY PrimalMed prescription but he is indeed lifting heavy stuff.
Here’s the deal… the TL:DR…you need to preserve muscle mass as you age. Your body responds with specific adaptations to specific imposed demands. Bottom line... you gotta do the work. To preserve and increase muscle mass….once in a while you do have to lift heavy stuff and move some weight around.
More muscle.. you bounce back after you fall. More muscle, you are metabolically healthier and reminding your genes that you are still very much in the game. More muscle, a better version of you… plain and simple.
See that guy in the first picture.. he’s got it right !!! So today’s PrimalMed Prescription is …at least every so often…Lift Heavy Things.