A wise-ass, wise guy, wise man once said “Strong people are harder to kill than weak people, and more useful in general.” - Mark Rippetoe
Our skeletal muscle is the largest organ in our body and a vital component to our overall health and wellness. Creating and maintaining muscle mass grants us a range of benefits far outweighing simple physical strength (as if that wasn’t enough to begin with). Muscle bolsters our immune system. Muscle sharpens our mind. Muscle combats the aging process. In short, muscle simply keeps our bodies resilient and functioning optimally.
Protection from injury is a top tier reason to create and maintain muscle. It’s armor. Strong muscle mass acts as a protective shield reducing our risk of injury day in and day out. When we work to maintain our strength, we’re also supporting our joints, improving our balance, and enhancing our stability. All of these things work together to prevent falls as we age, which is a huge deal.
According to the CDC: unintentional falls are the leading cause of injury and deaths from injury among adults aged ≥65 years. In 2020, the percentage of older adults who reported falling during the previous year ranged from 19.9% in Illinois to 38.0% in Alaska. In 2021, the unintentional fall–related death rate among older adults ranged from 30.7 per 100,000 population in Alabama to 176.5 in Wisconsin.
Muscles also work like the shocks in a car protecting our bones and organs from impact during all activity whether it be a fall, or something more purposeful, like running or jumping where the cushion decreases the risk of overuse injuries like stress fractures.
Recent studies also show a super cool connection between our lean muscle mass and immune systems. Without getting overly nerdy and into the weeds, muscle serves as cup holder for immune cells (T cell precursors). These immune cells fight infection and disease during times of illness and the muscle stored T cells act as the cavalry to replenish the exhausted immune system after battle. All of this, plus the anti-inflammatory properties of muscle makes for a rugged immune response over the course of our lives.
Most of us already knew that muscle was beneficial to physical health, I’ll grant us that. But wait, there’s more. Muscle also contributes to cognitive health and well being. Regularly picking up heavy stuff and putting it back down is associated with improved brain function including better memory, better attention, better focus, and better processing speed...higher RAM. These cognitive benefits are believed to come from several factors including increased blood flow to the brain during exercise, promotion of neuroplasticity, as well as the mentioned above reduction in inflammation which also benefits the brain.
As the years pass we naturally lose muscle mass and strength. Sarcopenia if you’re looking for a new vocabulary word. Sarcopenia leads to decreased mobility, increased chance of falls, and a decline in overall quality of life. Strength training will slow this process. Father time is undefeated, but we don’t have to make it easy on him.
Muscle mass also creates an environment for optimal metabolic health regulating blood sugar and optimizing body composition. As we get older preserving muscle mass gets more and more critical for maintaining metabolic health and reducing the risk of age-related diseases like heart disease and type 2 diabetes. The Sugar.
Strong muscle improves posture and preserves bone density fending off osteoporosis related fractures as we age. Strength training creates stress on bones which in turn stimulates bone creation and mineral density.
Longevity is the key. And maintaining muscle mass is a major player promoting it. The number one indicator of future injury is past injury. By protecting our bodies from injury, supporting our immune system, enhancing brain function, and beating back the effects of aging, muscle mass and muscle strength keep us healthy, happy, useful, and flourishing throughout our lives. Self care is not selfish.
Commentaires