Staying Strong As We Age
YOUR BODY IS YOUR TEMPLE.
How many times have you heard that? Well, if we’re privileged enough to have one that not only works but works well, we have a personal duty to take care of it with the utmost respect.
Respect for your body in a physical sense comes in many forms; Nourishing it from the inside out with good food and hydration. Keeping it warm when it’s cold, and cool when it’s hot. Looking after your eyes, nose and ears to keep your senses sharp. Keeping your muscles well fuelled and your bones supported and healthy. The list goes on.
Realistically, most of us want to achieve an adequate level of personal maintenance and for as long as possible. We want to be fully functional, independent human beings right through to our later years. And why shouldn’t we want that? So this means taking the time to care for oneself now can positively impact the future self.
The ageing process
Ageing is a gradual process. However, from the age of 60, we should consider specific body changes and understand how we can adapt to these. There is a lot of evidence supporting better, stronger functionality of the body in adults who consume more protein as they age.
Maintaining our body
It’s established that as we age, our bodies cannot process as much protein as it once did, and it becomes more challenging to maintain muscle mass and both health. The ratio of protein grams per kilo of body weight is generally advised to increase by about 20%. So what once was around 1g of protein per Kilo of body weight, now becomes 1-1.2g per kilogram of body weight in later years. And this is to maintain muscle mass and function..
Mindful Protein consumption
Although eating more protein can’t stop the ageing process, it can help maintain longevity as the body ages. Now we’re not talking about eating a steak every day; there are plenty of ways to consume protein from various sources in both animal and plant products. However; animals contain all nine essential amino acids, and plants do not. Therefore you may have to shop around a little more to find all nine of your amino if you’re on a plant-based diet.
When increasing your protein, it should first and foremost come from real food before anything else. Although protein powders are a great way to top up your daily intake, they should be in addition to a well-balanced diet and not as a replacement.
The NHS advises…
Some people find their appetite starts to drop as they get older. Eating less can make it more difficult to get the nutrients you need to keep muscles and bones healthy.
Staying active will help to keep your appetite up. But if you don’t feel like eating much some days, it’s still important to try to stick to a healthy, balanced diet.
- calcium keeps our bones and teeth healthy
- vitamin D helps our bodies to absorb calcium
- protein is important for muscle maintenance
Another reason to eat a balanced diet is that it will help you to maintain healthy body weight. Being underweight is linked to a higher risk of fractures.
If your diet isn’t as good as it should be, you may want to consider taking a dietary supplement.
For more information…
There are plenty of reasons why, as an adult in later life, you may find yourself on the lighter side of the scales. Illness, loss of appetite or even dental issues are all potential factors in weight-loss. If you need any help regarding your weight, the NHS has some excellent advice HERE on their website.