The Harsh Truth About Your "Aging" Body (And How To Fight Back)

📖 DEEP DIVE

We've all been there - waking up feeling like we got hit by a truck after a light workout or jog around the block.

Or paying the price for days after a quick game with the kids.

Your body just isn’t holding up the way it used to, and it's not your imagination - age is coming for that hard-earned strength and vitality.

But you don't have to surrender to stiffness, soreness, and pain. There’s a simple solution to fight back against Father Time: build some muscle!

Muscle is your body's anti-aging ‘armor’

Too many accept achy joints, injuries and feeling run down as unavoidable parts of getting older. But nothing could be further from the truth - IF you build a solid muscle base.

Having more muscle isn’t just about looking good naked (though that’s a nice bonus). It's quite literally one of your body's best defenses against premature aging, frailty, and pain.

1. The Muscle-Vitality Connection

The science is clear - building muscle is a literal lifesaver. Extra muscle lowers your overall mortality risk while guarding against chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease.

But it's not just about prolonging your years - muscle preserves the quality of life you want in those years. Extra strength supports bone health, regulates blood sugar, and enables an active, pain-free lifestyle well into your golden years.

Because at the end of the day, what's the point of living longer if you can't do all the cool things you love to do? Having a solid muscle base keeps you moving, grooving and truly LIVING.

The path to vitality is simple - build muscle now, and stay active forever!

2. The Muscle Meltdown Starts At 30

That’s right, at some point in your 30’s, your muscles are on the clock. Sarcopenia, the age-related loss of muscle, starts its’ attack. If you’re not the strength training type, you could be waving goodbye to as much as 3-5% of your hard-earned muscle mass each decade.

And it only gets worse from there. The muscle meltdown accelerates over time, leading to weakness, mobility issues, and loss of independence.

See for yourself:

It’s a vicious cycle - no muscles = no strength, no strength = no movement, and no movement = rapid decline in health, joint function and metabolism.

The good news?

You can rebuild muscle and reclaim your strength at any age. Even 90-year-olds are hitting the weights to stay strong & mobile.

And if they can do it—you can, too!

3. The Minimalist Muscle Plan

You don't need to be a gym rat to reap the anti-aging benefits of muscle. Just 60 minutes per week can slash your mortality risk and protect against pain.

The best part? You can pick whatever strength training fits your vibe - as long as you put in the work!

If you’re short on time, try rocking these minimalist strength circuits:

• Squat options: lunges, squats, step-ups

• Press options: push-ups, DB press, KB press

• Pull options: rows, pull-ups, deadlifts

Pick one exercise from each category, set a timer for 20-30 minutes, and bring the heat. Alternate between movements, aiming for 8-12 reps per set. When it starts to feel easy, pile on more weight to keep the gains coming.

4. The Fist Method For Perfect Protein Intake

Proper protein intake is essential to fuel muscle growth. And hitting the ideal intake (roughly 1 gram per pound of body weight daily) is way easier than you think with the fist method:

• Make a fist.

• That’s the size of one portion of protein.

Aim for 4-5 fist-sized portions of protein-rich foods like chicken, beef, turkey, greek yogurt or eggs. If you’re still running low, consider supplementing to hit your muscle-building targets.

TL;DR: Live Stronger, Longer

• More muscle significantly reduces your risk of chronic disease.

• Muscle meltdown starts at age 30, but you can rebuild it anytime.

• Just 1 hour per week of strength training does the trick.

• 4-5 fist-sized portions of protein fuel your gains.

The bottom line: Investing just 1 hour per week into strength training and hitting your protein targets daily is your body's best defense against injury, losing independence, and “getting old.”

That’s all for today.

Keep moving,

Dr. Matt Longfellow PT, DPT, SCS, SFG II