It is normal for individuals to lose muscle as they age, this is due to a disease called sarcopenia. When you lose muscle tissue, it can cause the already inevitable muscle loss in older adults to happen faster. Resulting in many negative impacts like reduced muscle function, motor neuron function, balance, and even their ability to carry out daily tasks without assistance.
Here at TerraBella Windsor Lake, we believe that everyone deserves to live their best life with as much independence as possible. This means taking action to palliate the spread of diseases like sarcopenia and other conditions that cause adverse effects. Our team of wellness experts have compiled a guide for preventing sarcopenia in older adults. Read on to find out more!
What Is Sarcopenia?
Even though it is normal for older adults to experience sarcopenia, the disease itself stems from, and leads to much more than just frailty as a result of old age. Sarcopenia is generally characterized by loss of muscle strength and muscle loss at a rapid and higher rate. It progresses when your anabolic hormones start to grow out of balance and muscle repair can no longer occur as speedily as possible, causing them to break down.
Having sarcopenia can also increase your risk of falls and worsen any injuries that you get from them.
What Causes Sarcopenia to Progress?
Our muscles help us to do a lot of things, but, unfortunately, they are also sometimes taken for granted. Our muscles are body parts that we can lose if we do not maintain them. This means that if you choose to live a sedentary life without much movement, it is highly likely that you can cause sarcopenia to progress faster.
On top of this, diet is just as important to maintaining a healthy body and lifestyle. Protein in food is crucial to helping your muscles rebuild in a process that is also known as muscle protein synthesis. When you do not have enough protein, your muscles will not grow, repair, or rebuild, as fast and can lead to a higher rate of muscle wastage.
How to Prevent Sarcopenia in You and Your Loved Ones?
Aside from eating adequate protein and exercising more, it is also important to increase your vitamin D intake and take actionable steps to prevent falls. This is because when you fall and need bed rest to recover, the lack of mobility has led to a larger loss of muscle mass as well.
Enjoy Comprehensive Health & Fitness Programs at TerraBella Windsor Lake
What is described in this article is but a small portion of what occurs when sarcopenia affects the body. If you think that you are suffering from this disease, it is important that you make an appointment with your doctor or healthcare provider so that they can give you further recommendations on how best to proceed.
At TerraBella Windsor Lake, we make sure to utilize research based principles to chart our exclusive senior living programs. In particular, our Dimensions Health & Fitness program was established in order to provide all our residents in the senior living community with comprehensive and fun activities.
For more information about our approach towards health and fitness practices or our senior living options, simply drop us a message on our online form or contact us at 803.902.3986.
