Understanding Optimal Health: Muscular System

We all dream of being a 100 plus years of age and healthy. There are healthy choices we can make to significantly increase our chances of staying fit for life. Each month we will focus on a different area and discuss the latest research on optimal health. Our first area to discuss is our musculature. Muscles consist of slow and fast twitch fibers.  As we age we lose 2% of our muscles mass per year after the age of 40, unless we are exercising. However, the type of exercise is very important.  This explains why older people sometimes walk and move a lot slower than younger people. This can occur because their fast twitch muscles fibers have atrophied so they actually do not have the ability to move any faster. As we age we want to make sure we maintain our muscle mass, slow and fast twitch fibers…How do we do that?  We do it by choosing the right kind of exercise. It is important to have an exercise program which includes all 4 building blocks of optimal exercise. These building blocks include stretching and flexibility, balance, aerobic exercise targeting slow and fast twitch muscles, and strength training.