How to stay stronger for longer

Yesterday I gave a talk on Healthy Aging to residents at a nearby retirement village.  It was one of my favourite talks to date; I got completely caught up in the engagement, enthusiasm, and story-telling.

It struck me just how many of us get to old age without realising some of the really important things that can support us nutritionally, and it motivated me to share them, here.

One of the things we focused on was how we can help our muscles and bones stay strong as we age - muscles naturally weaken with age, and bones do too as bone mineral density declines. This means that as we get older, the risk of mobility issues, falls, and osteoporosis increases.

Genetics and lifestyle are always going to play a part, but it is possible to positively influence muscle and bone strength with diet and exercise.

Here’s how:

Protein

Not only does protein support our immune system, helping us fend off coughs and colds and recover from illness and injury, it also provides the building blocks essential to muscle regeneration, which is what we need to happen in order to counteract the natural decline that comes with age.

Foods to include: meat, dairy, eggs, whey protein products, vegan alternatives like mycoprotein, fish, soy, tofu, ‘high protein’ yoghurts and deserts, legumes, beans and peas.

Calcium

Calcium plays a vital role in supporting bone health - it’s the mineral our bones need in order to lay down new cells, which is how they retain strength.

Foods to include: Dairy products like milk, cheese and yoghurt, green leafy vegetables, tinned fish, legumes like chickpeas and lentils, fortified cereal, fortified vegan alternatives.

Vitamin D3

Vitamin D3 is important for strong bones too because it helps bones to absorb calcium. It’s also another important factor when it comes to a strong immune system.

Foods to include: it’s difficult to get enough vitamin D from food and sunlight alone, so considering a supplement is a good idea.

Resistance exercise

Sometimes it only takes a few small tweaks to put these dietary interventions in place. Other times it can take a bit more planning, effort and adjustment. Either way, the results are going to be greater if you can also combine resistance style exercise with nutritional interventions. Exercises that involve pushing, pulling and lifting (whether against your bodyweight, bands, or weights, and whatever your level of exercise competency) encourage your muscles to regenerate and your bones to lay down new layers and more cells. Exercise and nutrition combined has a greater impact than nutrition or exercise alone.

So, you can push back against muscle and bone density decline, and it’s never too early (or too late!) to start. In fact, the earlier you start implementing these changes, the more ingrained into your lifestyle and second-nature they can become; keeping you fitter, healthier, and stronger, for longer.