Easy Chair Atrophy

As the average man ages he loses muscle and gets weaker. After their teenage years, most men become less active with each passing decade. With the advent of labor-saving devices, many tasks once performed manually are now executed at the flick of a switch. Even our leisure activities have been altered by technology. When was the last time you enjoyed a Sunday outing? A row on a lake? A walk in the woods? Thanks to the NFL, the NBA, the PGA, and other perks of cable and commercial TV, there is hardly reason to leave our air-conditioned dens. Our quantum leap in technology has resulted in a steady decline of physiology. The physical demands of everyday living are simply not what they used to be. We're living longer because of better medicine. But living even longer stronger requires investment in the vibrant health habits.

Breakdown of Muscle

Research by Dr. Gilbert Forbes of the University of Rochester School of Medicine shows that the average man loses a half-pound of muscle per year between the ages of 20 and 50. This average man is one who does not engage in regular strength-building exercise. As a 50-year-old his body is 15 pounds less muscular than at age 20. The loss of muscle and strength and thus probable decline in other biomarkers is strictly from a lack of use. Sooner or later, this disuse is likely to manifest itself in a physical ailment such as a heart attack, arthritis, or a degenerative disk. From there, it's usually a steady downward spiral. Strength may not be a panacea but, of all the factors over which you have some control, it is a critical one. Many of the aches and pains of old age can be averted. It is important that you understand the perils of ignoring muscle. Atrophy, the shrinkage of muscle tissue from disuse, involves metabolic breakdown of muscle into its constituent compounds, which are removed by the bloodstream.

Atrophied muscle does not turn into fat. Muscle and fat are composed of different cells, and it's impossible to turn one into the other. Muscle cells that atrophy simply lose their fluids, become smaller and weaker, and lessen their ability to contract.

Less Horsepower

Muscles are the engines of the body; weaker muscles mean less horsepower and a marked decline in performance results. lf you ever fractured a limb and spent several weeks in a cast, you will have experienced a rapid atrophying of muscles from total immobility, along with accompanying pain in the joints.

Without proper strength training, many of us place our entire bodies into a cast of sedentary living. The effects progress more slowly than what we experience with a fractured arm, but the results are just as damaging.

Fuel of High Achievment

Recent findings from Club Business International reveal that more than twice as many chief executive officers of major corporations exercise on a regular basis compared to adult men in general.

Do CEOs exercise because they are high achievers? Are they high achievers because they exercise? While there are no exact answers, one plausible theory is that the discipline of regular exercised as well as its effect on health and vigor, contributes to the achievement of lofty goals.

In addition to labor-saving devices, modern technology has provided efficient exercise tools and useful information that enable proper strength training to be achieved in as little as three 20-minute workouts per week. You don't have to be a gym rat, a muddlehead, or a fitness fanatic. In the same amount of time that you commit to everyday hygiene, you can factor effective exercise into your daily life.

Strength training is an integral element of productive living. Time invested in averting Easy-chair Atrophy pays bonus dividends that mature during the second middle age.