When you grow older, your hairs start turning gray, and wrinkles on your skin start appearing. These changes you can see when you look in the mirror. But there are a lot of other changes your body goes through underneath the surface. And one of them is loss of muscle mass, called sarcopenia. Retaining muscle mass is the most important thing as you age. So much so, your overall well-being and independence depend on it! This article is to share with you exactly how you can regain muscle mass after 60 with experts-backed tips.
As per Harvard Health Publishing, we can lose anywhere from 3% to 5% of our muscle mass each decade after our 30th birthday. If we don’t do anything to maintain and build up muscle mass, sarcopenia (natural muscle mass loss with age) could cause lots of health issues and a decline in mobility. It will also make us feel weak, increasing substantially our risk of falls, fractures, or other injuries. Experts say you should take action as early as possible and give your overall health a much-needed boost.
In this article, you will find 6 Best everyday habits to regain muscle mass over 60 and stay healthy and fit as you age.
Best Daily Habits To Regain Muscle Mass Over 60
We talked to Fitness Buffhq at Just Fitness Hub, who explained the top everyday habits to maintain and regain muscle mass after 60. Read on this article and take some notes!
# 1
Begin Strength Training Soonest
In fact, strength training is king—particularly when it comes to retaining and building muscle mass. This is the most important habit we can develop to gain muscle mass at any age.
The key is doing exercises with “progressive overload”, which helps you regain muscle mass. That means jacking up the intensity of the exercise by slowly increasing the number of reps, time, or weights (resistance). Other benefits include the prevention of arthritis and other age-related ailments, getting energetic, better flexibility, and improved posture.
If you’re new to strength training, incorporate it into your fitness routine 2 to 3 times per week for thirty to forty-five minutes.
RELATED: 9 Tips For Starting Strength Training
# 2
Set strength training goals
Now that we’ve explained just how essential strength training is, let’s discuss setting goals. When starting any health and fitness routine, it’s necessary to set and write down small goals. One more tip. Be patient, because it’s after all a time taking process!
As per Fitness Buffhq, “Setting a too large goal or expecting to gain big muscle mass with strength training of only a couple of weeks can lead to discouragement. It takes time to recover muscle mass.” He further suggests for writing down the goals you would like to achieve in 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months. When each period comes to a close, check what you have achieved and what you can work on. Every time you evaluate your progress, tweak your goals as you deem fit.
# 3
Stretch it out
Stretching helps avoid injuries and sore muscles. It’s necessary to perform a solid warm-up and cool-down routine for your each main workout session. In addition, Fitness Buffhq explains, “On days when you aren’t doing strength training, spending a little time on stretching helps improve posture, increase flexibility, and eliminate back pain.”
RELATED: Eight Stretching Exercises For Older Adults
# 4
Focus on Low-Impact Cardio
Okay, in addition to strength training, let’s not forget to do low-impact cardio (aerobic) exercises. Taking out some time for low-impact cardio workouts, including brisk walking, jogging, using the elliptical, biking, dancing swimming laps, or hiking your favorite trails are extremely beneficial. How so? Fitness Buffhq explains that low-impact cardio can help in losing fat and toning your entire body. Low-impact cardio is a stellar option to include in any regular fitness rotation, so get started now.
RELATED: Cardio (Aerobic) Exercise For Fitness & Longevity
# 5
Increase your protein intake
Bumping up the amount of protein you consume comes with a number of health benefits. According to Fitness Buffhq, “Not only [will it] help us regain muscle mass, but [it will] also help promote weight loss. A person trying to increase muscle mass should have at least 0.8 grams of protein per pound of body weight every day.”
RELATED: How To Increase Your Protein Intake In Old Age
# 6
Make rest a top priority
You may not know this but getting enough restful sleep is just as necessary as staying on track with a workout routine and a healthy diet. “Active adults should get at least 7-8 hours of sleep per night. Fitness Buffhq explains, “A good night’s sleep allows your muscles time to recover from workouts and other tiring activities. When you sleep, you will not only get better energy for your next day’s activities and workout, but your muscles will also build.”
About Author: Renu Bakshi, AKA Fitness Buffhq, is ISSA Certified Elite Trainer. He passed 
Personal Fitness Trainer Course, Nutrition Health Coach course & Specialist Exercise Therapy course from ISSA, USA obtaining + 97% marks. He shares his experience and knowledge about nutrition and effective workouts to get you in the best shape of your life, no matter how old you may be. The author says: “For me age is just a number!”