Senior Care Corner® is a sponsored blog partner of Ensure® but the opinions in this article are ours alone. Please see below for additional disclosures.
Are you and your senior loved one minding your muscles and staying strong?
Muscles hold us upright, allow us to move and are needed for the function of important vital organs such as our heart and intestines.
Muscles help us smile, blink our eyes and chew our food.
Muscles also help regulate our metabolism and give us strength to complete the tasks we choose to do every day.
Protein and Our Muscle Mass
Every muscle in our body needs protein from the food we eat to renew, recover and stay strong.
As we all get older, we are at risk for muscle loss when our protein intake begins to wane and our physical activity slows.
Nutrition and exercise can help keep muscles strong and build muscles as we get older.
Eating adequate amounts of protein — up to 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight — is important to maintain strong muscles. One way to get enough protein is by supplementing your meals and snacks with Ensure High Protein Shake. It can give you 16 grams of protein to fill any gaps in your diet but also 23 essential vitamins and minerals for both muscle and bone health.
Preserving your muscle mass as you age with regular exercise will help you put all the pieces of the puzzle together to maintain your strength and mind your muscles.
After the age of 40, we all begin to lose muscle if we are inactive. Seniors can be at risk for sarcopenia or loss of muscle at a greater rate so need to participate in regular physical activity to keep their muscles strong in addition to eating enough protein.
If you are a senior using walker , you can exercise using your walker to prevent falls and stay active
Video Highlights to Mind Your Muscles
Being physically active doing something you love is important.
Check out this video to get in the action and mind your muscles:
Being active and eating right should be a lifelong goal no matter your age.
Refuel After Exercise
Your body needs to recover by rebuilding and repairing after strenuous activity.
Here are some types of things you and your senior should do to help your bodies recover:
- Rest. Plan rest days into your schedule to allow the body to recover fully
- Sleep. Make sure you get good quality sleep
- Hydrate. Be sure you and your senior get enough fluid in after exercise, water is preferred
- Nutrition. Refueling after exercise with an Ensure High Protein Shake is a good way to recover and build muscles for increased strength.
- Stretch. We know we should stretch before but cooling down and stretching out weary muscles and joints is important for recovery.
- Ice. Sore muscles may like getting ice to reduce inflammation
- Alcohol. Avoid alcohol
Building healthy habits is in your hands!
Here is some additional information about muscle health you might find helpful:
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Great Video!
I will be sure to share with my mother. I am always a fan of simple ecercise routines that incorporate the use of everyday items.