Maintaining muscle mass for as long as possible is one of the most important goals when training for health and longevity.
More muscle means more functionality, injury prevention, and quality of life.
When you think about how we get old and frail, you probably imagine losing a little muscle and strength daily once we reach a certain age.
In theory, that is what happens but if you enter your fifties with a good amount of muscle and keep training consistently, this loss of strength and fitness is minimal.
What really makes a big difference are the phases of inactivity, mostly after injuries, in which we lose ground that we rarely get back.
Imagine swimming against a current that lets you stay in place with medium effort. Once you stop for just a bit you will have to spend a lot of energy to get back to the same spot or maybe won’t be able to at all.
That makes avoiding and preventing injuries the highest priority for training over 40.
Leaving your ego out of it, listening to your body, and prioritizing recovery are the key skills for building a consistent, uninterrupted routine.
A good workout program should be focused on making you resilient and keeping you from getting hurt in everyday life.
But even with all the best intentions, workouts, and programs, at some point, something will get injured.
The important mindset is that once you are injured, you have to double your training efforts.
You have to fulfill your normal quota to reach your general health goals and you have to put in as much effort into getting the injured part of your body back in the game.
Focus on keeping the ball rolling and avoid getting injured at all costs!
Keep moving!
