Opinion: Aerobic exercise’s health virtues have been trumpeted for many decades, but the benefits of building muscle are only recently being embraced by the medical and health industries. Yet committing to increasing muscle might still seem extreme or even eccentric to some. This month’s article will provide five reasons those doubts should be laid to rest. Muscle is finally getting its long-overdue moment: an overwhelming amount of research now confirms muscle is one of our greatest health assets.
How does more muscle improve health? Let us count the ways.
1. Muscle helps manage blood sugar as a “glucose sink.” Muscle is sometimes referred to as a “sink” for blood sugar control. Studies show this muscular “sink” can help clear up to 80% of post-meal sugar from your blood stream. Well-controlled blood sugar reduces Type II diabetes risk and the complications that arise from it. More muscle also tends to improve insulin sensitivity, which is a key goal of strong metabolic health.
2. Muscle can improve cardiovascular health. People understand muscle improves strength, but the cardiovascular benefits are less obvious. Yet science has shown greater amounts of muscle can reduce blood pressure, lower LDL cholesterol and improve circulation. These factors are fundamental to a healthy cardiovascular system. The American Heart Association recommends at least two full-body strength-training sessions per week to optimize heart health.
3. More muscle means greater strength. The muscle-strength connection is pretty intuitive, but we may not realize how much muscle impacts our daily lives. Walking, climbing stairs and carrying groceries require a certain level of muscle and strength. Lifting bags of mulch or easily putting a suitcase in an overhead bin are common benefits of stronger muscles. Stronger muscles allow us to stay more physically active in dozens of other small ways. Higher activity levels impact many aspects of health such as blood pressure, cholesterol levels and even improved sleep. Higher activity levels also reduce the risk of most chronic diseases.
4. Muscle helps control our weight. Muscle raises our resting metabolic rate, which burns more calories around the clock, 365 days per year. Muscle also burns more calories during physical activity. By no means is increasing muscle a quick-fix weight loss plan, but it is an important long-term strategy for improved body composition. Building muscle is one of the best things we can do to maintain a healthy weight, which reduces the risk of many chronic diseases.
5. Muscle contributes to a much healthier aging experience. When we were kids, we climbed trees, rode bikes and jumped rope. These physically challenging activities fueled our muscles and kept them strong. Aging tends to bring less activity, which contributes to loss of muscle and often body fat increases. This process tends to be a vicious cycle as physical activity often becomes less enjoyable and even painful as we lose muscle. Today, we thankfully live in an era where it has been shown that moderate lifestyle changes can increase healthy muscle retention. This increase can dramatically improve our aging experience. People can now enjoy mid-life and beyond more than ever via travel, family time and a more dynamic lifestyle. While committing to maintaining muscle is not the aging cure-all, it is a foundational strategy that gives us more health autonomy than past generations have experienced.
You do not have to embrace the Venice Beach bodybuilding scene, call everyone you know “Bro,” and spend eight hours on Sundays prepping grilled chicken to experience the benefits of more muscle. I recommend the much simpler and less invasive approach: strength-train a couple times per week, eat protein with every meal, and eat an overall healthy diet. These tips can be a huge step to building more health-sustaining muscle.
Protein needs increase as physical activity increases, so target numbers can vary. Assuming you are physically active, multiply your weight in pounds times 0.7 as a daily protein intake goal. If you weigh 150 pounds, that is around 105 grams of protein per day. Do your best to eat that much protein or as close as you are able daily.
This relatively small commitment can pay great health dividends over time.
Jeff Blair (M.S., CSCS) is a Certified Personal Trainer and has been featured in domestic and international fitness media publications. He also previously served as the functional training expert for a national research review project conducted by University of North Carolina Sports Medicine. He founded the SoCalSport Personal Training Studio in 2012. Contact him jeff@socalsport.com for article comments.
By Jeff Blair