Longer healthy with strong muscles

Why does muscle strength help against aging?

1. Muscles are necessary for breathing, walking, climbing stairs and not to fall. Every movement takes muscle strength.
2. Muscles are a pantry of protein. When you get sick, you need the proteins for recovery.
3. Muscles seem to play a role in the immune response. Muscles are full of immune cells, which spring into action when your body is attacked by a bacteria or virus.
4. Muscles maintain glucose levels. People with diabetes often have little muscle mass.

This is how you test muscle strength

Doctors often use the grip strength test for this, in which you squeeze a force meter with one hand. But you can also test it yourself.

A. How many times can you get up from a chair in 30 seconds without using your hands? If you succeed at least fifteen times, your condition and muscle strength are good.
B. Can you walk up five floors at a brisk pace without getting out of breath? Then the muscle strength is good.

Moving = drops of sweat

Strong muscles are essential for a healthy body, especially with age. The good news is that you can build muscle mass yourself. You do that by exercising and eating protein. The Health Council has used the exercise standard to indicate how much you should at least exercise to stay healthy. The exercise norm is 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise five times a week, plus muscle and bone-strengthening activities at least twice a week, combined with balance exercises

. “People overestimate how much they move,” says Andrea Maier. “80 percent think they get enough exercise, but only 21 percent meet the exercise standard.”

A cheap pedometer or a free app gives a good idea of ​​the duration of movement. But is it intensive enough? You can check that with a sports watch with a heart rate monitor. But it can be simpler. If the beads of sweat are on your forehead or upper lip, then you are exerting enough.

How good is my balance?

Sit cross-legged on the floor and stand up without using your hands. Can that be done in one go? Then your balance is good.

No time for the gym?
“People in their sixties and seventies often think that sports should not cost time or money”, Andrea Maier notes. “If you want to keep exercising, you can build exercise into your daily routine. Make your life a little harder and heavier. And more fun, with the following fun exercises for more muscle strength and balance.”
• Brushing your teeth: always stand on one leg without holding on to anything. This way you train your balance for two minutes twice a day, while you brush. Switch legs every time you brush, otherwise you will only train your ‘dominant’ leg. The same goes for other daily chores that you do on two legs. Peel potatoes or make coffee on one leg.
• Sitting: before you sit down, always hang five centimeters above the seat of the chair. That’s good for strong leg muscles.
• Reading: always lift your legs when you turn a page.

• Open the refrigerator: always add three knee bends.

• Grandchildren: When you take care of young grandchildren, you make many different movements: you lift, walk and run. That variation in exercise is better for your health than walking alone. So don’t be ashamed and go wild with the grandchildren. Jumping, dancing or playing football together.

Strong muscles, strong bones

You wouldn’t immediately think so, but your bones also benefit from a good set of muscles. He who challenges his muscles, ‘pulls’ at the bones. The extra load makes them firmer. With age, many people lose bone mass. It’s important not to think of this as ‘normal wear and tear’, says Andrea Maier. Keep moving so those bones stay strong.

In the past, doctors had a different standard of bone density for older people; they basically accepted the bone loss. Doctors don’t do that anymore. Maier: “Low bone density increases the risk of fractures, whether you are 30 or 80 years old. Osteoporosis is not normal, even when you are older. If you have a low bone density, it is therefore better to use medication. Or do strength training, because strong muscles make bones stronger.”

Miracle Vitamin D

Every dividing cell needs vitamin D; muscle cells too. Anyone who wants to maintain or grow muscle mass therefore needs vitamin D. “85 percent of the patients at the clinic have a vitamin D deficiency,” says Andrea Maier.

The blood level should be at least 50 nmol/litre. Ask your doctor for a measurement. Also, take a pill with vitamin D every day, especially in the winter. If you are over 50, take 10 micrograms. At 70-plus, the dose is 20 micrograms.

Proteins are muscle builders

Muscles cannot do without proteins. This became clearly visible in a study by the University of Wageningen in 2013. Sixty people followed a strength training program for six months. Half received extra proteins, the other half a placebo. Muscle strength increased by 40 percent in both groups. But the muscle mass in the protein group increased by 1.3 kilos, while it remained the same in the other group. Andrea Maier: “Have your protein-rich meal or protein shake right before a strength workout or within twenty minutes after it. Then the proteins are best converted into muscle mass.”

• What is ‘protein’? Protein is the white part of a chicken egg, but it is also the name for the building materials in food that consist of amino acids (proteins are made up of amino acids). Protein is another name for protein. The body makes most of the amino acids you need. But not the essential amino acids. You get it through food.

• How much protein do you need? The Nutrition Center recommends eating 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight daily. So someone weighing 70 kilos needs 56 grams of protein. To give you an idea: an egg contains 8 grams of protein. So put a lot of eggs, legumes, dairy, nuts, fish and meat on the menu.

• Which protein shakes help? If you do not get enough protein through the diet, you can also take a dietary supplement with amino acids. Bodybuilders also use such protein shakes. They can be bought at the drugstore or health food store. Check the label beforehand for ‘essential amino acids’, especially leucine. If you have a kidney problem, talk to your doctor first.

Beware of malnutrition

With malnutrition, the body does not get enough nutrients and starts to ‘eat’ the muscles. This can happen even at a healthy weight. Of the people who receive home care, 15 to 30 percent are malnourished, according to the Malnutrition Steering Group. The scale is a good indicator of malnutrition, according to Andrea Maier. “If you suddenly lose weight, that is cause for concern. Keep an eye on your weight, for example with a smart scale that sends an app.”

Scientists are looking for a ‘rejuvenation pill’. You may already be taking it, because commonly used medicines are also being tested for their rejuvenating qualities. Look at PlusOnline.nl/verjongingspil. Professor Andrea Maier (40) is a researcher at Amsterdam Movement Sciences (of the Vrije Universiteit and Amsterdam UMC) and at the University of Melbourne in Australia. Maier also works at the Royal Melbourne Hospital as a geriatric internist, where she is also one of the medical directors.