Metabolic Health
Three Tips to Prevent Muscle Loss and Maintain a Defined Body
I offer one challenging and two easy steps to achieve these two health, fitness, and lifestyle goals.
This story offers three practical solutions.
I present two comfortable practices and a challenging one for you. They include only lifestyle choices and cover the fundamentals of our metabolic health. So, building and maintaining lean muscles at any age with healthy lifestyle habits is possible.
If you do the easy ones, you can prevent muscle loss and even might burn visceral fat. They might give you an 80% improvement. But if you want a defined body which I consider 20%, you will undoubtedly need to do the challenging one, as there is no metaphorical free lunch on this planet.
However, the good news is even the challenging one does not require too much work. All you need is around 20 minutes of your time daily. If you make it a habit, you might even enjoy it, and it will never look like a chore. I know this by heart because I did it myself and observed it in others.
Like millions of people, I am obsessed with muscle health for valid reasons. Muscle health is crucial for mobility, wellness, life satisfaction, and longevity. First, I’d like to explain why I wrote this article.
Here’s why I wrote this piece.
Previously I wrote about muscle loss for mature people as sarcopenia is a severe health condition for an aging population. The previous story about sarcopenia focussed on both health and lifespan.
As the focus of the story was on mature people, some subscribers asked whether those suggestions might apply to younger people. If so, what do they need to do to prevent muscle loss and have a better physique?
Muscle loss is a critical issue at any age. It can happen to both young and older adults. Steadily losing visceral fat is excellent. But gradually losing muscle can be detrimental to our health and well-being.
In my experience, three metabolic factors affect maintaining lean muscles with a desired fat percentage at any age. They are insulin sensitivity, leptin signaling, and anabolic sensitivity. The solutions I summarize in this post cover these three metabolic factors.
As a longevity organ, muscle plays various critical roles in our metabolism. Muscle is also crucial to keep a better lipid profile in the body. For example, by building more muscle mass, we can burn more calories and lower visceral fat accumulation. Let me summarize key metabolic factors.
Summary of 3 Metabolic Factors for Muscle Health
Insulin sensitivity means cells respond to insulin signals for the blood glucose to be utilized as an energy source. In an insulin-sensitive body, muscle cells can use blood sugar and grow naturally. So people with insulin sensitivity can lower visceral fat and keep lean muscles.
Leptin signaling means the brain recognizes leptin signals and creates a satiety feeling. If the body is leptin resistant, we don’t feel the satiety signals and consume more calories than we need. In addition, a leptin-resistant body also becomes insulin resistant affecting fat and muscle profiles.
Anabolic sensitivity refers to the cells being open to growth stimuli from amino acids and exercise, such as resistance workouts like weightlifting and calisthenics. The opposite of this concept is called anabolic resistance. This condition is a catabolic process for muscles.
It means that anabolic resistance might lead to severe muscle loss eventually. Aging is the most common cause of anabolic resistance. Nevertheless, lack of bioavailable proteins in the diet and sedentary life are also known causes.
In combination, insulin, leptin, anabolic resistance, and elevated cortisol levels might cause visceral fat gain and lead to muscle loss or weakness. When insulin, leptin, and anabolic resistance continue for a while, people might start experiencing sarcopenia. Progress of muscle loss and muscle quality can be checked via MRI or DEXA scans.
Sarcopenia is muscle wasting as we age, causing weakness and preventing us from performing daily tasks. “Skeletal muscle plays an indispensable role in metabolic health and physical function. A decrease in muscle mass and function with advancing age exacerbates the likelihood of mobility impairments, disease development, and early mortality.” Source
Although some people consume a significant amount of protein and perform resistance workouts, their muscles cannot grow and maintain strength. I see this as an exceptional situation that requires medical intervention.
It is beyond lifestyle choices. For example, there might be hormonal issues, such as a lack of growth hormones or autoimmune conditions. Thus, dealing with underlying health conditions requires support from healthcare professionals who can diagnose and treat them.
In addition, metabolic disorders such as metabolic syndrome, fatty liver disease, type II diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, cancers, and neurodegenerative disorders, might cause anabolic resistance and lead to muscle loss. Therefore lifestyle choices need to combine with medical intervention for some people to prevent muscle loss.
Here are the three steps to prevent muscle loss at any age, obtain a defined body, and improve metabolic health.
1 — Consume adequate protein daily and get the required amount of calories.
I choose this step as number one because it is easy and fun. We all enjoy eating. It does not require much work or willpower. It is a natural instinct for all humans and other animals.
Protein needs differ from person to person depending on many factors, such as sex, age, and activity level. As we age, the body needs more bioavailable protein to keep skeletal muscle which we need to monitor carefully.
The key points about proteins are their amount and bioavailability. I specifically highlight bioavailable proteins as some food groups do not include complete amino acid profiles and are not bioavailable due to some anti-nutrients, allergens, and toxins.
For example, although plant sources can provide adequate proteins, they are not as bioavailable as animal-based proteins such as eggs, red meat, organ meats, poultry, fish, seafood, and dairy.
People on strict plant-based diets might need to supplement to get bioavailable proteins. As diet is a personal matter depending on many variables, it can be helpful to get our protein intake to be formulated by a certified dietician or sports nutritionist.
The amount of protein from food or supplements also matters. Studies indicate that eating around 30 grams of protein which gives around 10 to 20 grams of amino acids, might be needed to activate mTOR. For example, this double-blinded study mentions 20 grams of amino acids, and this study mentions 10 grams.
Amino acids are the building blocks of our cells. There are nine essential amino acids the body cannot produce. We must get them from food or supplements. Protein is a critical macronutrient for muscles, hormones, neurons, and other systems and functions in the body.
Consuming enough proteins, including essential amino acids, are critical. A recent study highlights the importance of high protein for obese people to address metabolic disorders such as insulin resistance.
The study concludes that “a combined high-protein diet and exercise intervention significantly decreased fat mass and improved lipid profiles, insulin sensitivity, glucose tolerance, and inflammation in middle-aged adults with obesity.”
After protein, the second important point is the number of calories the body needs daily. For example, some diets are poorly designed, focusing only on lowering calories. They primarily reduce food and increase exercise.
When we eat less and move more, we naturally lose weight. However, we might lose muscle or bone density rather than visceral fat. It is undesirable and detrimental to our health.
The body needs adequate calories for energy and nutrients to function. For example, low-fat and low-protein diets can severely damage the metabolism, making the body leptin-resistant and insulin resistant in the long run causing metabolic disorders.
We need to consume sufficient calories from whole foods to have a well-functioning metabolism. Some healthy fats and amino acids are essential, but carbs are not.
Nonetheless, some people do well on complex carbs, using them as their primary energy source. However, excessive consumption of refined carbs can cause problems for anyone.
An optimal solution is getting enough bioavailable proteins and adjusting fats and carbs for energy production in different ratios based on our lifestyle and the body’s biochemical requirements.
2 — Lower stress and inflammation by recovering timely.
After food, the second easy and fun activity is sleep and rest, as they can lower oxidative stress and reduce inflammation in the body. Unfortunately, accumulated stress and chronic inflammation might lead to muscle loss or prevent its maintenance.
Bioavailable protein intake can initiate muscle synthesis by activating mTOR. However, the actual muscle growth and maintenance happen during sleep time, especially in a deep sleep. Nevertheless, all sleep phases, including REM and light, can contribute to muscle anabolism.
Sleep deprivation is a well-known cause of muscle loss. The reason behind this is hormonal imbalance. When we don’t get enough restorative sleep, stress hormones, primarily cortisol, rise in the bloodstream and have catabolic effects on the muscles.
Unfortunately, elevated cortisol might also cause insulin resistance. Cortisol is a catabolic hormone causing muscle loss at elevated levels and for a prolonged time.
Insulin resistance prevents the muscles from getting the required energy. Thus, we need to optimize this hormone by lowering stress, recovering timely, and eating nutrient-dense foods.
Keep in mind that hormones manage metabolism. The most critical hormone contributing to muscle and fat gain is insulin which is an anabolic hormone. Insulin plays multiple roles in muscle growth. It signals muscle cells to get blood glucose. Insulin also contributes to the activation of mTOR.
Stress and unpleasant emotions adversely affect the hormones causing hormonal imbalance. Our thoughts and emotions have a significant effect on our biology. The key mechanism is stress production by unpleasant emotions and anxious thoughts.
From a hormonal aspect, we must prevent insulin resistance and elevated cortisol to maintain a healthy muscle profile. In addition, making our body leptin sensitive can contribute to insulin sensitivity. An insulin-sensitive body can become more fat adapted and melt visceral fat and maintain lean muscles.
Besides getting restorative sleep daily, we also need to take breaks from work and exercise to reduce stress and keep the cortisol hormone at an optimal rate. We shouldn’t exercise before fully recovering from the previous sessions’ effects. Slowing down in our hectic life might be necessary to prevent muscle loss.
Some people might need bioavailable hormone replacement therapy. Therefore, getting our hormones checked by endocrinologists is necessary. These qualified health professionals might diagnose and treat hormonal issues. For example, testosterone is required for muscle synthesis in men.
As I documented in an article, our anxiety increases as we age. Reducing anxiety, preventing chronic stress, and lowering chronic inflammation can help us balance our hormones. Cognitive flexibility and emotional regulation are necessary as we age.
From my experience, mindfulness practices such as daily meditation, self-talk, working in a flow state, and expressive writing can help us regulate our emotions, increase our emotional intelligence, and make us more mature and resilient to emotional stress.
3 — Perform more resistance workouts and relatively less cardio.
I left this step to the end as it requires more effort and willpower. However, resistance training can significantly contribute to muscle building and maintenance, prevent sarcopenia, and can define your body for a better look.
Excessive cardio might cause muscle loss. However, moderate cardio, such as walking or swimming, can indirectly contribute to muscle growth as it can make the body more insulin sensitive and maintains blood flow and oxygenation to muscle cells.
Cardio, in a high-intensity style, can increase growth hormone and can directly contribute to muscle mass. For example, sprint runners typically have better-defined bodies than long-distance runners.
Some people, especially women and the elderly, do not like weightlifting, performing calisthenics, or doing HIIT. However, they don’t need to do it in the same amount or intensity as younger people, especially young males.
Previously some female readers inspired me to write a story highlighting the importance of resistance training for women. In that story, I mentioned that resistance training is not exclusive to men.
After protein and sleep, the next critical item to keep anabolism is stimulating our muscles with resistance workouts. Weightlifting, working with machines in the gym, and calisthenics, from my experience, are valuable options.
Resistance training is critical to activate mTOR for muscle synthesis and make the muscle cells insulin sensitive. These two metabolic factors are vital to maintaining lean muscle mass and preventing sarcopenia.
As I mentioned in a case study, older adults prevented muscle loss with resistance training. For example, the trainer started the man with five kilos of dumbbells and the woman with 2 kilos.
After a year, the man could lift 30 kilos and the woman 10 kilos in 20 minutes every third day. In addition, they do around 50 pushups, ten squats, 20 steps lunge walk, and ten minutes of planks daily.
As documented in this paper, “the level of habitual physical activity may be fundamental to maintain the anabolic responsiveness to protein intake with aging.”
From the cellular and mitochondrial health perspective, resistance training might also contribute to initiating mild autophagy and mitophagy in muscle cells. Dense mitochondria are essential for energy production and muscle synthesis.
In addition to resistance training, time-restricted eating can also activate autophagy and mitophagy and improve cellular and mitochondrial health. Besides, ketosis protects muscles.
As muscle cells and mitochondria are affected by toxins, pathogens, and damaged proteins, refraining from these harmful substances is essential. Autophagy and mitophagy processes can help.
However, older adults must be careful as activating autophagy too much can be catabolic and lead to muscle loss. Therefore, we need to do intense exercises and time-restricted eating diligently and obtain support from qualified healthcare professionals.
Conclusions and Takeaways
Muscle loss can happen at any age for various reasons. The key risk factors are inadequate proteins, sleep deprivation, and sedentary life. These three factors can imbalance hormones affecting our metabolic activities.
The typical lifestyle factors to maintain muscles and prevent muscle loss are consuming bioavailable proteins from nutrient-dense food, performing personalized resistance training, recovering timely, and getting quality sleep.
These lifestyle factors can balance hormones and put the body in a metabolically advantageous position. From a metabolic health perspective, to prevent muscle loss, we need to increase insulin, leptin, and anabolic sensitivity.
Even though mostly the elderly suffer from sarcopenia, this undesirable condition might happen at any age. For example, some people with stressful and sedentary life start losing muscles after 30, as their growth hormones and sex hormones start declining.
These three fundamental lifestyle choices can reduce stress and inflammation and balance our hormones supporting anabolic sensitivity to prevent sarcopenia as we age.
If you are trying to lose weight, you might check Seven Mistakes to Avoid When Losing Fat. The biggest mistake is losing the balance of our hormones.
Hormonal balance is crucial for muscle health. The critical point is that we need to optimize and balance our hormones with bioavailable proteins from whole foods, regular resistance workouts, restorative sleep, and timely recovery. Besides, we must consume adequate healthy fats for our hormones to function.
The critical points for hormonal balance are preventing insulin resistance, making the body leptin sensitive, increasing growth hormones, lowering elevated cortisol, and optimizing sex hormones such as testosterone for men and estrogen for women.
Since toxins and pathogens are enemies of muscle cells, we need to focus on natural detoxification, such as autophagy and mitophagy. In addition, we might consider detoxifying supplements such as n-acetyl-cysteine and activated charcoal.
Regular checks are critical to staying healthy and fit. Furthermore, we might try alternative muscle relaxing therapies such as physiotherapy, osteopathy, remedial massage, acupuncture, or kinesiology to improve muscle health.
These therapies might improve posture and enable us to exercise better. As back pain is widespread and undesirable, I provided practical tips to defeat it. Interested readers might check this story titled Here’s How Flora Defeated Back Pain and Bolstered Her Core in 7 Steps.
Learning from the experiences of others might be invaluable. Thus, I document stories of healthy and wise people in my circles and compile them in a collection titled Insightful Life Lessons from Personal Stories. I believe you might find some inspiring stories from this collection.
Thank you for reading my perspectives. I wish you a healthy and happy life.
As a new reader, you might check my holistic health and well-being stories reflecting on my reviews, observations, and decades of sensible experiments. I write about health as it matters. I believe health is all about homeostasis.
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