Sarcopenia is the loss of muscle mass that occurs naturally as we age. The adage ‘use it or lose it’ applies. It’s a great idea to lift weights as you get older to counter this decline in muscle mass. Maintaining muscle and strength is associated with a better quality of life due to greater physical resilience and less physical restrictions. For example, someone who stays strong in their...
If you don’t use muscle, you lose muscle. Our bodies have evolved to maintain only the muscle we need to complete our daily jobs. This is because muscles require calories, so the bigger you are, the more you need to eat. In hunter-gatherer societies (and urbanised societies until quite recently), food wasn’t easily available, and there would have been periods when it was scarce. Having excess...