The Exercise That Fights Aging: Quietly Transforming the Bodies of Countless Middle-Aged and Older People – Practice at Home!

Some say that as people age, they can’t resist the allure of discounted eggs and discounted fruits.

But we believe that what truly reveals “age” is:Just carrying eggs and fruits for a few steps, and your arms and shoulders start to “complain”, and after a few more steps, your back begins to ache as well.

In addition to carrying heavy objects, these “exhausted” states are also very common:When the escalator in the mall is broken, climbing one floor is a bit breathless; cleaning at home, just after wiping the windows, you are too tired to go on…

This phenomenon of “aging and not being able to keep up physically” is actually due to——
Muscles are quietly “dropping the chain”.

Today, we want to talk with you about an “anti-aging necessity” that many people ignore——
Strength training, also known as “resistance training”, in simple terms, isexercise that makes muscles work hard against external resistance.

It’s not exclusive to fitness enthusiasts, but a “preservation secret” that every ordinary person can master.

Why exercise muscles?

From the age of 30, our muscle mass will gradually decrease. Hormones that stimulate muscle protein synthesis(such as testosterone and estrogen)will also decrease with age, slowing down muscle self-repair and growth.

1. More effort in exercise

Due to the reduced amount of mobilizable muscles in the body,more force is required to complete actions that were once easily performed(such as getting up from a chair, carrying clutter, climbing stairs).

2. More physical fatigue

Skeletal muscles store glycogen that can quickly provide energy during exercise,less energy supply, then endurance and physical strength will naturally decrease.

Entering the elderly stage,the risk of falls and other more serious issues are closely related to muscle loss:

1. Decreased balance ability

The loss of lower limb muscles significantly weakens the body’s balance ability. Not only does it make climbing stairs and walking morestrenuous,it also reduces the support and stability of joints,thus making falls more likely under slight external forces or uneven surfaces.

2. Decreased “self-protection” ability

Under normal circumstances, the arm muscle group and the core muscle group will contract subconsciously and quickly when falling, acting as a cushioning and protective effect.

When muscles decrease: the core muscle group cannot contract in time,arm support, leg adjustment and other protective actions, reaction speed decreases; and the core muscle group also fails to disperse the impact force in time,leading to a higher concentration of force on bones such as the hip and spine, increasing the risk of serious injury.

As shown in the figure, when the body loses balance, the muscle groups in the yellow area contract (including abdominal muscles, erector spinae, and muscles around the pelvis), which can buy time for the body to adjust hand and foot movements.

Persisting in strength training also has a great help for the metabolic system.

After strength training, even in a resting state, muscles will still maintain a certain amount of additional heat consumption(EPOC effect),thereby increasing daily energy expenditure,
which helps manage weight and body fat, and is very beneficial for middle-aged and elderly people to prevent and control metabolic diseases and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.

What is strength training?

The characteristics of strength training are:weight load, repetition count.

That is, let muscles resist enough resistance and perform a certain number of sets(e.g., 3 sets), and a certain number of repetitions per set(e.g., 10 times).

In the process of resisting resistance, our muscles will experience “tightening” and “micro-tears”.This process activates cellular pathways,triggering muscle protein synthesis,by adding more contractile proteins(myosin and actin)to repair muscle fibers, thereby making muscles thicker and stronger.

In the early stages of training, the nervous system also undergoes important adaptations: it learns to mobilize more muscle fibers to generate strength with greater efficiency and speed.This is why beginners in strength training can often lift heavier weights within the first few weeks of training, even though there is no significant change in muscle definition at this time.This is something that walking and square dancing cannot achieve.

How to start strength training?

*Note: The following recommended exercises are for your reference. If you feel any pain or discomfort before, during, or after exercise, please seek professional guidance for individualized adjustments.

💡A quick way to experience “core tightening”: Sit on a chair,
feet on the ground, breathe in naturally, and tighten the lower abdomen when exhaling, feeling a slight tightening on both sides of the pelvis.

Repeat 10 times x 3 sets. You can use resistance bands instead of dumbbells.

Repeat 10 times x 3 sets. You can use resistance bands instead of dumbbells.

Repeat 10 times x 3 sets.

Repeat 10 times x 3 sets. Advanced option: Hold a pair of dumbbells(3-8kg)near your hips.