Almost 10% of adults experience muscle loss while aging as they approach their 60s. It decreases their life expectancy and prevents them from doing their desired activities. This greatly reduces the quality of your life. This muscle loss also shortens their life expectancy in those who have a sedentary lifestyle. It is caused due to an imbalance in the body between a signal that causes muscle growth and signals that cause catabolism. During old age, the body becomes resistant to normal growth signals and thereby causing muscle loss. The factors that cause this muscle loss are:
1. Sedentary Life Style:
Not using the muscles regularly is the biggest factor that causes muscle weakening and aging. It speeds up the muscle loss caused due to aging. A period of inactivity causes muscle strength to decrease which makes you experience fatigue.
2. Unbalanced diet:
A diet must include all the necessary nutrients required for the human body. Insufficient intake of proteins and calories can cause muscle loss.
3. Stress:
Stress is a common cause that speeds your aging process. It also causes a number of health conditions such as diabetes, hypertension etc and can severely affect your muscles. While it is not possible to entirely prevent the condition as aging is a natural process, there are some factors that can be prevented. A healthy lifestyle and regular exercise is the best way to ensure that your body remains fit. Yoga is an age-old practice that has been used to keep people fit and healthy. It’s meditation and breathing exercises slow down aging at the cellular level. It relaxes your body and mind and keeps your muscles healthy. It loosens the joints and muscles and improves blood circulation. This reduces your heart rate. Let us look at the various benefits of yoga in preventing and reversing muscle aging.
1. Improves balance:
The yoga poses involve lengthening and contracting of most muscles in the body. It improves the alignment of your spine and corrects your posture. Balance can prevent you from having injuries in your old age which is one of the major cause of sedentary lifestyle among senior citizens. Good posture also improves the flexibility and strength of the muscles.
2. Strengthening:
The yoga poses challenge many of the muscles in the body by stretching them. This improves the strength of muscles as well as bones. This along with a high protein diet can greatly reverse the aging of muscles. This also reduces the stiffness of muscles and aching joints by increasing flexibility.
3. Calm mind:
Unlike other forms of exercises, yoga has a meditative component. This helps to reduce anxiety, stress, and tension which slows down the heartbeat and reduces the secretion of stress hormones which can damage your muscles. This is a big factor in reversing the effects of muscle loss.
4. Improved Circulation:
The breathing practices that are a part of yoga can increase your lung capacity. This stimulates circulation and ensures better oxygen supply to your muscles. This can also improve your digestion which ensures proper nutrition for your muscles.
There are several types of yoga that has numerous health benefits. It is never too late or ear;y to start yoga and experience the various benefits that it provides for us. Explore the world of yoga and find what works for you to enjoy a long and healthy life.
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