SARCOPENIA: a disease causing the gradual loss of muscle mass, strength and function.
CAUSE: aging, decreased hormones and inactivity
SYMPTOMS: muscles that move more slowly, impaired balance
SOLUTION/REMEDY: Resistance training. Plain and simple. Resistance training is the most effective intervention, prevention and treatment of sarcopenia. It positively influences the the neuromuscular system, hormone concentration and protein synthesis rates. In as little as 2 weeks you can begin slowing the age-related muscle loss and in 26 weeks and actual reversal of the process can be seen all the way down to the gene level, meaning those mighty mitochondria (the powerhouse of the muscle cell) are working just as the youthful population.
As if to emphasize how sad it is that most of us have the words botox, plastic surgery and even osteoporosis over and over again, but no one is talking to us about a disease that we have total control over, the word sarcopenia is not even recognized by my spell check! And as a footnote, our muscles peak in our 30s so all of us need to get busy doing our resistance training.