The average person starts losing muscle as early as age 25. From 40 to 70 years old, muscle loss averages 8 percent per decade, and then accelerates to 15 percent after age 70.
Besides aging, injuries, cancer, and other diseases also cause muscle loss. Your muscle tissue is a significant factor in the function of your metabolism. Muscle loss can also cause physical and cognitive decline.
The good news is, much of this muscle loss, especially in younger and middle-aged adults, can be slowed, prevented, and even reversed. However, with the average lifestyle today, along with low levels of testosterone and growth hormone, high levels of stress, and the prevalence of type 2 diabetes, muscle loss is only accelerated.
At some point, the rate you lose muscle exceeds the rate you can gain it. You cannot escape the effects of aging, but you can delay them. The more muscle we have when our bodies start breaking down, the longer we can last with our physical function.
Yes, muscle looks good, but its value goes well beyond how it looks. Here are seven ways muscle supports your body and mind:
Bodybuilding makes not only a fit body, but also fit mind. The word bodybuilding says everything. It is so easy to understand the meaning of this word and what this sport is about. Bodybuilding is the best sport when it comes to making your body proportionally shaped and fit.
This sport is not only about the body. More important, this great physical activity is about health, too. Are you looking for health benefits of weight training and aerobic exercise? Bodybuilding has it all.
IMPROVE BODILY HEALTH
Bodybuilding decreases risk of developing coronary heart disease. By engaging in physical activities such as weight training and aerobic exercise you have more chance to reduce and control high blood pressure, obesity and high cholesterol.
Bodybuilding has such great and healthy impact on muscle, bones and joints. Bodybuilding keeps your body and muscle strong and flexible. Bodybuilding and weight training can definitely help you with osteoporosis and arthritis.
These health benefits of weight training and aerobic exercise are already well known. Can our brain and mind benefit from bodybuilding, weight training exercise and aerobic exercise? What do we know about that?
Since, I was a little girl, I heard sayings such as, “In healthy body, healthy mind”. Having over twenty years of experience in bodybuilding and fitness, I can tell you that this saying makes so much sense and it’s so true.
Keep your body healthy and fit; your mind will keep healthy and fit, too.
IMPROVE MENTAL HEALTH
Bodybuilding, weight training exercise and aerobic exercise can boost our mind and mental well being. Weight training and aerobic exercise can help with reduction in stress, anxiety and depression. Weight training and aerobic exercise can help in rising of self-esteem and confidence.
This is so important for people who have low self-esteem. Bodybuilding exercise can boost your self-esteem and confidence, by helping you to develop positive self-image. Developing positive self-image will happen as the result of changes in body shape as you begin to lose weight or feel your body get leaner, stronger and better.
Physical activity, weight training and aerobic exercise help releases of endorphin. Endorphin is a brain chemical which influences mood. Bodybuilding exercise can help you sleep better, reduce fatigue and psychological tension.
STRESS
Too much stress and anxiety can affect your mental health and mind. The negative effects of stress are:
Stress causes negative thinking
Stress takes so much of our physical and mental energy
Stress destroy enjoyment in life
Stress reduces ability to focus
Stress is the body’s reaction to physical or emotional change. Physical symptoms may include headaches, muscle pain, chest pain, weight gain or weight loss, etc.
ANXIETY
Anxiety is different from stress. Anxiety is a feeling of nervousness, fear, worry. Anxiety could be caused by:
Stress at workplace
Stress and problems in a personal relationship
Financial stress
Emotional stress
Bodybuilding, the name in itself paints a picture of huge men with muscles popping out of every possible inch of their body. What Arnold Schwarzenegger brought to the limelight, is now a global sport to be reckoned with.
With Growing Recognition Comes Closer Inspection – Is Bodybuilding Safe?
This is often asked as people majorly see two sides of the sport. The first, being bodybuilders growing way too massive and then comes the question of steroid abuse and related deaths.