What Muscle Loss Really Costs You

We often think of muscles as something only athletes care about, but the truth is they are one of the most important keys to staying healthy as we age. Strong muscles help you move more easily, maintain your independence, and keep your body functioning at its best. They are essential not only for everyday activities like walking, climbing stairs, or carrying groceries but also for supporting your overall energy levels and balance. Your muscles are known for helping you lift things but they also stabilize you to prevent falling, support healthy metabolism, and even promote healthy blood sugar regulation. Keep reading to discover how muscles your muscles affect your health and what you can do to support them.

How Do Muscles Keep You Healthy?

Mobility and Balance

Strong muscles are essential for maintaining physical stability, coordination, and confidence in movement, especially as we age. They act as the body’s support system, allowing us to perform everyday tasks with ease and safety. For example, bending down to tie your shoes or walking through your neighborhood may seem simple, but these actions rely on a complex interplay of muscle groups working together to keep you balanced and upright. When muscles are weak or underused, the body becomes more prone to instability, which increases the risk of falls, injuries, and loss of independence (1). By keeping muscles strong, we not only protect ourselves from physical harm but also preserve our ability to move freely and engage in daily life with assurance and autonomy. This makes muscle maintenance a critical component of long-term health and functional aging.

Metabolism and Energy

Muscle tissue plays a central role in how the body processes and utilizes energy. Unlike fat, muscle is metabolically active, meaning it requires energy to maintain itself even at rest (2). This constant demand helps regulate blood sugar levels by improving insulin sensitivity, allowing glucose to be absorbed and used more effectively (3). As a result, individuals with more muscle mass often experience steadier blood sugar and reduced risk of metabolic disorders. Additionally, muscle burns more calories than fat, which supports a healthy weight and contributes to overall energy balance. When muscle mass is preserved or increased through strength training and proper nutrition, it can lead to more consistent energy levels throughout the day, reducing fatigue and enhancing physical and mental performance. In this way, muscle isn’t just about strength, it’s also about metabolic health and vitality.

4 Simple Ways to Protect Your Muscles

1. Strength Training: Strength training is one of the most effective ways to preserve and build muscle, especially as we age. It involves resistance-based movements that challenge your muscles to work harder than they do during everyday activities. This can include lifting weights, using resistance bands, or performing bodyweight exercises like squats, lunges, and push-ups. These exercises stimulate muscle fibers, prompting them to grow stronger and more resilient over time. Importantly, you don’t need a gym membership or expensive equipment to get started — even simple routines done at home can yield significant benefits. The key is consistency: regular strength training helps maintain muscle mass, supports joint health, improves balance, and boosts overall physical function.
2. Nutrition: As you strength train, you need the proper nutrition to support muscle recovery and growth. Protein-rich foods like eggs, fish, beans, and Greek yogurt provide the building blocks (amino acids) that your body needs to repair and build muscle tissue after physical activity. But it’s not just about how much protein you consume; timing matters too. Spreading protein intake evenly across meals throughout the day helps ensure a steady supply of nutrients to your muscles, which can enhance repair and reduce muscle breakdown. This approach is especially important as we age, when the body becomes less efficient at using protein. By making protein a consistent part of your daily diet, you give your muscles the support they need to stay strong, resilient, and ready for action.
3. Recovery and Lifestyle: Recovery is just as important as exercise when it comes to maintaining healthy muscles, especially in later years. After strength training or physical activity, your muscles need time to repair and rebuild — a process that happens most effectively during rest. Prioritizing quality sleep allows your body to release growth hormone, which plays a key role in muscle recovery and regeneration. Beyond sleep, daily habits like staying hydrated, managing stress, and incorporating light movement on rest days (such as walking or stretching) help reduce inflammation and support circulation. Together, these lifestyle choices create an environment where your muscles can recover fully, adapt to training, and stay strong over time.
4. Supplementation: While a balanced diet and regular exercise form the foundation of muscle health, certain supplements can offer additional support; and creatine is one of the most well-researched and effective options, even for older adults. Naturally found in the body and in foods like red meat and fish, creatine helps supply energy to muscle cells, particularly during short bursts of activity like lifting or climbing stairs. As we age, our natural creatine stores decline, which can contribute to reduced strength and endurance. Supplementing with creatine monohydrate has been shown to improve muscle mass, enhance strength, and support functional performance in older individuals, especially when combined with resistance training (4,5). It’s generally safe when taken in recommended doses, but it’s always wise to consult a healthcare provider before starting any new supplement. For those looking to stay active and independent, creatine can be a powerful tool in the fight against age-related muscle loss.

💡 Tip: Ask your healthcare provider to assess your muscle strength during routine checkups. They can recommend personalized exercises and nutrition plans. Community fitness classes or wellness programs can also offer structure and motivation

Conclusion

Muscles are more than just strength, they’re your foundation for healthy aging. They support movement, balance, metabolism, and energy. By embracing simple habits like resistance training, smart nutrition, and recovery, you’re investing in a future of vitality and independence. Start today. Your future self will thank you.

Feel like it might be too late for you to start building strong muscles? It’s never too late! Here’s some inspiration from individuals who started making healthier lifestyle decisions later in life and their consistent efforts paid off:

• Roy Englert, record-setter for the fastest 5K race in the 95-99 age group (6). He only started training at 60 with laps around his basement and could barely make it a quarter of a mile when he started (7).
• David Kucherawy , a man who started exercising in his late fifties after a life-saving surgery gave him a second chance and he needed to lose weight and exercise more if he wanted to make that chance count. He started walking faster before working his way up to jogging, lost 35 pounds, and became a successful competitive runner. (7)
• Joan MacDonald, a woman who suffered from arthritis and could barely walk up the stairs at age 70, but turned it all around by starting to workout. She lost 70 pounds by the time she was 74. (8)
• Greta Plowman, a woman who started rock climbing in the gym with her daughter when she was 99 (9).

If they can do it, so can you!

YOU DO THE EXERCISE, WE TAKE CARE OF THE SUPPLEMENTS

Is joint pain holding you back from exercising? We have a post on managing joint pain holistically that might interest you.