Almost 50% of people over the age of 60 experience some level of muscle loss, to the point that it is affecting their health. This is known as sarcopenia. It can be as serious as osteoporosis (bone loss), but most people don’t know it.

Why does this loss of muscle mass occur as we age? Some of the reasons include:

And what are the consequences of this loss of muscle mass?

There are several ways that losing muscle mass can affect your health, here are a few:

Wow! I think you can see that muscle loss can be a very big problem. So what can you do about it? The simple answer is: resistance exercise.

Two months of resistance training can increase a person’s strength by 40%. That means you can reverse the effects of two decades of muscle loss in 60 days. The most important thing to remember to reduce muscle loss is to strengthen the large muscles around your thighs, shoulders, arms, and back. This can be done with as little as 6 exercises.

Another key is to make sure you’re getting enough protein. If you eat too little protein, your muscles become smaller and weaker. The US RDA for protein consumption is approximately 0.36 grams per pound of body weight, or 55 grams for a 150-pound person. But some studies have shown that if you’re working out your muscles, you need about 25% more protein than the RDA just to maintain your muscle mass. And, to gain muscle mass, you need to consume 50% more protein than the RDA suggests, which is about half your body weight in grams of protein. This translates to 75 grams of protein for a 150-pound person.

So if you want to avoid losing muscle mass as you age, or replace what you’ve already lost, you need to start doing resistance training and eating enough protein. The rewards in better health will be well worth the effort.