After age 30, muscle loss accelerates, and many people noticeably feel less physically fit. As we enter middle age, moderate exercise and muscle building are essential for maintaining muscle and bone balance.

How can those who are less physically active or those in their middle and older years maintain muscle mass through daily “light exercise” and a healthy diet?

What incorrect exercise and dieting habits can harm your health?

According to the World Health Organization and the National Health Administration, a good exercise routine encourages five 10-minute sessions per week. This should include 150 minutes of moderately strenuous activity (where you’re slightly breathless but can still talk) or 75 minutes of strenuous activity (where you can’t move or talk at the same time).

Modern people lead busy lives, making regular exercise difficult. As we age, we lose 1% of our muscle mass annually, and our activity levels gradually decline. Prolonged sitting and lack of exercise can easily lead to a change in body shape and a decline in strength and muscle mass. Some people choose dieting to lose weight, but this is not the right approach.

The Dangers of Incorrect Dieting

Incorrect dieting can lead to insufficient nutrition, particularly insufficient protein, which helps repair and strengthen muscle tissue; insufficient vitamins B, C, and E, which aid muscle synthesis; and insufficient calcium, which strengthens bones. These factors can severely damage muscle vitality.

While dieting for fat loss may produce short-term weight loss results, it actually leads to nutritional deficiencies. Over time, this can lead to problems such as low blood pressure, slower brain response, decreased physical activity and immunity, and may also contribute to chronic cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.

High-intensity fitness is not recommended.

Lack of muscle strength can lead to fatigue, which in turn affects activity and balance. Insufficient support can lead to falls and injuries. If you want to maintain and build muscle through fitness, high-intensity exercise, such as weightlifting, is not recommended in middle and young adulthood. Aerobic exercise, such as long runs or swimming, should be tailored to your physical fitness and leg strength to avoid injury.

Lightweight weight training can help maintain muscle mass.

Weight training isn’t just for young people, but choosing the right technique can help strengthen muscles by using physical activity to counteract the resistance created by weight. For example, using elastic bands or stretching, as well as push-ups, can help.

Suggested Exercises

If you exercise less, it’s recommended to practice using your bodyweight to strengthen your muscles first. Several simple, light exercises are suitable for middle-aged to elderly individuals, or those who don’t exercise regularly, to moderately build and maintain muscle mass:

Wall Push-ups:

If prone push-ups are too difficult for you, we recommend performing them standing up. Do push-ups with your hands touching a wall. Stand about a person’s width away from the wall, feet shoulder-width apart, and keep your body straight and rise and fall in a straight line without slouching.

This exercise is more suitable for middle-aged and older individuals than prone push-ups. Hold for 3-5 seconds while pressing down. Wall push-ups also strengthen your arms, while the hold provides a core abdominal workout. Do about 12-20 reps per set, and perform about three sets.

Lungs for Thigh Exercises:

Stand in a lunge position, with one foot in front of the other. Use your weight on the front leg as support, while the back leg bends downward at the knee, similar to a half-kneeling position, with your feet bent at 90 degrees and the back knee not touching the ground. After lowering, hold for 3-5 seconds before switching sides. 10 repetitions constitute a set, and you can do about 3 sets.

This exercise can be strenuous. If you lack leg strength, use a chair as a handrail. Bend your front leg into a bow position, straighten your back leg, or reduce the downward pressure as needed.

Chair-Sitting Leg Lift Exercise for Calf Training:

Sitting on a chair, use your hands to stabilize the bottom of the chair. Lift one leg into the air, hooking the sole upward. Hold for about 8-10 seconds, then lower it to the other leg. Repeat this exercise for 5-8 sets.

For other minor exercises, you can strengthen your hips and thighs by slowly lifting one leg backward while holding it with your hands on the chair back. You can also squat with your back against a wall. Leaning against a wall helps stabilize your balance and makes it less likely you’ll lose your balance and fall.

Light weight training is recommended at least 2-3 times per week.

To help with muscle synthesis, don’t forget to consume these four nutrients.

To prevent continued muscle loss, in addition to engaging in light weight training, your diet should also include four nutrients that help maintain muscle mass:

Protein

Protein is a key component of muscle. It can be found in meats like chicken, fish, and eggs, and in dairy products like milk and yogurt. Vegetarians can get high-quality soy protein from soy milk. Other beans and their products, such as tofu and non-fried tofu skin, are also rich in protein.

It’s recommended to consume adequate protein at all three meals. Generally, consume about a palm-sized portion at each meal, and increase this amount after exercise. This helps support muscle synthesis and slows muscle loss.

Calcium

Calcium affects bone strength. The recommended daily calcium intake for adults is 1000 mg. Muscles and bones work together, so calcium can be obtained from dairy products like milk, yogurt, yogurt, or cheese.

Dried fish, shrimp, oysters, and nuts are also good choices. For example, 1-2 cups of milk per day is recommended. However, calcium alone isn’t enough; you should also consider supplementing with vitamin D.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D can prevent osteoporosis and aid in calcium absorption. Including fatty foods like fish, egg yolks, milk, and dairy products, as well as black fungus, can all help.

When exercising outdoors, get plenty of sun exposure to generate vitamin D through ultraviolet rays. If you only consume a small amount of vitamin D in your diet, remember to let the sun shine on you from time to time.

Carbohydrates

Many people believe that consuming carbohydrates makes you fat, but in fact, eating a moderate amount after exercise can help with muscle protein synthesis. Therefore, it’s reasonable to consume a moderate amount of root vegetables like sweet potatoes, rice, pasta, and toast after exercise.

To maintain muscle mass, you can’t completely eliminate carbohydrates.

Fitness isn’t just for the young; “light exercise” can also help maintain muscle. Three to five days of general exercise per week is the best approach, but if you can’t maintain regular exercise, try light exercise to build and maintain muscle.

Remember to take in good nutrients such as protein, calcium and vitamin D that help build muscles and bones.