Although you may not realize it, you “lose muscle” every minute you are alive.  That’s because your muscles, like any other tissue in your body, depends on cell turnover and protein synthesis.  This means that your body is continually breaking down the protein in your muscles and rebuilding them. You want your body to do this – it’s part of what’s keeping you alive!

Skeletal muscle can be grown and developed through proper nutrition – which includes consuming sufficient protein to provide the necessary amino acids – and through physical activity.  The converse is also true: if you become less physically active and/or your diet can no longer support the development of increased muscle tissue, you will enter a catabolic (tissue-reducing) state known as muscle atrophy.

Muscles that are partially used – using less than 20% of their maximum force – will start to atrophy over the long term.  Complete disuse is even worse:  muscles that are completely unused, such as when someone is bedridden and performs very little movement, can degrade by about 1/8 of their strength per week.

Of course, if you don’t have any major health complications, your muscles are not going to degrade at such a significant rate as someone who is bedridden.  However, if your body was used to operating at a high, athletic level and you suddenly stop exercising, your body won’t see any reason to maintain your muscles at that level and will begin to atrophy.

#HealthyMusclesMatter