Adherence
Resistance exercise (RT), even at low loads and volumes, performed during step reduction protects older adults against muscle atrophy and preserves muscle protein synthesis.
If you are an older adult who is forced to reduce your activity (e.g., due to illness or injury) and cannot walk your usual steps, do not just sit still. Perform low-load resistance exercises (like light leg extensions or curls) 3 times a week. Using light weights (about 30% of your max effort) for 20-25 reps can help protect your muscle mass and keep your muscles ready to grow when you recover.
Following 2-weeks of SR, the leg that performed RT was protected against the SR-induced reduction in postabsorptive and postprandial MPS seen in the non-exercised SR leg... RT was effective at preserving Type I and II fiber cross sectional area
Why this rating
Based on specific human trials (Devries et al.) cited in the review.
Source
The Impact of Step Reduction on Muscle Health in Aging: Protein and Exercise as Countermeasures
Sara Y. Oikawa et al. · Frontiers in Nutrition · 2019
DOI 10.3389/fnut.2019.00075
More from this paper
- Step reduction (SR) to <1,500 steps/day for two weeks causes significant declines in muscle protein synthesis (MPS), leg lean mass, and insulin sensitivity in older adults, with incomplete recovery upon return to habitual activity.Good
- High-quality protein supplementation (whey) during and after step reduction improves muscle protein synthesis recovery compared to low-quality protein (collagen) or no specific supplementation.Good
Related findings · Adherence
- Regular physical activity (at least 150 minutes/week of moderate-intensity) reduces all-cause and cardiovascular mortality by 20-30% and lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes by 25-35%.Strong
- Increasing physical activity from a sedentary lifestyle to an active one in middle adulthood significantly reduces the risk of coronary events compared to remaining sedentary.Strong
- Resistance exercise is the only intervention capable of consistently restoring muscle function and strength in sarcopenia, partially overcoming age-related anabolic resistance.Strong
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