It is important to understand what makes muscle so magical. As we age retaining lean tissue—or muscle—is perhaps the greatest secret to looking youthful and feeling our best. Yet people forget how powerful muscle is to overall health.

Take a minute to consider some of the body parts that rely on our ability to move muscles, whether voluntary or involuntary. Muscle action pumps lymph through lymphatic vessels as part of our immune system. Breathing provides oxygen to the cells and depends on muscles. Muscles move food down through the digestive tract where nutrients are absorbed. Muscle activity in the skin allows us to perspire and maintain our temperature. And let us not forget the most important muscle of all: the heart. It is the primary means by which we stay alive as it continuously delivers oxygen and nutrients to cells. If we view the muscular system as an organ upon which other systems rely, we can then understand why it is so important to keep it well nourished and maintained.

Because muscle is in constant use by your body just to keep it alive and functioning, it is easy to understand how it also can affect weight, metabolism, and the ability to burn fat. In fact muscle is a high-maintenance tissue. That means it requires a lot of energy in the form of calories to keep it in good working order.

Even when a muscle appears to be at rest, a certain amount of sustained contraction is going on in its tiny fibers. This is called muscle tone, and it is a response to nerve impulses originating in the spinal cord. Muscle tone is what allows us to maintain posture and hold our heads up.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR WEIGHT LOSS?

Simply put, the more lean muscle you have, the faster your metabolism will be. High metabolism boosts your body’s constant burning of calories, which ultimately leads to fat loss. Your muscles will burn calories whether you swim laps or just sit on the couch watching television.
The amount of lean muscle mass you carry relative to the rest of your body weight is a huge factor in whether your metabolism is moving along at 25 mph or zooming up to 500 mph.

Bottom line…As we age, it’s important to maintain muscle mass, which means regular strength training workouts and providing your body with the right fuel to build and repair muscle…that means drinking protein shakes!