Doing This One Thing Pays Dividends For Life

Most people don’t think about muscle unless they’re trying to get "toned" or "stronger."

Sure, having a leaner body will give you a nicer physique, but having enough muscle isn’t just about aesthetics.

Overwhelming evidence shows that muscle plays a critical role in nearly every system in the body—from how your metabolism works, how well you move, to even your immune function.

But there’s a problem. Like most other things, we naturally lose muscle as we get older, and it starts earlier than you think.

After 30, you can lose 3-8% of your muscle mass every decade, and that rate accelerates in your 60s and beyond.

This process, called sarcopenia, happens so gradually that you barely notice it.

Then one day, climbing stairs feels harder, carrying groceries is exhausting, and moving around isn’t as easy as it once was.

If nothing is done to prevent it, muscle loss doesn’t just make everyday tasks feel harder—it can lead to serious health problems down the road.

Why should you care about muscle?

When you think of muscle, you probably imagine big biceps, well-defined abs, or toned legs.

But there’s much more to muscle than that.

You see, your muscle tissue works behind the scenes 24/7, keeping you alive, strong, and thriving for as long as possible.

Even if you don’t care about looking muscular, you should care about having enough muscle because it plays a huge role in supporting your long-term health and quality of life.

Here’s how:

• Muscle keeps your metabolism active

Your metabolism is how your body is able to convert the food you eat into energy that it can use to sustain itself.

As you age, those processes naturally slow down. Here’s where muscle comes in.

Unlike fat, muscle is metabolically active. This means that even when you’re doing nothing, your muscle tissue still burns energy just to maintain itself.

Therefore, the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn at rest (or the higher your basal metabolic rate).

More muscle means your body is able to utilize energy more efficiently.

This helps you maintain a healthy weight and also prevent the metabolism slowdown that often comes with aging.

• Muscle helps prevent diabetes

Every time you eat carbohydrates, your body converts them into glucose (sugar), which enters your bloodstream and raises your blood sugar levels.

Your pancreas then releases insulin to signal uptake of glucose from the blood into the liver, muscle or fat cells, causing your blood sugar to drop back to normal.

If glucose isn’t effectively absorbed by your cells, it lingers in your blood causing blood sugar levels to stay high.

Over time, this can lead to insulin resistance, weight gain, and eventually type 2 diabetes.

Muscle plays a huge role in ensuring this doesn’t happen.

As the largest storage site for glucose in the body, it absorbs glucose from the blood and either uses it for energy or stores it as glycogen for later use.

The more muscle you have, the larger your glucose storage capacity. This means that you’re able to quickly clear glucose from your blood, preventing sustained blood sugar spikes.

More muscle means that your body is better at handling sugar. The better your body handles sugar, the lower the risk of getting diabetes.

That said, preventing diabetes also largely has to do with your diet and not just building muscle.

• Muscle keeps you moving—and independent

Ever notice how some people in their 70s and 80s are still strong and active, while others struggle with mobility and basic movements?

The difference often comes down to muscle.

The less muscle you have, the weaker and more fragile you become, making it harder for you to perform everyday activities without help.

This is why older adults are often at a higher risk of falls, fractures, and loss of independence, often requiring assisted living.

More muscle means that you’ll be able to maintain your strength and ability to move easily through daily life and maintain your independence well into your old age.

Build your investment

Building muscle isn’t just for athletes, bodybuilders or people who want to look “toned”.

It’s for anyone who wants to live a long, strong, and independent life.

This is how Dr. Peter Attia puts it in his book Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity: 

Muscle is your best insurance policy for aging well. It keeps you strong, mobile, and resilient, so you can keep doing the things you love for decades to come.

So, no matter your age, gender, or fitness level, you’d do well to start building muscle.

Your future self will thank you.

Thanks for reading! I hope you found something valuable :)

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