Carrying the groceries in from the car used to take one trip. Now it takes two, and getting up from a low couch takes a little push from the armrest. Changes like these creep in so gradually that most people blame “just getting older.” But much of the muscle loss behind them can be slowed, and four everyday habits make the biggest difference.
Key Takeaways
- Adults start losing muscle around age 30, about 3% to 5% per decade, and the pace speeds up later in life. Doctors call more serious age-related muscle loss sarcopenia.
- Strength training at least twice a week is the most effective way to slow the decline, and it works at any age.
- Older adults likely need more protein than the basic recommendation, roughly 1.0 to 1.2 grams per kilogram of body weight per day, spread across meals.
- Sleep matters. In a lab study, one sleepless night cut muscle-building by 18%.
- Staying as active as you safely can during injury or illness is critical. Just 10 days of bed rest cost healthy older adults about 1.5 kg of lean mass.
Why muscle loss matters
Muscle does more than help you lift things. It supports balance, protects you from falls, helps control blood sugar, and is key to staying independent as you age. Harvard Health estimates that most men will lose about 30% of their muscle mass over their lifetime. Lower activity, hormone changes and getting less protein all contribute.
The good news is that muscle keeps responding to the right signals well into your 70s, 80s and beyond. Here are the four habits that matter most.
1. Lift something, at least twice a week
Strength training is the most powerful tool for slowing muscle loss. The U.S. Physical Activity Guidelines recommend muscle-strengthening activity at least two days a week for all adults. It should work all the major muscle groups: legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms. Each set should be challenging enough that the last few repetitions feel hard to finish with good form.
You don’t need a gym. Bodyweight exercises such as sit-to-stands from a chair, wall push-ups and step-ups count, as do resistance bands, dumbbells and heavy gardening. Increase the challenge gradually as you get stronger. For older adults, the guidelines also recommend adding balance exercises and getting 150 to 300 minutes of moderate aerobic activity, such as brisk walking, each week.
If you’re new to exercise or have heart disease, joint problems or osteoporosis, check with your doctor first. A physical therapist can help you start safely.
2. Eat enough protein, and spread it out
Muscle is built from protein, and as we age the body becomes less efficient at using it. The standard recommended amount for adults is 0.8 g of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. An international expert group on protein in aging (PROT-AGE) recommends that healthy older adults get more: about 1.0 to 1.2 g/kg a day, and at least 1.2 g/kg if they exercise regularly.
For a 160-pound (73 kg) person, that works out to about 73 to 88 grams of protein a day. Getting some protein at every meal, such as eggs at breakfast, beans or chicken at lunch, and fish at dinner, helps more than loading it all into one meal.
You don’t need extreme amounts. A large analysis of 49 strength-training studies, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine in 2018, found that muscle gains leveled off at about 1.6 g/kg a day (roughly 0.7 g per pound). Eating more than that didn’t add extra muscle.
One important caution: people with chronic kidney disease may need to limit protein. If you have kidney problems, talk to your doctor before increasing your intake.
3. Protect your sleep
Muscle repair and rebuilding happen largely during rest. In a 2021 study in Physiological Reports, researchers kept 13 healthy young adults awake for one night. Their muscle protein synthesis, the process the body uses to build muscle, dropped by 18% the next day. Their stress hormone cortisol rose by 21%, and in the men, testosterone fell by 24%.
That was a small study of a single sleepless night in young people. Still, it points to sleep as a real part of keeping muscle. Adults should aim for at least seven hours a night. If you struggle with insomnia, or snore loudly and wake up tired, talk to your doctor, because both are treatable.
4. Don’t stop moving when you’re hurt or sick
Inactivity causes muscle loss surprisingly fast, especially later in life. In a study published in JAMA in 2007, 12 healthy adults with an average age of 67 spent 10 days in bed. They lost an average of 1.5 kg (about 3.3 pounds) of lean body mass, including nearly 1 kg from their legs. That was more leg muscle than younger adults lost after 28 days of bed rest.
If an injury or illness sidelines you, work with your doctor or a physical therapist to keep moving the parts of your body you safely can. If you hurt your knee, you may still be able to work your upper body. After a hospital stay, ask about rehab or a home exercise plan to rebuild what you lost.
The bottom line
It’s never too late to start. Lift something twice a week, get protein at every meal, aim for at least seven hours of sleep, and stay as active as you safely can. These four steps can help you keep the strength you need for the things you love.
This isn’t a substitute for medical advice. Talk to your doctor about what’s right for you.
Sources:
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd edition.
- Bauer J, et al. Evidence-based recommendations for optimal dietary protein intake in older people: a position paper from the PROT-AGE Study Group. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 2013.
- Morton RW, et al. A systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression of the effect of protein supplementation on resistance training-induced gains in muscle mass and strength in healthy adults. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2018.
- Lamon S, et al. The effect of acute sleep deprivation on skeletal muscle protein synthesis and the hormonal environment. Physiological Reports, 2021.
- Kortebein P, et al. Effect of 10 days of bed rest on skeletal muscle in healthy older adults. JAMA, 2007.
- Harvard Health Publishing. Preserve your muscle mass.