Sarcopenia... WTF?? Gotta video about it! Check it out!! :)

[Deleted User]Homesteader (deleted user)
in General

Sarcopenia, I recently discovered, is the fancy name for muscle wasting. Not happy about it, just glad to have discovered this..

Recently, I had to get on a roof to fix a leak. I had to breathe hard, this time, in preparation of going up there. I WAS NOT PLEASED!! NEVER had a problem with ladders...how come all of a sudden?? I was surprised with the gnawing, silent sense of dread I was suddenly feeling, and about how nervously cautious I found myself being... Wait..What??? What's this??

Other than large spiders, I have very few fears.. But this one? This one scared me. The constant low back pain, the leaden calves, the inability to carry mud buckets, anymore, without bracing up for it. I'm PIST, but wise enough to do some research!! lol

If any of this sounds quietly, painfully, frighteningly familiar, please check out this video I found. No, I'm not affiliated with this channel, in any way, nor do I receive any sort of kick-back from it. My fella and I, both, have begun to notice what we call "the Slowdown," and I'm just not ready to do that!!! I thought I'd bring it here in case someone else might get a benefit from new knowledge!!

What if what we've been taught was "natural aging" is more a case of something we can actually DO SOMETHING ABOUT??? I plan on being a bodacious baddie WELL INTO MY NINETIES!!!

Have any of you noticed "the Slowdown"? Would you be willing to make a few minor adjustments in your diets/ lifestyle in order to incorporate more nutrient-dense foods?

Care to share thoughts? :)

Comments

  • ladybug7ladybug7

    Yeah... It happens to the best of us at any age if you are sedentary for too long. The older you get to quicker it happens I feel like. Life isn't as busy we don't do as many things. Physical therapy has helped me on many occasions get back in fighting shape when I either got sick and was in bed for a long time or depressed and in bed for a long time... There is a theme there. If we don't use it we lose it, gradually. Good news is you can gain it back just as easily, but take it slower and learning the proper nutritional support is important. The only way I eat now it's for nutritional benefits. It's boring but I don't want to lose any more ground. I hope you get back where you want to be a better.

  • pmvinespmvines

    I have wondered myself about whether some.of the more prolific cuddle pros have had muscle wasting due to a life of lethargy

  • wilderdudewilderdude

    I thought those were the containers they held mummies in

  • Carrie_AnneCarrie_Anne

    I haven’t been walking as much in August because the extreme heat in Dallas is brutal. Especially not great at my age!
    So today it’s cooler and went out to walk and was exhausted after 20 minutes, very scary short breathing. Muscles felt completely weak. A year ago I was walking up to 7 miles a day and now barely half a mile. I’m not familiar with sarcopenia so thanks for posting, @Homesteader !!

  • Darkeyed_maleDarkeyed_male

    My advice as we get older:
    Never stop working out..ever.
    Add resistance to all activities, learn new things that include math, music, art, poetry, self defense, dance, be kind and positive. Be the first to ask why. Always be curious about how things work.

    This keeps your mind and body strong

  • [Deleted User]Homesteader (deleted user)

    @ladybug7 ~ Thank you for your insights...and kindness!! I have to admit that because I've slowed waaaay down (pre-retirement! lol), I'm not nearly as active as I was before, and that sedentary thing is real, sometimes. I'm glad you loved and honored yourself enough to get physical therapy... It can help maintain the connection between embodiment and our mental selves. Gotta agree with the idea that if we don't use it, we can quietly lose it--- excellent reminder!! :)
    Thank you for bringing it full circle with the encouragement!! :) Your point about nutrients being important... That's what I thought when I saw this video!! Your idea about eating consciously for nutritional benefits? I thing that's the direction we're heading in, too. I certainly hope that you, too, get back any and all ground lost, and your good wishes for my getting back to where I want to be, and even better, felt good. Thank you! :)

    @pmvines ~ I'd be PIST if I were to hire a Pro, only to have a lethargic, muscle-wasted wreck show up!!! lol Wait!! You're not going to drag me around, squeeze my guts out, and sit on me?? WTH??? lolol Just so you know, though... My muscles aren't completely gone... In case you get to Ohio!!! lolol

    @wilderdude ~ Okay... That cracked me up!!! lolol No...um... that would be a "sarcophagus"--- even though after mowing our huge lawn, that might still be appropriate!!! lolol Thanks for the laff!!! :)

    Hi ~g_w_t_w ! You came to mind when I was researching asian foods that are LOADED with various nutrients!! I feel you on noticing how our bodies change on us without our realizing it. Sad to hear you're feeling "the Slowdown," too---- but, like @ladybug7 shared, we can make changes to get some of our Mojo back!! :)
    And.. You're welcome! :)

    @Dance_Culture ~ Ouch... Working out. My Gazelle is used, solely, as a drying rack for my delicates!!! lolol <<<I'm certain that that's part of my problem!! lolol I'm good on the rest, though, and I absolutely agree! Excellent point... In our physically-oriented world, it's easy to forget mental gymnastics.. Continuing in the disciplines you mention actually DOES keep our "mental muscles" strong and supple, much like the (ugh) physical workouts you so painfully (to me) mention! Gotta say, you give excellent advice! :)

    I've been researching nutrient-rich foods like Kimchi (sp?), hummus (SO MUCH CAN BE DONE WITH THIS STUFF!!! YAAAAYY!!), wheat-and-dairy free breadstuffs, and foraging for wild, nutrient-dense plants..
    Even though my fella and I have noticed, recently, the change, I'm happy to realize that I still have A LOT OF SAY over whether or not I "go quietly into that dark night"!
    Thanks, Folks, for sharing!! :)

  • Carrie_AnneCarrie_Anne

    @Homesteader
    Thanks for your post because it definitely has inspired me to get back to my previous activity from before the 100° days!

  • [Deleted User]Homesteader (deleted user)

    @g_w_t_w ~ You just made my whole day!! My ex-husband and I went down to Beaumont, TX, to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity to build homes, years ago. I had NEVER experienced heat on that level!!! We were there for a week--- the second day, I stopped being able to eat before 7pm...and that was still ONLY after being in air conditioning for an hour!! We both had to laugh at how our "cruncy Ohio blood" couldn't stand that level of heat!!! lol

    I'm hoping that, by bringing this knowledge here, that MANY OF US who could benefit, will consider the possibility that it's not only "aging" that's involved in the changes we might be noticing! Chlorine and fluoride are both halides, just like Iodine...but they block us from absorbing iodine!! Talk about Thyroid issues?? Our bodies are amazing, and our food used to provide us with nutrients. Now, our soil is depleted, our water betrays us, there are micro-plastics everywhere, and I'm hoping that those of us who would like to regain at least SOME of our Mojo will be willing to research and make small changes to our lives, in order to live WELL into our Golden Years!! :)

    I forgot to mention the Nattokinase that comes from Natto!!! I'm FASCINATED by the idea of repopulating my gut microbiome with beneficial bacteria that produce B vitamins, protect our guts, and help us!! The more I research, the more I find that getting probiotics/prebiotics back in our guts can reverse A LOT of the chronic problems we face!!

    Most of us, from other areas, will NEVER understand the HEAT that you're dealing with!! PLEASE be careful with your Precious Self...and I'm DEEPLY GRATEFUL that you feel inspired by the information that has also inspired me!! Glad to share! :)

  • Carrie_AnneCarrie_Anne

    @Homesteader
    Wow this is great information, most that I didn’t know. This explains a lot! I have RA and have a big reaction to extreme heat and sun.
    I try to work out a bit indoors.

  • [Deleted User]Homesteader (deleted user)

    Ewwww.... "working out"!!! lol The bane of my existence!!! lol

    @Dance_Culture stomped allllll over my Soul with that concept!!! lolol However, I admire you, @g_w_t_w , for committing to your own well-being by finding a way to include load-bearing activity in your life! lol I, like you, am beginning to take this health thing seriously, though, and appreciate that you see the value in learning new information! :)

    I guess I thought that my genes would just keep me chugging along! lol I had NO IDEA that there are certain nutrients that "remind" our muscles to rebuild. I had no idea that certain nutrients were needed, like tools, to help our bodies function at optimal levels... I swear, it feels like we, nowadays, have to have some sort of degree in dietetics in order to survive!!!

    Because some of us, here, are in our Golden Years, I thought I'd bring this into our collective awareness. I would want to know that there was something I could do to make it more likely that I would get to be the Silver Fox that I know myself to be to last a little longer! lol I want to try these new-to-me foods, incorporate a more consistent movement regimen << I always thought that word had a t at the end!!! lol

    Looking at it more closely, these days, I'm wondering about it more. I like to harvest Red Clover for its skin benefits... But I've also found, as someone in a relationship, that it also serves as a form of "post-menopausal, female viagra," but we won't discuss that here!! :)

  • lovingspoonfulllovingspoonfull

    @Homesteader thanks for sharing this. I was not aware of quite a bit of that and now have some homework to do.

    It’s also timely for me as I’m recommitted to being healthy and much of what I heard sounds like the kind of thing that would be a good long term habit to have.

  • Tigerlilly32Tigerlilly32

    @Dance_Culture you nailed it on the head! Well spoken!
    It’s pretty much what I tell my patients.

  • CambridgeGuyCambridgeGuy
    edited September 2025

    After the age of 50, we lose 2% of our muscle mass AND 2% of our strength per annum (they’re not the same thing). While eating properly (with a focus on protein) are key, physical activity is the main way to combat this, and unfortunately, lifting weights is part of this. It combats osteoporosis, for example. So, my aim is to try and lift the same weights as I did last year. Check out sports scientists like Peter Attia, for the science behind it. But, weights can be boring…so just keep as active as possible :)
    https://www.instagram.com/reel/DIep99ZO0tc/?igsh=MXB4YWZnNWhjOWM2Nw==

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