Dr. Vonda Wright's Muscle Health Tips

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Wondering how to keep your muscles in shape? Check out Dr. Wright's top five tips for improving strength as we age.

Know Your Muscles.

There is more to your muscle than what you see on the beach! Muscles make up more than 40 percent of our bodies and need special attention to work their best and keep us healthy as we age.

Get Moving.

Daily exercise is good for the entire body. You can start with the basics, like taking a vigorous daily walk around the neighborhood. Once that becomes a habit, build from there. Building up muscles strengthens your bones, and muscle burns more calories during daily activities than fat. Plus, regular exercise can help reduce the risks for diabetes, breast cancer, heart conditions, and even depression.

Feed Your Muscles.

Regular activity is only part of the muscle health equation. A balanced diet full of protein, whole-grain fiber, and brightly-colored fruits and vegetables containing iron, calcium, and vitamin D is essential for healthy muscles. To supplement your nutrition, Ensure^® Muscle Health nutrition shakes feature Revigor™ (a source of HMB), and also are an excellent source of protein, to help rebuild muscle and strength naturally lost over time.*

Proper nutrition is also important when you're trying to bounce back. Ensure Clinical Strength shakes offer advanced nutrition, featuring Revigor and 13 grams of protein; plus, Immune Balance — a unique blend of prebiotic fiber to help promote digestive tract health and antioxidants^† to support the immune system.

Saving F.A.C.E.

Muscle health is about more than pumping iron at the gym — it includes a whole-body approach to getting and staying healthy. Staying strong at any age requires a combination of what I call F.A.C.E. With Flexibility, Aerobic exercise, Carrying a load (challenging your muscles), and Equilibrium exercises for balance, we can strengthen our muscles to stay healthy and remain active.

Use It or Lose It.

The old adage is true — you can lose muscle through inactivity. But here's the good news: Studies show that muscle atrophy from disuse is reversible no matter what your age. So the more you use your muscles, the stronger they'll be.

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Taking a strength assessment is an important part of identifying your current level of muscle strength. Dr. Wright recommends these easy tests^‡ to measure your muscle strength and endurance.

Push-up Test

Men should use the standard "military-style" push-up position with only the hands and toes touching the floor. Women have the option of using the "bent knee" position instead. Do as many push-ups as possible until exhaustion.

Scoring: If you are older than 40, your strength is classified as average if you can complete:

• 11 to 20 push-ups (men)
• 8 to 17 push-ups (women)

Wall Sit Test

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your back against the wall. Slowly slide your back down the wall to a position where both your knees and hips are at a 90° angle. Then, lift one foot off of the ground and time how long you can maintain the position until returning your foot to the ground. Rest and repeat with your other leg.

Scoring: Your strength is average if you can hold your leg in this position for:

• 50 to 75 seconds (men)
• 35 to 45 seconds (women)

Comparing the scores for each leg may indicate muscle weakness on one side.

Core Muscle Strength and Stability Test

Assume the basic plank position with your elbows on the ground and hold for 60 seconds. Then, lift your right arm off the ground and hold for 15 seconds. Repeat with your left arm. Next, lift your right leg off the ground and hold for 15 seconds. Repeat with your left leg. Then, lift both your left leg and right arm off the ground and hold for 15 seconds. Repeat with your right leg and left arm. Return to the basic plank position and hold for 30 seconds.

Scoring: The ability to complete this test indicates good core strength. To improve strength in abdominal and lower back muscles and increase endurance, repeat this routine 3 or 4 times a week until you can complete the full test.

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Ensure has teamed up with Dr. Vonda Wright to bring you the top tips for improving muscle health after 40. Dr. Wright is a leading orthopedic surgeon and an award-winning researcher who specializes in sports medicine for people over age 40. As the author of Fitness After 40, she currently directs the Performance and Research Initiative for Masters Athletes at the acclaimed University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

*Studies in healthy and exercising adults
†Vitamins C & E and selenium
‡Please consult your doctor and consider your own physical condition before attempting any physical assessment tests.