Maintaining Muscle Tone Through the Years

Aging gracefully can sometimes feel like a full-time job. Of course, our bodies change with age. We know this, and therefore, as we get older, we become more vigilant about our diet and exercise routines. But it can be frustrating when our hard work doesn't pay off. How many sun salutations do you have to do to finally get the results you got a decade ago?

Our muscles are in a constant regeneration process – always at work, always supporting. We rely on them for balance, agility, strength and even energy. But as you get older, they start to degrade faster than they start to rebuild. In our thirties it seems we can make up for this breakdown. But over time, the body goes through hormonal changes, loses bone density, and makes it harder to use proteins to maintain muscle mass, making recovery much more difficult.

Age-related muscle loss, known as sarcopenia, can begin as early as 30 years of age, but it most commonly affects people over 50. One in three adults over 50 experiences age-related muscle breakdown. It is believed that most people lose three to five percent of their muscle mass every decade, and this process speeds up over time, especially between the ages of 65 and 75. Most people will lose up to thirty percent of their muscle mass in their lifetime.

So how do we stand the test of time? Diet and exercise are essential, and for those focused on preventative wellbeing, this comes as no surprise. Protein-rich foods, which our body breaks down into amino acids, are the building blocks for the muscles. Fish, chicken, beef, milk, Greek yogurt, and eggs are all high sources of protein. Some prefer a plant-based diet, so legumes, oatmeal, soy products, nuts, chia and hemp seeds, spirulina and quinoa are all you need.

Regular exercise helps maintain muscle mass, and practices like yoga help lower body fat and maintain muscle health while improving balance and flexibility. And while sitting on our mats can feel like transformative work, we can have another modern fountain of youth within reach.

Nirvana HMB spring water is muscle magic in a bottle. HMB, or its scientific term, β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate, is a substance naturally produced in the body when it breaks down leucine, an amino acid that improves muscle protein and helps repair muscles. HMB is only produced in small quantities in the body and is used up after exercise and of course with increasing age. This valuable compound helps promote muscle growth, maintain muscle mass, improve exercise performance, and aid muscle regeneration.

And because it is found in such scarce quantities, many people take HMB in supplement form or through inclusion in their diet in hopes of preventing age-related muscle breakdown. Now we can drink it in water. For the first time, Nirvana Water Sciences brings us HMB-infused spring water.

Nirvana spring water provides us with a rare phenomenon. Deep underground in the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains. Two glacial aquifers flow with pure water on 1,700 hectares of protected wilderness. It flows underground until it hits limestone cliffs, hurls it towards the earth, and forms natural springs. A force of nature of nature 1.5 billion years in the making. That is nirvana.
Nirvana Water Sciences has a natural resource like no other and takes this responsibility seriously. The company has developed an efficient bottle made from recycled PET (post-consumer resin) and manufactures each bottle on-site every day, as required. It's a cutting-edge, green, one-stop process that means less plastic, less waste and more safety so you can focus on rebuilding your muscles.

This infusion of transformative science into natural spring water with life-enhancing benefits is at the forefront of Nirvana Water Sciences. Drinking Nirvana HMB decreases muscle breakdown and increases muscle protein synthesis, making people feel stronger at all ages.

Living longer by living stronger is not just a catchphrase at Nirvana Water Sciences, it's a way of life.

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Cameron Joy Machell is a travel writer and journalist. Her work has been featured in Wanderlust, Far & Wide, The Martha's Vineyard Times, and the New Hampshire Business Review. She caught the travel bug long ago and her adventures have led her to chase the Northern Lights across Iceland, camp under the stars in the Sahara and drink kava with chiefs in Fiji. When she's not traveling, she can be found at home in New England, practicing yoga and hiking with her Bernese Mountain Dog.