Everybody seems to be talking about protein lately.
How much do I need? When should I eat it? Should I drink a shake? Is this yogurt going to save me?
Protein matters.
But I think we’re starting the conversation in the wrong place.
Your body doesn’t keep muscle simply because you ate enough protein.
You have to give it a reason to keep the muscle.
That reason is using it.
There’s some interesting research behind this. Studies looking at older adults have found that things like grip strength and walking speed can tell us a lot about future health and independence. Simply measuring how much muscle somebody has doesn’t tell the whole story.
That makes perfect sense to me.
I don’t particularly care how impressive your muscle mass looks on a scan.
Can you get out of a chair?
Carry your groceries?
Climb the stairs?
Catch yourself when you stumble?
Get down on the floor and get back up?
Can you use the muscle you’ve got?
That’s the strength I care about.
Walking is wonderful. I walk all the time and think mo…
