Stop searching—this just might be the motivation you needed. The image above is a cross sectional MRI of the thighs in three different adults. The first, a 40 year old triathlete, depicts the femur in the center (darkest), surrounded by the quadriceps muscle and a thin layer of adipose tissue (fat). The phrase, “if you don’t use it, you’ll lose it” is true of muscular tissue. The process, termed atrophy, begins just weeks after halting a consistent exercise program. Thus, the reason an active 40 year old can go from thighs resembling a lean sirloin to that of a fatty rib-eye after years of physical inactivity. The stringy muscle surrounded by a side of mashed potatoes in picture two reaffirms the importance of an active lifestyle.
Yet, it’s never too late to begin an exercise program. Adults can double their muscle strength within the first two months of starting. Picture three is evidence that if you start today you can cease the expansion of fatty tissue and reinvigorate the growth of muscle. The benefits of this as we age would lead to a dramatic improvement in quality of life. Working out ain’t easy, sure. But trying to get your old butt out of a chair or up a set of stairs when your muscles are withering away is much harder.
A picture is worth 1000 reasons to workout and eat right!
ReplyDeletePowerful Adam! Thanks for the post.
ReplyDeleteDeborah Matteson