300,000 people suffer from sarcopenia! Walking and brisk walking are not likely to increase muscle strength, so measuring your calf circumference will help you avoid risks.

The elderly are most worried about muscle weakness, especially sarcopenia, which may increase the risk of fractures and falls and cause harm to their health. However, walking or brisk walking alone cannot help increase muscle strength. In order to lay a good foundation for healthy "muscles", experts remind you that you need to measure your calf circumference, learn the correct muscle-building exercises, and dietary tips to stay away from the risk of sarcopenia.

Muscle deficiency may lead to fracture risk, further interacting with diabetes

The prevalence of sarcopenia among Chinese people is as high as 10%, which is equivalent to nearly 300,000 people suffering from sarcopenia. The rate is more likely to be as high as 30% for men over 80 years old. Director of the Millennium Love Health Foundation and Director of the National Taiwan University Zhudong Branch, Zhan Dingzheng, pointed out that starting from the age of 50, the human body will lose muscle every year. If muscle mass is not actively maintained, it will have a chain effect on health. First of all, muscle deficiency will cause weakness in the limbs, which may further develop into asthenia, increase the chance of falling, and then cause fractures, disability and long-term bed rest, and may even increase the risk of death. In addition, muscle is related to basal metabolic rate. As muscle mass decreases, the basal metabolic rate will also decrease, which will further interact with metabolic diseases (such as diabetes), not only reducing the quality of life but also affecting life expectancy.

Walking and brisk walking do not help increase muscle strength

Dr. Zhan Dingzheng said that according to survey findings, the middle-aged people rely on exercise to maintain their health, and nearly 80% of them mainly engage in aerobic exercises such as walking and brisk walking. Although this helps to improve cardiopulmonary function, it may not be of much help in increasing muscle mass if there is a lack of weight-bearing (resistance-type) exercise.

In addition, retired people in their middle age prefer to eat simple meals, and their protein intake is often insufficient, which can also affect muscle strength. In fact, if you do not have a history of the three highs or have no special instructions from a doctor, you do not need to control your nutritional intake, otherwise it will affect your muscle mass and even increase the risk of sarcopenia.

Preventing and treating sarcopenia: Measure your calf circumference at home to assess

In order to remind the elderly to avoid another wave of "health crisis" after retirement, Director Chen Lianggong of Taipei Veterans General Hospital's Geriatric Medicine Center and Director Zhan Dingzheng of the Millennium Love Health Foundation and National Taiwan University Zhudong Branch jointly called for

The Chinese people cannot ignore the health threats posed by sarcopenia. People can measure their calf circumference at home to assess whether they are at risk of sarcopenia, so as to prevent and treat sarcopenia before it becomes more serious.

The Asia Working Group for Sarcopenia (AWGS), led by Liang-Kung Chen, integrated the research data from Taiwan, Japan and South Korea and the opinions of experts in related fields this year and proposed the latest calf circumference measurement index for Asia:

**A new indicator for Asian sarcopenia: "Calf circumference for men <34 cm, for women

Chen Xinli, CEO of the Millennium Love Health Foundation, said that diet is the raw material for muscle building, especially protein represented by beans, fish, eggs and meat. He encourages the elderly to eat a more balanced and sufficient diet, and to supplement with more fruit and vegetable drinks. Resistance exercise is the most effective way to build muscle. Weight training is not just for young people to exercise. It is good for your health no matter how old you are. It is recommended that the elderly also seek training or consultation from professional fitness coaches. In addition to walking and jogging, they can also combine it with a few resistance exercises that suit them to make their exercise habits more complete.

Millennial Love's "Christmas Fitness Party" event changes the concept of exercise for the elderly

In order to remind the seniors to build a good muscle foundation, the Millennium Love Health Foundation will hold Taiwan's first muscle strength test and fun challenge event "Christmas Muscle Party" on the morning of November 30 (Saturday). In addition to helping the public measure their calf circumference and tick the SARC-F questionnaire, the site also provides grip strength, continuous sit-ups and walking speed tests that are only available in medical institutions. After a comprehensive assessment, if there is a risk, there are 6 doctors on site who can immediately provide consultation or medical information, as well as a professional team including nutritionists and fitness coaches to provide consultation and guidance on muscle-building diet and resistance exercise.

Anyone who successfully registers and completes the Millennium Love "Christmas Muscle Party" event will receive five popular muscle-building protein gifts on the market, and will have the chance to win a surprise prize worth nearly $2,000. The registration period is from now until November 10, with a limit of 500 participants. Mature retirees are invited to participate, and young friends are also welcome to bring their parents to experience it and build a good "muscle" foundation for health in the second half of their lives!