Health & Wellness

Boomer Edition | 10th Annual | 2014

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Stop the clOck Combating Age-Related Muscle Loss in Women by Andrea Juarez At least three times a week, Teri Sewell Huff lifts weights at home before she heads off to work. Huff is in her "mid-50s" and does squats, reps for her arms, back, legs and derrière, and still does regular cardio like cycling and walking throughout the week. "Just because I am getting older doesn't mean I have to give up," she says. "Why shouldn't my body be in good shape? I want to feel good and look good." Huff isn't an athlete. She is like many women, trying to fight looming age-related muscle loss. Health professionals estimate women lose about 1 percent of their muscle mass per year starting in their 30s. However, the effect is not readily apparent until they usually reach their 50s. After that, deterioration is even more rapid. "By age 80, muscle loss can be as much as 30 to 40 percent," says Wendy Kohrt, a professor with a doctorate in exercise science with the University of Colorado Denver Anschutz Medical Campus's division of geriatrics. 78

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