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Avoid health problems by keeping muscles strong and supple

BY ELIZABETH BARKER

Muscles are literally the body’s workhorses. And they’re easy to take for granted—

until something goes wrong. In order to stay active and avoid chronic aches and

pains, it’s essential to nourish, strengthen, and stretch your muscles every day.

By doing so, you may also avoid serious health issues, such as osteoporosis, heart

disease, and even cancer, says Robert R. Wolfe, PhD, a researcher at the University

of Texas in Galveston. Here are great ways to tone up every day.

MAKE TIME FOR EXERCISE

RANDY FARIS / CORBIS

Keep moving

Your muscles thrive on regular exercise, says Rebecca Anne Demorest, MD, of the Women’s Sports Medicine Center at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City. Exercising daily can go a long way in preventing muscle problems, but maintaining truly healthy muscles calls for keeping active throughout the day— not just for 30 minutes in the afternoon, says Demorest. “A lot of people spend their entire day sitting in their cars, at their desks, or on the couch when they get home,” says Barbara Templeton, a yoga instructor in Redding, Connecticut, and author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Stretching (Alpha, 2007). Staying sedentary can impact your muscles on a biochemical level, according to recent research from the University of Missouri. Fat-burning enzymes in the muscles may become dormant within hours of sitting, scientists found. Just getting up and moving around throughout the day—walking to the water cooler, strolling at lunch, or even working while standing up—can re-engage those enzymes and keep your metabolism revving.

Give them a stretch Stretching both soothes muscle tension and promotes circulation, which become increasingly important as you age, says Demorest. “When we get older, our muscles tend to be less flexible, which can lead to muscle pain and injury,” she says. Set aside at least ten minutes to bend and flex each morning, recommends Templeton, and make your spine top priority. “All of your core muscles are connected to your spine in some way,” she says. Be sure to move in all four directions: Gently bend forward, stretch back, and twist to both sides. Practicing yoga, however, delivers muscle benefits beyond basic stretching. By applying pressure to different parts of your body, says Templeton, yoga can tone and massage your internal organs, including the most precious muscle of all: your heart. According to a recent study conducted in India, yoga even helps strengthen lung muscles and enhance lung function.