Why is muscle health important?
Strong and healthy muscles are important for a variety of reasons. Such as better balance, faster metabolism, less stress on joints, and ease of lifting.
Healthy muscles are not just beneficial for bodybuilders, maintaining great muscle health will prevent injury and enable you to carry out day-to-day tasks better. Healthy muscles allow you to have a full range of motion and can increase your confidence.
Benefits of healthy muscles include:
- Increased ability to do daily tasks
- Reduced risk of muscle tears and strains
- Improved physique
- Increased confidence
- Improved athletic performance
- Faster metabolism
How to increase muscle health?
Increasing your muscular health must come from taking care of yourself both inside and out. This includes having a great diet, getting plenty of sleep, and strength training. Increasing the health of your muscles will ensure that you not only look strong and lean physically but that you feel great too. The ‘feel great’ feeling can often occur due to the increased oxygenation, increased capillarisation, and removal of waste products that come with maintaining healthy muscles.
Ways in which you can increase your muscle health include:
Remedial massage
A remedial massage is a massage that aims to directly treat muscles such as a sports massage or a deep tissue massage . Remedial massages not only treat muscle injuries but also prevent them from occurring. The techniques used can lead to healthier muscles by increasing mobility, increasing circulation, and aiding the relaxation of your muscles. Our team of massage experts in Leeds & Wakefield are always on hand to ensure that you have the best remedial massage experience possible.
Strength training
Strength training includes exercise done both at home and the gym and can include using your body weight, resistance, free weights, weight machines, and cable suspensions. Strength training is used to build up your muscle and increase your strength and endurance. Doing strength training exercises at least twice a week is a great way to maintain healthy, strong, and lean muscles.
High protein diet
Protein intake for optimal muscle maintenance is around 1kg-2kg per pound of body weight. Eating protein-rich foods such as chicken, fish, eggs, legumes, nuts, and tofu will keep you fuller for longer and give your body the amino acids it needs to keep your muscles in great shape. Significant benefits of having plenty of protein before exercise include increased muscle build and faster recovery from exercise.
Stay hydrated
It’s essential to stay hydrated to improve the health of your muscles as your muscles are made up of 75% water. Ensuring to drink plenty of water both before and after your strength training will keep your body functioning to its best ability. Ensuring you get at least 3-4 litres of water per day should keep your muscles hydrated throughout the whole day.
Sleep
It’s recommended that you get at least 7-9 hours of sleep per night. Quality sleep is crucial when increasing muscle health as sleep enhances muscle recovery through protein synthesis and growth hormone release. A good night’s sleep will ensure you have plenty of energy the next day to build, grow, and strengthen your muscles.