February 22, 2010
Audio for this story from Morning Edition will be available at approx. 9:00 a.m. ET
As we age, our muscles deteriorate, and they don't repair as quickly as they used to. But the good news is that exercise and weightlifting can still make muscles stronger.
It's a pretty common lament, the idea that you just can't eat what you used to. But why is that so? And is it avoidable? There are a number of reasons why we put on the pounds as years go by, but take heart: There are ways to fight back — and win!
There are some particular biological changes that happen as we age. For one, aging muscles actually contribute to the increase in the amount of fat we store in our bodies, says Cheryl Phillips, president of the American Geriatrics Society.
"So, if you look at a woman who is 70 years old and compare her to what her body was like at 25 years of age, even though her weight may be exactly the same, she had more percentage of muscle in her body when she was 25 than she does when she's 70."
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