Who are these know-it-all anonymous jerks who proclaim with unquestionable authority that older people, both men AND women, cannot build muscle? Worse, how stupid are those who read this shit, then further broadcast and disseminate it without even doing any research of their own?
The examination and questioning of people’s motives is something not done nearly enough in life, as I have experienced personally with friends and family who also accept and regurgitate the opinions of others on various subjects without question. “I read it someplace” is not a validation. This is where the term “sheeple” or, people who mindlessly follow like so many sheep, originates.
Hearing some self-appointed “authority” in his 20s or 30s spring up in the media to lecture older people about what they can and cannot accomplish is the height of hubris. Much of what we see in the media is not original, but rather the parroting and regurgitation of some other media story found elsewhere, neither tested nor challenged. A great example is the infamous New York Times feature from 2016 in which contestants on the TV show Biggest Loser were said to have regained all their weight due to waging a winless war against their own body. The premise was ludicrous and received widespread attention elsewhere in the media. Nowhere I have looked did I find anyone refuting this nonsense, but rather just spreading the nonsense far and wide, such as did ABC’s Good Morning America.
YES, you can build muscle even into your late 90s as proven by a study conducted by Miriam Nelson of Tufts University. In this study, gym-quality leg machines were brought into a home for the aged.Ten residents volunteered, men and women, between the ages of 88 and 96. Not only did all participants gain lean muscle mass and strength, but one who previously required a cane was able to throw it away and walk unaided, while another participant previously dependent on a walker was able to graduate to using a cane.
The motives of these naysayers are curious. What do they have to gain by spreading lies and disproved claims, especially since they too will be old one day? If you’re getting up there in age and relying on old wive’s tales and trolls’ nonsense as your excuse to reject the value of an ongoing fitness routine, the Biggest Loser is you.
Take a gander at the NYTimes video that accompanied this loopy "Biggest Loser" feature:
Wow. That is some video. I almost fell out of my chair. Thanks for the posts Richard.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite quote: "We've never stopped being healthy."
DeleteYikes. Talk about disconnected from reason.
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