Greetings our Fitness Enthusiasts!!!
We hope you and your family are safe and protected at this difficult time that our country is going through. The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in making people lethargic which has further made people obese and prone to different health problems. Breaking that chain of inactivity is a challenge after you have spent two consecutive years in the four walls of your home, but what is life without challenges? We are here to help you and guide you through this time so that you can attain that perfect body and good lifestyle.
When we talk about fitness the first thing that pops up in everybody’s mind is ‘workout’. Many people nowadays indulge themselves in various types of workouts like Pilates, Yoga, Gym, Aerobics and several others which when done with keeping in mind the proper nutrition, results in a good lifestyle and peaceful mind. If you ignore the fact that healthy food plays a much greater role in your road to fitness than workout then it might happen that you fail to achieve your desired goal which will leave you disheartened. This is the story of many people who start working out without proper knowledge and this lack of information leads to undesirable outcomes.
In this article we will enlighten you on the critical part that nutrition plays if you dream of achieving a healthy body. A healthy diet loaded with proper nutrients leads to reduction in the probability of developing chronic diseases like heart diseases, diabetes and cancer. In schools, we are taught about the importance of a balanced diet but it slips from our minds as we move forward in our lives and gets stuck with various responsibilities. We stop stressing about the quality of food that we are consuming, filling our stomach with the junk in market, we walk into the trap of life consuming health problems.
One of the many health problems that poor nutrition leads to is ‘Muscle Atrophy’, which in layman language means loss of muscle mass. It is a health condition that is caused by consuming a diet low in protein and ignoring the intake of fruits and leafy vegetables. Poor nutrition is one of the various reasons that cause Muscle Atrophy. It is often caused by lack of movement of the muscles due to some injury or illness. When it seems impossible for you to move your arms or legs, the consequence is wastage of muscle mass.
Given below are the symptoms and causes of muscle atrophy, so that you can be aware about the condition and take precautions, attending the problem smartly.
SYMPTOMS :-
One of the symptom by which you can diagnose muscle atrophy is that your arm or leg which has been struck with this state may appear smaller as compared to the healthy one but the length of your limb is not affected. The physical appearance of your afflicted muscle gets affected and it may appear contracted. Other symptoms include :
- Not being active for a long period
- Undergoing weakness in muscles
- Unable to balance yourself
CAUSES :-
- When the movement of your muscles is hindered if you meet an accident or experience certain illness which leaves you bedridden, which results in absence of physical activity in one’s life for a long period of time.
- Another factor that may cause muscle atrophy is age. The process of aging leads to reduction in the strength of muscles and lack in muscle movement, hence making the person prone to the condition.
- One of the causes of loss in muscle mass is lack of proper nutrients in the body as mentioned above.
- Consumption of excessive alcohol for long time leads to painful muscles which further destroys your body internally. The harm caused by alcohol maybe irreversible.
- Stroke is yet another cause of muscle atrophy. It is a dangerous condition in which your brain does not get the required oxygen and blood to perform properly.
- Injury in our spinal cord or peripheral nerves can cause loss of muscle mass. Our spinal cord is the part of our body that controls our ability to move. The problem that one have to undergo if he/she experience spinal cord injury is self explanatory.
These are the basic causes of muscle atrophy. There are various medical conditions also that accompany the above mentioned elements. The list is mentioned below :
- Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) – It is a condition in which the movement of voluntary muscles is affected.
- Dermatomyositis – It is a rare condition in which you experience inflamed muscles, numbness in muscles and skin rash
- Guillain-Barré Syndrome – An autoimmune disorder resulting in muscle numbness and inflammation.
- Neuropathy – In this condition you lose the ability of sensation.
We have stated few of the various diseases that are the causes of muscle atrophy. It can be seen in the above mentioned diseases that the main symptom is loss of the ability to move muscles and muscle numbness. So if you experience any of the above symptoms or are prey to any of the mentioned medical conditions then keep reading further and you will know how to treat the grave condition of muscle atrophy.
Muscle Atrophy which can be considered a threat to a normal human life can be reversed by simple changes in your lifestyle which includes your dietary requirements and proper exercise starting with slow movements. Dietary changes means putting healthy and nutrient dense food in your body to suffice the damage caused by being careless initially in terms of diet. Other forms of treatment are therapies or undergoing a surgery.
By now you might have become aware about the role of proper nutrition in your life and that it is not to be kept aside in the shadow of your responsibilities. If you are obese and want to lose weight, which is the main concern of people in today’s time, then please don’t be under the impression that dieting or in other words eating less will have any positive outcome on your body. You might lose weight but you will also experience weakness and laziness which might put a pause on your productive life.
Now talking about other scenario. If your aim is to gain muscle mass and tone your lean body then stay focused on what you eat because your main concern is not only to intake more calories but healthy calories. Ignoring the word ‘healthy’ can lead to obesity and with obesity comes the diseases.
The word ‘nutrition’ is really easy to understand but it is very difficult to implement the real meaning in practical life. The proper nutrients that your body craves for are protein, which plays an important role in muscle building, healthy carbohydrates which is often side-lined as the main focus is on protein intake and even fat in a correct proportion. You should be aware about the balance that needs to maintained in respect to the food you consume. The food that you intake plays an equally important role as lifting weights or working out if you want to achieve the body of your dreams. The other thing that you should always keep in mind is to be patient and always believe in yourself. Be consistent because it is always said that ‘Good things take time’.
