Your Muscles May Be One of Your Most Valuable Retirement Assets

When it comes to retirement planning, most people focus on how much to save and where to invest it. But another asset can have an enormous influence on how those retirement years are lived: muscle. Maintaining strength and muscle mass as we age can help support mobility, balance and independence—factors that can influence both quality of life and healthcare needs later in life. The good news is that it is never too late to start investing in physical strength.

“We spend decades building a financial portfolio for retirement, but we should be building our physical portfolio at the same time,” said Jennifer Scherer, co-founder of the Fitness & Finance Radio podcast, registered dietitian, medical exercise specialist, certified personal trainer, master-level Pilates instructor and founder of Fredericksburg Fitness Studio. “Muscle is one of the assets that helps protect our ability to move, remain independent and enjoy the life we worked so hard to build. Financial longevity means much less if our physical health doesn't allow us to enjoy it.”

While people are focused on building their financial portfolio, they may be overlooking their physical one. Age-related losses in muscle and strength can affect mobility, balance and independence and are associated with greater risk of falls and hospitalization. Those health consequences can also create significant expenses during retirement.

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), starting at around 30, our bodies naturally begin losing muscle mass. We lose 3-5% of muscle mass every decade, and while that change may happen slowly, it adds up, leaving people with weakened strength. Sarcopenia, the gradual loss of muscle mass, increases the risks of falls, broken bones, and hospitalization. These are all things that are going to dip into the financial savings that someone has accumulated for retirement.

A study published in the Journal of Frailty & Aging reports that the hospitalization costs associated with sarcopenia are around $40 billion. They report that those with the condition are more likely to be hospitalized, with it costing each person an average of over $2,300 per year. Add to that the costs that people incur outside of the hospital due to broken bones, falls, and any hired help they need due to the lack of independence. It adds up to a financial burden that people may have been able to avoid if they had worked on maintaining muscle mass over the years.

The key is to start working on building and maintaining muscle mass, regardless of what age someone is at. It’s never too late to take this issue on. According to the NIH, 30% of adults over the age of 70 have trouble walking, getting up from a chair, or climbing stairs. They report that such mobility issues not only lead to a loss of independence, but are also linked to higher rates of falls, chronic diseases, nursing home admissions, and mortality. They report that the big culprit is a loss of muscle mass, and that it can be slowed down by maintaining an active lifestyle.  

Here are some tips to keep in mind to help slow the muscle-mass loss problem:

• Get active no matter what age you are. Know that you can always start slow and build it up as you get stronger. Being physically active is crucial to healthier aging.
• Ensure that your workout routine has you lifting weights and challenging yourself. It’s important to get things in there like resistance exercises. Include progressive resistance training. Muscles need an appropriate challenge to adapt and remain strong. Resistance can come from weights, machines, bands or body weight, and the program should be appropriate for the individual's health, abilities and experience.
• Be sure to get the right foods in your diet in order to build and maintain muscle. Getting enough protein is a must in order to build and maintain muscle mass over the years. Know how much you need per day and pay attention to ensure you get it. Prioritize adequate nutrition, particularly protein. Protein provides the amino acids needed to support muscle maintenance and repair, but individual needs vary based on age, health status and activity level.
• Build a professional team. A qualified fitness or healthcare professional can assess physical function and help create an appropriate plan for maintaining strength and mobility, while a qualified financial professional can help prepare for the financial realities of retirement. Both plans should support the same goal: maintaining independence and quality of life for as long as possible.

“One of the biggest expenses in retirement can be needing help with the things you once did independently,” said Jeff Smith, co-founder of Fitness & Finance Radio, financial planning expert, personal trainer, master-level Pilates instructor and founder of The Retirement Smith.