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As a bodybuilding legend, cinematic icon, and owner of the Pump Club fitness app<\/a>, Arnold Schwarzenegger is inundated on a wide range of health topics. But one question that the Last Action Hero says he is asked, time and time again, concerns whether lean mass can convert to unwanted weight. \u201cYour muscle didn\u2019t turn to fat,\u201d explained Arnold in a recent Q&A<\/a>. \u201cBut here\u2019s why it seems like it.\u201d<\/p>\n Arnold, who is fighting fit at 79, explained in a recent edition of his Pump Club Newsletter, that both fans and friends ask him if soft midsections, shapeless shoulders, and less than chiseled chests are the result of muscles turning to fat. \u201cHere\u2019s what I tell my friends (if they want my opinion), and what I\u2019ll tell you,\u201d he answered. \u201cYou are not imagining the change. Your body did get softer, probably weaker, and the mirror is not lying to you. But the story you\u2019re telling yourself about why, is wrong in a very specific way, and that specific way is exactly where all the good news is hiding.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMuscle and fat are two different kinds of tissue,\u201d explained the Terminator star. \u201cOne does not become the other, in either direction, ever,\u201d he confirmed. Adding that when people say their muscle \u201cturned to fat,\u201d something real is happening, \u201cbut it\u2019s two separate processes running at the same time, and you\u2019re blaming one, when the culprit is both.\u201d<\/p>\n Arnold points out that the first process is a natural one. As we age, muscle mass begins to decrease if not trained effectively. That\u2019s when the second process then takes hold, as fat tissue moves into the muscle itself, \u201cthreading between the inside fibers, which researchers have linked to weaker, stiffer muscle<\/a>,\u201d explained Arnold.<\/p>\n In other words, muscle did not turn to fat, but muscle degraded and made space for fat to accumulate. \u201cThat is why the mirror tells such a convincing conversion story,\u201d said Arnold, before providing hope for us all.<\/p>\n \u201cThe overwhelming evidence suggests that the process of losing muscle and accumulating fat can be slowed and steered in the right direction,\u201d advised the seven-time Mr Olympia. \u201cBy the same habits that built the underlying muscle in the first place.\u201d<\/p>\n The Austrian Oak admits that \u201cFather Time is undefeated,\u201d but he encourages us to hold back the hands of time. \u201cThe more you fight to keep what you have, the more you can hold on to your muscle and strength. And even if you start late, your body is still willing to respond and become stronger and more muscular.\u201d<\/p>\n The able actor added that, \u201cThe science on muscle, strength, power, and function is clear: you don\u2019t just lose it. You lose it because you don\u2019t use it.\u201d So, to take back control, the Commando star prescribed:<\/p>\n Guidelines for physical activity among adults aged 65 years and older<\/a> advise at least 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-to-intense aerobic activity or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity, weekly. But whatever you do, start now, said Schwarzenegger. \u201cThe response to training does shrink a little with age, which is an argument for starting sooner, not that it stops working. The evidence runs all the way into the nineties,\u201d encouraged the inspirational actor. \u201cThe worst time to start was a decade ago. The second-worst time is to keep waiting for a tidier week, putting it off until tomorrow, next week, or next year.\u201d<\/p>\n To follow Arnold\u2019s Pump Club on Instagram, click here.<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nCan Muscle Turn Into Fat?<\/h2>\n
What Causes Age-Related Muscle Loss and How To Prevent It?<\/h2>\n
Arnold\u2019s 4 Tips To Prevent Muscle Loss as You Age<\/h2>\n
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How Often Should Older Adults Lift Weights?<\/h2>\n