Why you need to build muscle for long term health. 

Modern life takes its toll on human beings in a lot of ways. Everything from skyrocketing stress levels, pollutants, working at a desk for long hours, indoor lighting, and artificial chemicals in our food serve as major barriers to our health and wellness. What's worse is that many are not even aware of these factors.  The problem is human beings are still wired for the stone age yet the environment we live in today is vastly different. Failure to address these things can easily lead to weight gain, a hormonal rhythm that is way out of whack, cause insomnia, fatigue, and generally make you feel like crap. 

So if you are considering what you can do from a fitness standpoint I encourage you to prioritize developing and maintaining a decent amount of muscle mass at the very least. Here's why: 

1: Lean tissue is associated with a lower risk of all cause mortality. 

In a study from 2016 that looked at body composition in elderly people and associated risks of death form different causes, researchers concluded that greater lean body mass has a protective association with cardiovascular and all cause mortality. 

2: Muscle is a glucose sponge.
Lean tissue absorbs a lot of glucose from your blood stream. It's one of the best reasons to lift weights because when glucose hangs around in your blood stream for too long many problems can arise. Red blood cells can become hampered in their ability to transport oxygen, clots in you blood vessels can begin to form, reactive oxygen species can form, placing increased demand on your antioxidant systems. All of which can lead to cardiovascular disease and diabetes. 

3: Increased energy expenditure at rest.
Muscle requires more energy than other tissue in your body. Building and maintaining muscle mass is the simplest and most effective way of influencing you metabolism over the long term.  

4: Offset sedentary risk factors.
Resistance training and lean tissue have been shown to offset the effects of being sedentary somewhat. Sedentary time throughout your day is emerging as its own risk factor for numerous diseases, notably, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and some cancers. 

Building muscle is certainly not a cure for everything but it is a great place to start.