5 Tips For Stronger Muscles: Build Up Your Balance & Coordination

If you're looking to build stronger muscles — which in turn, can build up your balance and coordination — keep these five tips in mind.

“Resistance training is the closest thing to the fountain of youth that we have,” said Brad Schoenfeld, a professor of exercise science at New York’s Lehman College. Doing simple exercises such as planks, squats or side bridges uses your own body weight against itself to promote muscle strength and function. Give tai chi or yoga a try if you want to mix up your routine.

According to experts at Harvard Medical School: “Give muscles time off. [Resistance] training causes tiny tears and muscle tissue. These tears aren't harmful, but they are important: Muscles grow stronger as the tears knit up. Always give your muscles at least 48 hours to recover between strength training sessions.”

“Protein from food helps repair the damage from exercising and builds up more muscle, making them stronger,” said the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Good sources include chicken, eggs, salmon, soybeans, lean beef and Greek yogurt.

“It doesn't matter how much protein you're getting if you're not getting adequate calories overall,” pointed out nutrition expert Carolyn Williams, author of the book Meals That Heal. Keep muscles well fed by consuming four to five small meals at regular intervals throughout the day.

“Poor sleep quality and short sleep duration are associated with an increased risk for muscle mass reduction. Thus they may also influence muscle strength,” said the National Institute of Health. Getting seven to eight hours of shuteye a night allows muscles to repair and rejuvenate. It also gives you the energy to exercise!