I’m Spencer Coffman, author of A Healthier You.

The largest factor in muscle loss is, of course, laziness. The old saying, “use it or lose it” is very applicable. Muscle tissue needs to be used and engaged or it will begin to dissipate within days. Now, that doesn’t mean you need to hit the gym all day every day.

However, it does mean that you need to be active. You need to do things that activate the muscles in your body. That means using the stairs, maybe doing some squats, some push-ups, sit-ups, or other exercises. The point is, you need to do something. If you don’t like to sweat, or don’t have a lot of time, then do small groups of 10-minute exercises a few times a day.

The second factor is hydration. This is important for muscles and your health in general. If you don’t drink enough water then your body will start to break down tissue in order to absorb water.

That means your body will dehydrate your muscles and they will get smaller! Therefore, drink at least half your body weight in ounces each day. For example: if you weigh 200 pounds – drink 100 ounces of water each day.

The third factor is failing to maintain a proper diet. This is because your body will feed on muscle if it needs nutrients. Muscles are made of protein and amino acids, among other things.

Therefore, you must eat protein in order to build muscle. In addition, make sure you are eating vegetables as well as some dairy so that you will get all of your vitamins and minerals. Here is a great list of superfoods that can do all kinds of things for your body.

Basically, keeping muscle boils down to three very easy things: use your muscles, drink lots of water, and eat right. For more tips check out the A Healthier You eBook.