Most of us take our muscles for granted, not realizing how crucial they are to us.

Muscles are the body’s engine, and energy is the fuel. It would be impossible for us to do anything without them, including expressing ourselves.

We convey ideas through spoken words using the muscles of the mouth, tongue and larynx, through written words using the muscles of the fingers, or through body language using skeletal muscles.

The human body contains more than 630 muscles. Approximately 35-45% of body mass is muscle tissue.

Muscles are long- lasting, self-healing and grow stronger with use. There are three unique kinds of muscle:

Cardiac muscle:  which is found only in your heart. It contracts involuntarily; it is automatically controlled by the nervous system.

Smooth muscle : it is found in blood vessels, the digestive system, bladder, airways, and the uterus in a female. It also contracts involuntarily.

Skeletal muscle: it is the kind we can see and feel. They attach to the skeleton and come in pairs; one muscle to move in one direction and another to move back the other way. Skeletal muscles contract voluntarily, you have to think about contracting them and the nervous system tells them to respond.

The old adage “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” comes to mind when considering muscles.

Use your muscles and strengthen them, you will need them to carry out everyday tasks and prevent you from falling and breaking bones as you grow older.