The evidence is out there, two out of three adults are obese or overweight, a ratio that has been rising for decades. Part of the reason for this is a new kid on the block called Sarcopenia. This is the premature loss of muscle mass and strength due to insufficient physical activity and sedentary lifestyles. This condition accelerates obesity and causes massive physical disability to older adults.

The effect of the combination of these two diseases - obesity and sarcopenia is devastating. Obesity causes and/or complicates many other deadly diseases - such as cancer, heart disease and diabetes.

Due to this cruel situation many people who are in their 50's and older have become highly dependent upon others to help them dress, feed themselves, bathe, clean their homes, and walk. These men and women are robbed of their health, mobility and independence and therefore their quality of life.

The sort of care required by these people to function at a most basic level doesn't come cheap. The extensive medical services that will be needed in the future to care for this epidemic of incapacitated aging adults will be unaffordable to even the richest nations in the world.

It is well know that both of these diseases are preventable, how on earth could we have allowed ourselves to become so severely unhealthy?

Many people have been waiting for some miracle drug or scientific breakthrough to save their health, but this option could never enable us to attain the high level of good health we all desire. Perhaps more tellingly sarcopenia's proven antidote - strength training - will never make a cent for a pharmaceutical company. Unlike the billions of dollars poured into development for drugs to treat osteoporosis, this is yet to happen with sarcopenia.

The solutions for both of these disabling conditions are very simple, regular, vigorous exercise that includes strength training and to eat more nutritious foods than we do at present. Unfortunately the majority of people are not willing to take these two steps that would the reverse the dramatic impact sarcopenia and obesity has on people's lives.

The good news is, all health-conscious adults especially those past 40 years of age can take immediate steps to implement a program that will greatly lessen their risk for sarcopenia. Strength training is the key to prevention and is defined as the use of resistance training machines or free weights that involves a progressive increase in resistance against which a muscle generates force.

By building and maintaining our strength and health continuously throughout our lives, each of us would be doing our best to conquer the preventable disease of sarcopenia. This would ensure we will be able to take care of ourselves to live independently in our own homes for as long as possible. The increased quality of life would give us additional years of freedom to enjoy.