Sarcopenia — the quiet one
After about 50, most people lose muscle mass and strength each year unless they actively work to keep it. It's gradual and easy to ignore until it shows up as a weaker grip, tiring on stairs, a wobble in your balance, or a fall. For anyone planning an active retirement in Hua Hin — golf, tennis, long beach walks, getting on and off a scooter — muscle is what keeps you doing those things.
The good news is that it's one of the most reversible parts of ageing. Muscle responds to training at any age, including into your 80s. Protein is the raw material; training is the signal that tells the body to use it.
How much, and why more than you'd think
General healthy-adult guidelines put protein around 0.8 g per kilo of body weight a day, but a large body of research on older adults suggests that's too low for us — something closer to 1.0–1.2 g per kilo (and sometimes more for those who are active or recovering from illness) helps protect muscle. For an 80 kg person that's roughly 80–100 g of protein a day.
Ageing muscle is also a bit 'deaf' to protein — it needs a decent amount in one sitting to respond. So spreading it out, with a solid portion at breakfast, lunch and dinner, tends to beat skipping it all day and having a big steak at night. Breakfast is where many people fall short.
Getting it from food first
Food should do most of the work: eggs, fish (excellent and everywhere here), chicken, pork, Greek yoghurt, tofu and other soy, beans and lentils. Thailand makes this easy and cheap — grilled fish, chicken, tofu and egg dishes are on every menu. Our Eat & Drink guide points to places doing protein-forward bowls and good plates.
A supplement is for filling the gap, not replacing meals — most useful when appetite is smaller (common as we age), at a protein-light breakfast, or after training. Whey protein is well absorbed and rich in leucine, the amino acid that switches on muscle-building; plant blends (pea, soy, rice) work well for anyone avoiding dairy. A scoop in water, milk or a smoothie is the simplest way to add 20–25 g.
The part supplements can't do
Protein without training mostly just gets burned for energy or stored — it's the combination that counts. You don't need a hardcore gym: two or three sessions a week of resistance work (machines, free weights, resistance bands, or bodyweight moves like sit-to-stands) is enough to make a real difference. Several Hua Hin gyms on our Sports & Fitness pages are well suited to older beginners, and there's a free outdoor fitness park in town.