Rachel lives with her retired father fondly known as Uncle Don. Although retired, Uncle Don leads a busy life. Every morning by 5am, he can be seen at the local playground exercising with his friends. By 6.30am, he would then head to the local pasar pagi for his breakfast. Then, he would bring home my favorite food and ensures I had a good breakfast before heading off to work.

During the weekends, Uncle Don and his friends would venture further away from the city in seek of jungle trails to hike, or small towns to visit. Although aged 58, Uncle Don is still strong and agile. He is happy that he still has the strength to move freely.

Then the pandemic hit us. All are to stay at home. Uncle Don detests this as he values his independence and mobility and is never known to sit still.

At first, he tried to keep active by exercising at the front yard but soon felt dishearten with the messiness. As he was unable to clean up the yard on his own, he could only complain he is unable to be active and break a sweat.

Uncle Don ended up watching television all day. The longer he lounges on the sofa watching television, the more tired and moodier he became. I could sense he missed the outdoors and his friends.

One day, as he was getting up from the sofa, he lost his balance. Luckily, he falls back onto the sofa without knocking on anything. As a precaution, I took him to the clinic. Our family doctor, Dr. Ramesh suggested prolonged inactivity is taking a toll on Uncle Don. He is showing signs of fatigue, weakness and muscle deterioration (sarcopenia) due to his advancing age.

Sarcopenia, also known as muscle loss, is a common condition affecting adults over 50 years old. People with sarcopenia experience a decline in muscle mass as well as muscle strength. Symptoms may include reduced muscle size and general feeling of weakness or exhaustion. Sarcopenia is lethal for the elderly as it robs them of their strength, mobility and independence. You can learn more about it online.

Fortunately, sarcopenia is reversible. The trick is a combination of exercise and high protein diet. Dr. Ramesh advices Uncle Don to put his muscle to work or it will waste away. Secondly is to take more protein as it is the key nutrient for muscle health. The doctor recommended adding a protein supplement to his regular diet as older adults needs more protein.

Source: Baun, Jl, Kim. IY & Wolfw. RR., Protein Consumption and the Elderly: What is the optimal level of Intake? Nutrients: 2016 Jun; 8(6); 359.

The trip to the doctor was worthwhile. I learned about sarcopenia and how it can affect us. As his daughter, I started to reflect on what I should do.

Firstly, I got myself dirty. I tidied up our yard to set up space for exercise and a garden. Our house does not have a big yard but is still sufficient for a raised garden bed made of planter boxes. Uncle Don now has a proper space to exercise and do gardening. Being active at home is possible.

Secondly, I researched for the best protein supplement around. My criteria are it must be high in protein content, made from quality source and affordable for long-term use. The one I ended up with selecting is Nature’s Way Instant Natural Protein. It not only fits my 3 criteria, but it offers more than that.

Overall, Nature’s Way Instant Natural Protein is a lifestyle protein for better health that Uncle Don needs. Do you know each serving is equivalent to 100g of chicken breast, four eggs or 100g salmon? With Nature’s Way Instant Natural Protein, I feel assured he can achieve his daily protein requirement easily.

There is an old saying, a daughter is a father’s girlfriend from his previous life. My father has looked after me when I was young and now it is the time for me to look after him. I will do my best to ensure he gets to lead the life he wants which is to feel strong even as he grows old.

We all should be helping our parents to stay healthy. I am sure I can do it. My key is to help him stay active and supplement his diet with protein.

The home garden managed to help Uncle Don stay active. It has always been Uncle Don’s dream to have space for gardening and now it is flourishing beautifully. When he used to complain he is deprived of space to plant the wild herbs brought from hiking trips, he is now complaining he needs more planter box!

The gardening and high protein diet has transformed Uncle Don. His muscles regain its firmness, his movement more agile and his stance firmer. He feels happy as he gets stronger day after day.

Uncle Don even feels strong enough to scold me every day! What have I done to get him mad? Well, he dislikes me encroaching into his space planting things he does not like. Let’s just say I am into decorative plants while Uncle Don prefers edible types.

Even with all the scolding, I am happy Uncle Don is feeling joyful and healthy again. Later, I plan to start a negotiation effort with him over the planting of a small bush of roses. I might need a warm glass of Nature’s Way Instant Natural Protein to ensure my success. Wish me luck!

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

This fictional stories are meant to inspire and inform you of options, methods and solutions towards healthy living.