The maintenance of your muscles plays a major role in healthy aging. By taking care of your muscles, you can impact your quality of life now and in the future.  Low muscle mass is associated with increased falls, medical complications, length of hospital stay, loss of independence and places considerable economic burden on the US healthcare system.  According to The Journal of Frailty & Aging, individuals with muscle loss had greater odds of hospitalization compared to those without and had an annual marginal increase in cost of $2315 per person.  The Fayette County FCS Agent taught “Nourish Your Muscles” in nine Central Kentucky counties to 154 participants ranging in age from 26 to 85 years of age.   Seventy-five percent of those attending, shared this information to more than 2,000 associates.  The National Institute on Aging/National Institute of Health provides a checklist for consumers to follow to nourish and sustain muscle mass while Extension provides consumer practices to accomplish this goal.   Out of those attending, 77% returned a participant post-survey during the following five months.  As a result of this program, 87% rated their understanding on the subject as very good while 66% discovered they did not consume the Recommended Daily Value for protein.   Other notable results include:  50% began reading labels for specific info; 34% include more lentils and cooked beans as protein sources; 82% increased physical activity with 50% adding resistance/strength training; 93% shared program information with family/friends.   Quotes:  Great class!  Learned so much. Very useful information; I really enjoyed this class, my first time, new to KY; Excellent reminder to take care of ourselves & easy ways to do it; This was truly an informative lesson;   Very encouraging; Learned a lot of important information that will change my life.