Staying Strong and Mobile

If you have not started, build and preserve your muscles. Muscle is the absolute centerpiece for being healthy throughout life and as we age if we do not use them, we lose them. Muscle keeps us strong and mobile and burns calories even at rest, which makes it easier to keep your weight down.

Starting in your late 30s and early 40s, most people lose about a quarter pound of muscle every year. There are a couple of factors that can contribute to the loss; not only inactivity, but poor nutrition, as well.

Using hand weights, your body weight and/or machines is the best way to strength or resistance train. When you build and preserve muscle, it also helps with muscle power needed for everyday tasks such as getting out of the car or standing from a chair.

Eating the right foods rich in protein is also helpful in building and preserving muscle. How much you consume is also very important to ensure you have enough to synthesize in the body but not too much to turn into fat. A great rule of thumb is to take your body weight and convert it to grams. When you read food labels, all protein is measured in grams. The conversion is your body weight divided by 2.2. To find out how much you should consume, multiply that number times .8 if you are sedentary, 1 to 1.2 if you are active and 1.2-1.7 if you are a strength trained athlete. For example a 150lb woman who is moderately active needs a minimum between 70-80 grams of protein per day. (150/2.2) * 1.1 = 74.999.

Some examples of foods and their approximate protein content are:
4 oz skinless chicken or turkey breast: 35g
2 oz drained canned tuna: 14g
1/4 cup soy nuts: 17g
1/2 cup cottage cheese: 14g
1/2 cup cooked beans: 8g
1 cup skim milk: 8g
1/4 cup egg substitute: 6g
1 cup cooked oatmeal: 6g
1 cup of bulgar, quinoa or brown rice: 6g

It is very important to ensure that you have an adequate amount of protein in addition to a regular strength training regimen to keep your muscles strong. Each day we are older and can get better if you take the right steps to take care of your body. Be Well!

You Can Do More Than You Think

Every time I am with clients or teaching fitness classes, I encourage that individual or group to push outside of their comfort zone. I sometimes observe doubt, however, once the level of exercise is achieved, surprise, relief and satisfaction all come at the same time. So why should you even push yourself or be pushed? When you stay at the same level, you stagnate and do not grow physically, mentally or spiritually.

Self-doubt is one characteristic that is sabotaging to getting started and staying on a wellness track. This could be for a fitness regimen or change of eating habits. You know that something has to change, but along with lack of motivation you may have some fear. That may be one barrier. What is it that you have to lose by trying? Ok, so a particular exercise looks hard or you are not sure that you can do that extra rep. What holds you back? When you try, you gain information. If an exercise was challenging, you continue work on it, but if it was easier than initially thought, it is time to move on.

Think about babies and children. They seem to be fearless when trying new things. If you have children, your baby needed to crawl before she or he walked. Did you doubt that your baby would not make that next level? Did you doubt that throughout all of their growing stages that they would not be able to achieve the next stage? I doubt that. In fact, I am sure you encouraged them to step outside of their comfort zone and was elated when they achieved that next level.

What about your career? Most of us want to make that next promotion or pay scale jump. If we want something bad enough, do we push ourselves to do better in order to make that achievement? You bet and are elated when that level is achieved.

So, when it comes to exercise and nutrition changes, why do adults doubt themselves? We know confidence comes from within, so look inside and think about what changes you need to make and if you are one that holds back, ask yourself why. What is there to lose? You have to crawl again before you walk and when you do, lose the self-doubt and gain elation for your health and wellness.