Give Yourself the Best Gift Possible – a Healthy Lifestyle, Segment 2 - Fitness, Metabolism and Nutrition

We opened this topic discussing the numerous benefits of exercise and how to integrate more exercise into our daily lives. Now we expand on obtaining that healthy lifestyle by exploring the relationship between fitness, metabolism and good nutrition.

If you’re someone who is well into their 40s and beyond, you’ve probably noticed how difficult it is to avoid gaining weight, and why you can’t eat like you used to. That’s because our metabolism tends to slow with age, making it easier to add a few extra pounds and harder to lose them. Simply put, our bodies lack the efficiency to “burn” what we consume, which causes those excess calories to be stored as fat. Adding to this unpleasant scenario, the average adult loses 3–8% of muscle mass during each decade after 30.

NOW WHAT?

Not to over simplify things, but as we get older, we need to eat less and exercise more. This lifestyle change will combat the effects of our slowing metabolism and loss of muscle mass. Strength training is one of the best forms of exercise to combat a slowing metabolism. That’s because lean muscle tissue has a higher resting metabolism than non-muscle, helping to increase our overall metabolism. The truth of the matter is the more muscle mass you have, the more fat you burn, as your body uses energy to support it. Just having muscle burns calories, even at rest. How awesome is that! A recent study concluded that individuals who participated in strength training from eight to 52 weeks showed an increase of 2.2 to 4.5 pounds of muscle mass, and this increase in muscle mass increases our resting metabolic rate (RMR) by 50 kilo-calories per day https://healthprep.com

AND DIET?

However, exercise and strength training alone won’t be enough if we don’t limit and monitor what we consume. Start by knowing how many calories you should be eating and drinking to maintain your ideal weight. Nutrition and calorie information on food labels is typically based on a 2,000 calorie per day diet. You may need more or less depending on your age, gender, and level of physical activity.

Here are some basic guidelines. Feel free to consult with a healthcare professional if you are managing a specific medical condition.

• Consume a variety of fruits and vegetables
• Consume whole grains
• Consume sufficient sources of protein from fish, lean meat and nuts
• Avoid processed and boxed food
• Minimize sugar, fried foods and salt
• Limit alcohol, drink plenty of water, avoid soda

ADD WATER!

Since 60 percent of our bodies are made of water, it is paramount to drink the water we need every day. It is water that carries nutrients to our cells, flushes toxins from our organs and helps to digest the food we eat. Insufficient water consumption, especially in hot weather, can lead to dehydration, a very serious medical condition.

According to the IOM (Institute of Medicine), men should drink approx. three liters of water each day while women should drink a little over 2 liters each day (1 liter = 33.8 fluid ounces).

Now we have a solid foundation based on a knowledge of metabolism, nutrition and exercise, especially strength training. However, to tie it all together, we need strategies to manage stress. In the next installment, we will discuss exactly that.