Aging Gracefully with Exercise and Nutrition

Prevent physical decline by getting active in your 40's:

1. Start a resistance training routine that focuses on muscle building

2. Increase your intake of protein and fibre rich foods

3. Don't overlook mobility, stretching, and recovery

4. Going too hard too fast doesn't get results quicker

5. Do your research on the "experts"

1. Start a resistance training routine that focuses on muscle building

Building and maintaining muscle mass is important for all ages, not just people in their 40's. We find that hormonal balance is better when people work to strengthen their muscles on a consistent basis. "Use it or lose it" becomes the mantra in your 40's. Muscle loss occurs faster after our 50's and 60's. The reason why many older adults experience postural issues is that they do not work on resistance training. 

Lifting weights is crucial for muscle fibres to tear and rebuild. The muscle rebuilding process is what creates growth and resilience. Learn about challenging your body by lifting weights and increasing weights as you get stronger. Your body will not change if you keep doing the same thing week in and week out. It can not only become boring, but your body becomes more efficient at using less energy to do the same movements. Vary exercises while working similar muscle groups. A personal trainer can be very helpful in building a routine that will achieve results in a shorter amount of time than trying to figure it out on your own.

2. Increase your intake of protein and fibre rich foods

Working out is a great way to get in shape, but it's not the best way to lose weight. Many people are surprised that they don't see results in the gym unless they change up their nutrition. 80% of weight loss comes from a caloric deficit. It doesn't matter how hard you sweat if you still eat unhealthy processed foods.

Increase protein from various sources: meat, dairy, soy, nuts and legumes. Protein powder is an excellent source if you're in a hurry and don't have time to cook. The goal is to eat 0.8g/kg of body weight for a normal healthy adult.

Increase fibre intake by eating fruits, vegetables, starches, and whole grains. Try to eat 25g of fibre daily so that you can have regular bowel movements and flush out toxins from your body. 

Lowering your intake of added sugar can help keep the weight off. Even though the science is mixed on whether sugar alone causes weight gain, eating too much of anything is counter productive. You can enjoy your favourite desserts once in a while and that is recommended for mental health. No food groups should be off limits in any healthy and balanced diet. But moderate the intake (ie. not every day, not every meal, eat less of the serving size).

3. Don't overlook mobility, stretching, and recovery

As we age, our flexibility goes down from hours of sitting and being inactive. Hip flexors can shorten up causing low back pain. Hamstrings are tight making it hard to bend down and put socks on without sitting down. When we go for a walk up a hill, suddenly our hips, glutes, quads and calves get sore from exertion. Lifting things over our heads causes strain in our shoulders and back if we haven't warmed up first.

These issues can all be resolved with regular mobility work. Yoga, stretching, pilates, calisthenics, and tai chi are excellent ways to add some mobility into our repetoire. Recovery days are needed to heal our muscles from lifting weights or doing strenuous activities. 

4. Going too hard too fast doesn't get results quicker

If you push yourself too hard too fast, you will burn out. Not only will you be dealing with muscle fatigue, but trying to clean up your diet can also become a daunting task. Meal prepping takes a long time and sometimes doing too many things at once can cause us to feel overwhelmed. We might quit after 1-3 months because our willpower burns itself out.

Start by adding light activity like walking 2-3 times a week. Then add weights 2-3x a week. Finally, start cutting out processed foods and figure out what your goals are. Eat according to those goals. If you need help, nutritionists, dieticians and personal trainers are wonderful resources to customize a plan for you.

5. Do your research on the "experts"

Don't look to YouTube or social media for fitness and nutrition advice. You have no idea what kind of education these influencers have or if they are qualified to give advice to the masses. When you go to a gym, personal trainers must submit their credentials as part of the hiring process. Certifications must be up to date or the coach cannot be insured under the gym policy.

When you are working with online coaches, ask them to send you a screenshot of their certification or ask what educational body they were certified through. All fitness certifications are not built the same. A kinesiology degree is far superior to a weekend course anyone can do with no prior prerequisites required. Also ask if the trainer has liability insurance. No insurance means you are assuming the risk of getting questionable advice. A coach may have also started a program but dropped out. While experience counts for something, a lack of education from a credible institution should raise some red flags. 

All certifications also require ongoing training credits in order to keep the coach up to date in their skills. Ask questions before agreeing to work with a coach who looks super fit in their filtered and produced videos. The same thing applies for in-person coaching. A large following does not equal competency to train others.

Start a resistance training routine now and benefit for years to come

Aging gracefully doesn't mean you can overlook your physical health for prolonged periods of time. We've all heard stories of people with great genetics who ate whatever they wanted, drank like a fish and smoked cigarettes until they died. These anecdotes are entertaining and make you wonder if you can beat the clock too. Look to your grandparents and current family members for their health issues to see what you might be susceptible to developing. Working out and eating healthy is just part of a balanced lifestyle that increases your quality of life.  

Seek out the advice a professional and certified trainers at Rage Fitness Personal Training Studio. Book a free demo session, or call/text us at 1-825-945-7733, or fill out the online contact form today!