how to get & stay strong at midlife
The FOUR essential INGREDIENTS for staying strong at midlife are:
MOVEMENT
FUEL
SLEEP
MIND & BREATH
MOVEMENT
A combination of 5 types:
mobility: feed your incredible body with diverse movement patterns, or move in lots of different ways, including difficult ones. Daily.
resistance: pushing or pulling against something, including body weight and actual weights. Twice a week, even for 10 mins.
short high intensity: sprints’ or ‘short bursts’ (30-60 seconds) of intense exercise, going to nearly max, then rest. 2-3 times a week. Escalators!
jumping: regular controlled, explosive, soft landing lift-offs! 3 times a week for 30 seconds, PF permitting.
walking outdoors: every day, am if poss. Walk a bus stop, get into nature.
FUEL
Do you know what and when to eat to be STRONG at midlife and beyond?
Goal = STRENGTH = build muscle, bone health, mobility.
Building these requires FUEL = the right foods, at the right time.
Scientific research on WOMEN shows that:
Midlife women do NOT maintain healthy weight or lose weight through:
- Lots of exercise and a bad diet
- Exercise and calorie restriction
- Fasted workouts ie exercising before breakfast
Midlife women DO maintain healthy weight or lose weight through:
- Real food, well timed, fuelling smart exercise to build muscle and bone
What real food?
No surprises here: a balanced diet rich in protein, complex carbs and healthy fats. Include all 3 groups in all meals and snacks.
When?
Within a short(ish) eating window = 10-12 hours.
Eg 10 hour window 10am-8pm, 12 hours 7am-7pm
And CRUCIALLY on days you are exercising: Small fuel before exercise = complex carbs
Why? stabilise blood sugar, support lean muscle mass, improve performance and recovery
When? 30-60 minutes before exercise.
Eg banana with nut butter, half a wholemeal seeded bagel, small bowl porridge with banan
Fuel to recover after exercise = protein and carbohydrates.
Why: replenish glycogen, and optimise brain and endocrine health
When? Within 30-45 minutes after exercise.
Eg greek yogurt with berries and granola, overnight oats, eggs with wholemeal toast etc
Why MUST I eat before training?
Fasted training has the OPPOSITE results for women than men.
Our complex endocrine system (hormones) makes our brains more sensitive to a lack of nutrition: female brains see fasting as a threat.
This causes a decrease in thyroid function and higher baseline cortisol leading to a ‘breakdown state’ which leads to
1) decrease in lean mass
2) putting on and keeping visceral fat
= the opposite of what we are trying to achieve.
So when a man tells you to do fasted training for mitochondrial health and to lose weight, remember that recommendation is based on male data. Female data = different story.
And yes, eating before your workouts might be new, challenging, inconvenient, not what you want to hear.
You don’t need to eat alot. Start really small, see how it goes and how you feel!
Find out more here.
SLEEP
Prioritise quality sleep, rest and recovery. Get to bed earlier, less screen time, no alcohol. Take time to recovery after exercise. Be lazy sometimes.
MIND & BREATH
Take time to connect with breath and mind. Learn how to breathe better. Use breath to develop short mindfulness practices. Get familiar with your stressors and triggers. Know how to avoid and counterbalance them.
Have you ‘Mind Mapped’ to set your RESET goals yet? Check out this 5 minute intro to this easy and quick tool.