Getting Enough Protein to Sustain Healthy Muscle?

Now a days you can't turn on the television without seeing an advertisement for some food claiming to contain enough protein to sustain healthy muscle.  My question to you is. Do you know how much protein you need in your diet to promote and sustain healthy muscle?  If you don't know the answer, then read on because I'm going to educate you on the importance of protein in your diet and how much you need for optimal health.

Protein is a necessary part of every living cell in your body. Next to water, protein comprises the greatest portion of your body weight. Protein substances make up your muscles, ligaments, tendons, organs, glands, nails, hair, and many vital body fluids. It is essential for growth, repair, and healing of your bones, tissues, and cells. So, you see the proper amount of protein in your diet is vital for your health and well being. Click here to read the entire article.

How to Maintain Strength and Muscle as You Age

I can't tell you how often people ask me how I keep my strength, and maintain my muscle mass as I age.  I will be 60 this year and I'm stronger than I have ever been.  The three things that I credit for maintaining my strength and muscle as I age are; a daily spiritual practice, regular strength training, and getting enough protein in my diet.

Daily Spiritual Practice
I believe we all have unlimited access to a Divine Eternal Life Giving Source.  Each morning the first thing I do is to connect with my Divine Source, I call it my coffee time with God.  I thank God for my life, health, and strength, I read something inspirational, and then sit in silence basking in God's unconditional love.  I'm always amazed at how the stress in my life melts away like snow in the light of warm sunshine during this time.
I am convinced that if you feed your soul first, your mind and your body will also be nourished.  Since starting this daily practice over 15 years ago, I've only missed one day of work due to sickness.

Please click here to read the entire article.

Staying Fit and Strong as You Age

I'm a nationally ranked powerlifter and last week I had my 59th birthday.  I can honestly say that I'm stronger now than I was in my 20s.  People often ask me how my strength keeps improving as the years add up?  The answer to this question is having a right mental attitude about aging, doing regular strength training exercise, and eating properly.  Let me explain each of these items below.

The Right Mental Attitude
There is a difference between aging and getting old.  Everyone is going to age, but not everyone has to get old.  Getting old is more of an attitude than anything else.  You are as old or as young as you think you are, and this has nothing to do with number of years.  I've seen people in their 40s complain of getting old, and I've seen people in their 70s and 80s who look and act like they were in their 30s. While recently working out, getting ready for a national powerlifting competition someone approached me and said "just wait till you turn 40, you won't be able to lift like that anymore", to which I replied "age is just a number my friend, I've got you by 18 years".

Please click here to see the entire post.

Sacopenia, aka Muscle Loss Can Begin In Your 30s

Sacopenia is the progressive loss of muscle mass, function, quality, and strength related to the aging process.  When the word aging comes mind most people think of 65 plus, however you can start to lose muscle mass in your 30s.  As a matter of fact, between the ages of 30 to 60, the average adult will gain 1 lb of weight and lose 1/2 lb of muscle yearly.  That's a gain of 30 lbs of fat and a loss of 15 lbs of muscle over a 30 year period.

How does this happen?  Beginning in their mid-30s most people start to lead a more sedentary lifestyle.  They have careers, get married, have children, and lead less physically active lives, and as a consequence they begin to lose muscle mass.  Your body is designed for physical activity, and the old saying "use it or lose it" is true when it comes to your body, especially your muscle mass.  Click here to see the entire post.

What Does Your Body Weight Really Tell You About Your Health

Your dietary habits significantly affect your body weight, body composition, and physical health. Recent studies show that over 60 percent of Americans are overweight or obese predisposing them to various diseases and degenerative problems.  But what does overweight really mean?  By public health standards being overweight is weight that is higher than what is considered as a healthy weight for a given height as determined by your Body Mass Index or BMI.  Categories for BMI fall into the following:

Underweight =  less than 18.5  
Normal weight = 18.5–24.9
Overweight = 25–29.9
Obesity = BMI of 30 or greater

It is generally assumed that people in the overweight and obese BMI categories are at a higher risk of developing diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and a host of other degenerative problems. But, does BMI give the best indication of the health risk associated with your body weight?  I think body composition is a much better indicator for associating body weight with health risks because it takes into account both muscle weight and fat weight. Please click here to see the entire post

Why Strength Training Is so Important for Optimal Health, by Dr Joseph Mercola

Below is an excerpt from an article by Dr. Joseph Mercola, osteopathic physician explaining the importance of strength training for optimal health. This is one of the best articles I’ve read on the benefits of weight lifting. It’s a must read.

Research confirms that exercise is the best “preventive drug” for many common ailments and chronic diseases, from psychiatric disorders and pain to heart disease, diabetes and cancer. As stated by Dr. Timothy Church, director of preventive medicine research at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge.

“Exercise strengthens the entire human machine — the heart, the brain, the blood vessels, the bones, the muscles. The most important thing you can do for your long-term health is lead an active life.”
Unfortunately, many make the mistake of focusing on cardiovascular exercise to the exclusion of everything else. Strength training is overlooked by many for a number of different reasons. Women may think they’ll bulk up and look manly, the elderly might worry about it being too strenuous or dangerous, and parents might think weight training is too risky for their children for these same reasons.

The truth is, nearly everyone, regardless of age or gender, will benefit from strength training. Working your muscles will help you shed excess fat, maintain healthy bone mass and prevent age-related muscle loss, the latter of which can start as early as your 30s if you do not actively counteract it. As noted in a recent Time magazine article.

Please click here to read the entire article.

Too Little Protein Plus Too Little Strength Training Equals Muscle Loss

Lots of people seem to think that once they reach the age of 40 they become weaker, less toned, and less fit.  They blame these conditions on "old age".  As a personal trainer I hear all about the aches and pains of old age.  Most people think there is very little they can do to avoid the physical degeneration that is associate with aging. On the contrary, there are two things you can do that are very effective in combating the aging process, and they are increasing the amount of protein you consume daily, and strength training weekly

Most of the physical decline you associate with aging is caused by muscle loss.  Muscle loss that is associated with aging is called sacopenia and it can begin as early as your 30s and it accelerates with time if you don't do anything about it.  Fortunately, increasing the amount of protein you consume daily combined with participating in a weekly strength training program has been proven to be the best approach to curbing, and even reversing the effects of sacopenia.  Please click here to read the entire post...

Are You Doing Too Much Cardio and Not Enough Strength Training?

As a personal trainer I’m always curious to see what people do for their exercise programs.  Most often I see people come into the gym and head straight to the treadmill, or some other piece of cardio equipment for 30 to 45 minutes.  Then they breeze through the strength training equipment in about 10 to 15 minutes, doing lots of repetitions with very light resistance.  And after a period of time doing this type of routine they eventually come to me questioning why they seem to be getting fatter while exercising more and eating less.  To which I reply, "you are doing too much cardio and not enough strength training".  Please click here to see the entire post...

Having Muscle is Important to Our Overall Health

Muscles aren’t just for bodybuilders. They’re for everyone. We are physiologically designed to have a fair amount of muscle mass built through regular exercise. Muscle mass that allows us to metabolize carbohydrates efficiently, recover from injury or illness, and maintain our strength, resilience and health into old age.

The importance of muscle mass, strength, and metabolic function in the performance of exercise, as well as the activities of daily living has never been questioned. However, the role our muscles play in whole-body protein metabolism is less recognized.  Click here to see the entire post...

Getting Enough Protein in Your Diet is Crucial to Staying Strong as You Age

Recently I started working with a new client who is in his early 70s and complained of losing a lot of strength and energy over the past couple of years.  After talking with him about his diet and exercise habits I bought to his attention that he was not eating nearly enough protein to maintain his muscle mass and strength.  I explained to him that a loss in his muscle mass was directly related to a loss of his strength and the importance of getting enough protein in his diet to build and maintain his muscle was crucial to him keeping his strength as he aged.

The loss of muscle with age is a natural process called sarcopenia.  Sarcopenia leads to muscle weakness, fatigue, and frailty associated with old age.  This process can begin in your 30s and it accelerates with time if you don’t do anything about it.  Fortunately, you can slow down, and even reverse this process by strength training 2 to 3 times each week, and getting enough protein in your diet to support muscle growth and repair.  Click here to see the entire post...