Do this right now to live a long and healthy life.
Eat meals that are high in protein because protein is the building block of muscle. Having more muscle means having stronger bones.
As we age we will all experience age-related Sarcopenia, which is the loss of muscle. At the age of 30 you will begin to lose 3-5% of our muscle mass per decade. This means we’ll have a 2-3 times greater risk of fractures from a fall due to a decrease in bone density. In addition, having less muscle mass means you will become weaker and have less mobility. Some of you may be starting to experience that right now. This will have a direct effect on your lifespan. We all want to live long and happy life, but we want to be active and healthy, not sick and immobile.
Start building muscle and slow down bone loss right now!
#1 Increase your protein intake
The daily recommendation for adults is 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight.
An adult weighing 150 lbs should consume 150 grams of protein per day. If you eat 3 meals a day, each meal should approximately consist of 50 grams of protein. YIKES! This may seem overwhelming but don’t fret. Focus on taking small steps today and build from there. You don’t need to be super precise. Lisa tells her clients when planning their meals to start slow. Build your meals around your protein of choice. From there, add healthy fats (like olive oil or avocado), vegetables, grains and fruit. As an example, for a high protein lunch choose a frittata as your protein. From there add avocado, a small side salad and some melon. Viola! You now have a protein-centric meal.
Even the smallest effort to add more protein to each meal will get you closer to reaching these goals.
Lisa and Sharene would love to help you create a protein-centric meal plan.
#2 Lift Heavy things
Start lifting heavy weights today and everyday for the rest of your life. Why? In order to build new muscle fibers you must start by breaking down and damaging the muscle fibers you have right now. Pushing your body to lift uncomfortably heavy weights will cause microscopic tears in your muscles. Sounds crazy, right? But this is a good thing, this will prompt your body to build back new muscle tissue in an effort to repair the damage you caused and to prepare your body to lift heavy things sometime again in the future. This is what your body wants to do and does it well.
If you need to enhance your present workout program to include lifting heavy and you don’t know where to start, Lisa is your person.
High Protein Foods
All animal proteins (important to buy the best quality you can afford)
Single ingredient protein powders such as whey, hemp, pumpkin seed (buy the best quality you can afford)
Eggs
Dairy such as cottage cheese, Greek yogurt and sheep dairy
Seeds such as Hemp, chia, pumpkin, flax, sunflower & tahini
Legumes including tofu
Nuts & Nut butters
Grains such as quinoa and buckwheat (about 6 to 7 grams a serving)
Try using the Fitness Pal app to calculate your protein
Here is an example of a powerful first meal to eat before or after your workout for 40 grams or more of protein:
½ cup cottage cheese (14 grams)
1 -2 heaping scoops whey protein (14-28 grams)
2 tablespoons nut butter (7 grams)
Favorite berries or melon
Top with nuts and seeds (bonus points for hemp seeds)
Journal your food, read labels and start doing math; it’s fun!
Some favorite protein powders with no flavors or sweeteners are: AGN roots Grass-Fed whey and Sprout Living pumpkin seed powder