At the end of November, I’ll turn 56 yrs old. Although I generally don’t put much stock in numerical age (I care much more about how I feel), I will say that turning 56 carries a bit of additional weight. I’m definitely “middle aged”, I have fewer years to live than I’ve been alive (although my great-aunt is 103 yrs old!) & in order to offset age-related physical losses, I have to be a lot more on top of my nutrition, exercise & recovery. Luckily for all of us, there’s a boom in aging research…and more importantly, in aging athlete research. After looking through a few of these new studies, I got to thinking about how our perspectives on aging have changed & continue to change. And that led me to identify a few key things that, in my 50’s, I’ve focused on in order to age more gracefully. Here are my top 3 aging hacks for your 50th decade & beyond!
Hack #1: Weekly Strength Training
I’ve said this so many times…in so many different ways…but if you’re looking for the “fountain of youth”, strength training is it. Implementing a regular lifting workout will cover so many of our aging bases that I really don’t see how it can be ignored. A solid strength training program will improve your…
- Muscle mass (both slow- & fast-twitch)
- Cardiovascular system
- Bone density
- Mobility
- Coordination
- Balance
- Posture
- Resistance to injury
- Mood
- Self-confidence
- Sports
- Metabolism
- Hormone regulation
If you have difficulties/resistance to starting or sticking with a regular strength program, HIRE SOMEONE. I truly believe that this is an area worthy of investing money. The benefits you’ll experience are simply too vital to miss out on. And believe me, your aging body will thank you!
Hack #2: Sit Less, Move More
Exercise is certainly important, but what you do in between exercise sessions is even MORE important. If you exercise 1 hr per day, but sit in a chair the other 15 hrs (assuming you sleep for 8 hrs)…well, that just won’t do it. The positives you get in that 1 hr of exercise simply won’t offset all of the negatives that you’ll accumulate from too much sitting. Excessive sitting is so bad for you that it’s now labelled the “new smoking”. Yes…it’s that bad for you! Here are some of the negatives:
- Loss of glute & leg musculature
- Increased whole-body weakness
- Increased injury risk
- Weight gain
- Metabolic syndrome
- Hip problems
- Spinal disc compression
- Anxiety & depression
- Cancer, heart disease, diabetes
- Deep vein thrombosis
I’ve found two great ways to counteract too much sitting.
- Walk – Walk everywhere as often as you can. Walk to the gym, the store, to do errands, etc. If you think walking will take too much time…think again. I’m always amazed at how I can walk shorter distances almost as fast as I can drive them. We often forget how much time stoplights, traffic, finding a parking space & walking to/from the parking lot takes. And…and added bonus is you’ll get some nature time! And that’s always good for your overall health!
- 20min Alarm – With smart phones & watches, there’s no excuse for not being able to set a 20min alarm. Then, when you’re at work, start your alarm. When it beeps, take a lap around the office. It’s a guaranteed way to get a bit of movement in at least 3x every hour.
Hack #3: Eat More Protein, Less Carbs, WAY Less Sugar
As we age our hormones change…and hormone shifts mean that we just don’t process our foods the same way we did when we were younger. For women, these changes happen in perimenopause & menopause. For men, these hormone shifts are called andropause. We all know the outcome – weight gain – which is often explained away by saying that “gaining weight just happens when you get older.” Oh contraire! Instead of blaming your weight gain on getting older, think about it like this:
When you were younger, you were simply able to get away with eating less optimally!
As you age you can absolutely avoid the dreaded weight gain. You just need to make a few dietary adjustments. As we age our ability to absorb protein decreases. To counter this, we need to focus specifically on eating more high-quality protein. Goal for Athletes: 100-150 g per day. In order to eat that much protein, we can’t eat as many carbs. And that’s a good thing because our bodies get less efficient at absorbing carbs as well. (That’s often why we gain weight…more carbs than our bodies can handle.)
One of the most prevalent carbs in our diet is sugar. Sugar is everywhere. Read any label & 9 times out of 10 you’ll see sugar listed in some form (for a list of 56 names that “sugar” goes by on food labels, click here). Like excessive sitting, sugar is also acquiring the “new smoking” label. So, if you’re finding it difficult to cut down your bread & pasta…just start by drastically decreasing your sugar consumption. Read your labels, folks!
And there you have it – my top 3 aging hacks for your 50th decade & beyond! I wish you the best healthspan possible!
Happy Training,
Coach Michelle
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