What do you want life to look like in your 60s and 70s and beyond?
Once you are retired and have all the time in the world, do you want to be able to go hiking, play golf and travel? Do you want to be able to play with your grandkids?
Would you rather be enjoying life or be stuck on the couch with aches and pains and ten different prescriptions?
If you want to enjoy a long, fulfilling life, then you need to consider what you are doing now to set up your future self for a better life.
Think long-term vision.
So, what can you do now that your future self will thank you for?
#1 Build Lean Muscle
One of the best things you can do is lift weights to preserve lean muscle. This will give you stability, mobility, and protection of your joints. It’s never too late. The earlier, the better, but you can start at any age.
In perimenopause, we still have estrogen, so this is a great time to keep building muscle to protect you later on. Estrogen is anabolic and can help us in building lean muscles. We know that estrogen is essential for strong bones, but it also directly affects the structure and function of other musculoskeletal tissues, such as muscles, tendons, and ligaments. In these tissues, estrogen improves muscle mass and strength.
However, during perimenopause, our hormones begin to shift. This means we also need to pay attention to rest and recovery. Don’t overdo it. You want low-volume, high-intensity training sessions with ample recovery time between sessions. Ditch the endless cardio and focus on lifting heavy weights with enough intensity to build new muscle.
If you’re already in menopause, you no longer have estrogen to help you build and preserve muscle tissue. But all is not lost; you can do something to stimulate the work that estrogen used to do. Remember, estrogen is anabolic. It works on the myosin contractile protein, making it stronger and more resilient. When estrogen is no longer around, we need to find new external stress that will do what estrogen used to do. That stress is resistance training. This will stimulate the neuromuscular connection. Again, focus on low rep/heavy weight training. You can ditch the endless cardio!
#2 Consume Adequate Protein
A strength training program paired with proper protein consumption is the focus of any good nutrition program. Protein with high leucine content stimulates muscle protein synthesis (building new muscle tissue). Animal proteins are the biggest bang for your buck
- eggs, whey, chicken, beef, fish, and yogurt.
Aim for around 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight (unless you are obese, and then use 1 gram per pound of ideal body weight).
If you weigh 150 pounds, it might look like this:
Breakfast: oatmeal, 1/2 c egg whites, one scoop protein powder, and berries (50 grams protein)
Lunch: Salad with avocado and 4-oz chicken breast (38 grams protein)
Snack: Whey shake with berries (26 grams of protein)
Dinner: 6-oz salmon with brown rice, broccoli, and butter (41 grams of protein)
#3 Consistency
I don't care what anyone is willing to do for one day, a week, or even a month. What matters is what you do consistently over the long term. That is why it is crucial to find a program that will work with you and that you can sustain for the rest of your life. The reason why so many diets fail is that we can't stick with them. I've tried keto, and after a few months, I knew I could not live without carbs forever. As soon as I stopped, the weight came back on. I got even more discouraged, ate whatever I wanted, and gained more weight.
It doesn't have to be all or nothing. We need to get away from that mentality and into a way of thinking that will lead us to sustainable results. Strength training 3-4 days a week (lifting heavy and increasing resistance over time) and a protein-centric diet filled with whole foods, including lots of fresh vegetables and fruits, is a viable way to live. The goal is to create consistent habits.
Then take the 90/10 rule and allow yourself flexibility so you break the cycle of over-restricting and binging. The 90% rule means you get to enjoy 1-2 meals per week that aren't perfect. I know you've heard 80/20 in the past, but 80% is maintenance. If you want to change your body, it's 90/10. This still leaves ample time for vacations, holidays, parties, birthdays, and all of lifes enjoyment. Once you find your happy place with your body, then 80/20 applies.
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