Healthy Aging – Strength Training Builds More Than Muscles

Strength training will provide significant functional benefits and improvement in overall health and well-being including increased bone, muscle, tendon and ligament strength and toughness and reduced potential for injury

Over 50s – Don’t even think about Insanity or book your appointment at the physios now! Physios love Insanity it generates so much business for them…

Over 35s – Well how active have you been in the last 10 years before you launch into an intensive workout. See articles on the militarisation of fitness here. “The fitness industry has been hijacked by workout zealots”

Comparing modern man to forebears: “They didn’t go 22-23 hours without moving, then bolt off on heat throbbing run for 45 minutes”. Their bodies were strong and tendons and ligaments hardened by constant movement from a range of activities”. Robert Forster

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Who Needs A Joint Stability Programme?

Steve Berkman, a physiotherapist from London, reports a big rise in the number of women undertaking challenges such as the London Marathon and triathlons.

‘Only this morning I have had three female first-time marathon runners in the clinic,’ he says. ‘They may have the cardiovascular fitness to run 15 to 20 miles at the weekend, but in the rush to get fit they haven’t given their muscles and tendons time to adapt, so they got injured.’  Read Article

JOINT STABILITY PROGRAM – Do some “Kevlar Training” infrastructure building for the human body, toughening the joints, creating stability at every joint.  This involves the use of light weights and other exercises to strengthen all the little “helper muscles” around the joints, which, along with a lot of stretching insures that each joint is functioning properly. Phase 1 of the 24 Fit workout prepares the body for the more strenuous work to come later in the training cycle.

phase1-crop-24fit-workout

Who needs a Joint Stability Program?

  1. How fit are you?? Have you spent the last 5-10 years working at a PC or been “inactive”?
  2. Over 35, and not exercised much recently? By your mid-30s, most people still look young, but are already experiencing the BIG Three of aging: deteriorating lean muscle mass, worsening posture, and crumbling joints…
  3. Preparing for an endurance event? Modern man or woman is inactive for 22 or 23 hours a day, then will bolt off on heart throbbing run for 45mins. Our ancestors would have been exposed to a wider range of activities, so their tendons and ligaments would be hardened by constant movement. These days when modern man/woman are subjected to bouts of repetitive motion, like running, stress and wear are accelerated and they end up at the physios. Some studies show that 50% of runners, for example, get injured enough so that can’t run.
  4. Serious athlete – Elite and professional athletes spend half of their workout time in the gym on injury prevention. All strength and conditioning programs must begin with a joint stability phase where the body is hardened against injury.
  5. About to start some insane workout? Both unfit and over 35 and just about to start some crazy workout, then pre – book an appointment at the physios now!

“After a careful review of the P90X workout when it first came out we predicted a plethora of overuse and traumatic injuries. Since then I have had to explain to the many clients injured from these high intensity, ill designed training programs that not even my Olympians would hold up under the stress of these workouts. The creators of this training program were apparently not alive during the 1980’s when Jane Fonda type workouts caused an epidemic of joint and muscle injuries from jumping and running on hard surfaces and `performing body weight exercises with no regard for form and technique” Robert Forster

Militarization of Fitness? Is it sustainable? “Do you believe any of the following are true?

No pain, no gain. You have to suffer to get in shape.

More is always more.

Working out is not fun, but it’s an obligation.

If I don’t almost throw up, I’m holding back too much.

You’re only as good as your last workout.

I feel like a loser when I miss a workout.

If you answered yes, then you’re at the “exercise is war” understanding of fitness!

“I spent a decade there, with plenty of joint casualties and war stories to prove it. So I’m not belittling you—I’m just saying that this isn’t the only way to train, and it sure as heck isn’t sustainable”   Jonathan Angelilli

Article about the Militarization Of Fitness

What’s a better approach to working out?

The basic premise of all well designed exercise programs is the progressive overload principle. Fitness must be “pushed” from below, i.e. starting slow and progressing to harder workouts slowly. In addition, what recreational athletes and fitness enthusiasts don’t realize is that elite and professional athletes spend half of their workout time in the gym on injury prevention. All strength and conditioning programs must begin with a joint stability phase where the body is hardened against injury.

PHASE 1 : WEEKS 1–8

Spine and Pelvis Stabilization

Shoulder Stabilization

Total Body Integration

Metabolic 1

#24fitworkout

#jointstabilityprogram

Strength Training For Busy People

Why step up your Strength Training as you age?

“By your mid-30s, most people still look young, but are already experiencing the BIG Three of aging: deteriorating lean muscle mass, worsening posture, and crumbling joints” say Robert Forster, Physical Therapist and PT.

Many people say that, as they age, they eat and exercise the same amount but still gain weight. One of the main causes of this is loss of muscle mass. The more muscle mass you have, the more calories you burn. Strength training preserves and even increases muscle mass, keeping metabolism at a high level.

Everyone, no matter how young or old, should be doing some kind of regular strength training. This could be at the gym, or at home using very little equipment. Resistance bands small hand weights, and even your own body weight can be used as resistance with a strength training program.

Woman working out with band

Strength Training For Busy People

Step up your strength training, that is 3 times a weeks with the Herbalife 24Fit Workout DVDs using resistance bands, ankle weights and dumbbells. That’s a 30 minute workout easy to fit into your busy day and to build good habits. It builds lean muscle & increases your metabolic rate. Pay attention to proper form and technique, as they are very important for injury prevention and producing results. Using the 24 Fit DVDs is like having your own personal trainer at home.

To help preserve muscle mass, aim for at least 15 grams of protein at every meal, the amount of protein is personalised to the individual. Someone who is 5ft 10″ requires more protein than someone 5 ft. 2″, for example. And a Herbalife  shake after training accelerates lean muscle growth, which in turn revs your metabolism and burns more fat, and speeds up recovery. Eating soon after your workout not only speeds the recovery process, it also can prevent you from feeling deeply ravenous and overeating later on.

And use the 24 Fit Workout to work on the helper muscles around the joints, improve your flexibility and posture.

#strengthtraining3timesaweek
#30minuteworkouts

Getting Fit Does Not Have to be Painful

“Every week we meet new patients at Forster Physical Therapy who have been injured by unscientific fitness programs. High intensity workouts are the rage now and far too many people are getting injured following the “No Pain, No Gain” mantra right into the Physical Therapist clinic. Programs like P90x, Crossfit, and Soul Cycle have people believing that to get fit means to suffer. I can tell you that even our professional and Olympic athletes don’t train as hard as these programs have out-of-shape homemakers and businessmen training, and neither do they get you looking your best or performing at your fittest”

“The secret is called periodization training, and it works for everyone, at any age”
robert-forster-24-fit-workout
Robert Forster, Physical Therapist and Performance Specialist

Robert Forster developed the Herbalife 24FIT Workout program with Herbalife. He is one of the leading physical therapists for athletes, both recreational and elite. Over the course of his 30-year career, he has successfully trained Olympic gold medalists, U.S. Open and Wimbledon champions, NBA superstars and triathlon world-record holders. Tired of encountering ill-advised training programs that only cause more injury, Robert created a new approach to physical therapy, which is divided into phases that follow the body’s natural healing and growth patterns.

How To Avoid Losing Muscle Mass?

What is the most common reaction when people go on a diet to lose weight?

They eat less, depriving their body of good essential nutrients. What happens next? The body receives less nutrition and less nutrients and as a result they start losing their muscular mass. In other words muscles become the source of nutritional reserves for their body. When people stop their dieting they go back to eating as before but they have less muscle mass which is precisely what they need to help burn calories.

avoid-losing-muscle-mass

Why is the Herbalife programme different?

This programme is different because it actually feeds the body correctly, it does not starve it. The reason most people become overweight is due to nutritional deficiencies. When you don’t feed the body correctly it craves more food than it actually needs; it craves sugar and fat. People often give up on diets or “cheat” because they can’t stand the hunger pangs. It becomes too hard.

Why step up your Strength Training as you age?

“By your mid-30s, most people still look young, but are already experiencing the BIG Three of aging: deteriorating lean muscle mass, worsening posture, and crumbling joints” say Robert Forster, Physical Therapist and PT.

Many people say that, as they age, they eat and exercise the same amount but still gain weight. One of the main causes of this is loss of muscle mass. The more muscle mass you have, the more calories you burn. Strength training preserves and even increases muscle mass, keeping metabolism at a high level. Hit a weight plateau? Step up your strength training, that is 3 times a weeks with the 24Fit Workout. Thats a 30 minute workout easy to fit into your busy day. It builds muscle & increases your metabolic rate. Thats 24 weeks, 3 phases of 8 weeks, teaching your body through the phases on how to burn fat instead of carbs. The 24 Fit program was developed by Robert Forster who has spent 30 years, teaching athletes and weight management clients how to burn fat as a fuel supply.

#feedthebodycorrectly
#strengthtraining3timesaweek

Why Do We Tend To Put On Weight As We Age?

Many people put on weight as they get older – but it doesn’t have to happen. Let’s talk about why weight tends to creep up with age, and what can you do about it.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had a patient say to me, “everybody gains a little weight as they get older!” To them, picking up a few extra pounds every year is just something to be expected. And, they figure, if “everyone is doing it” – it must be okay. But truth is, middle-aged weight gain doesn’t happen to everyone. Yes, some adults put on weight fairly steadily in their middle years – to the tune of about a pound a year, on average. But just because creeping weight gain does happen to a lot of people, doesn’t mean that it has to.

Why do we tend to put on weight as we age?

It may seem that weight gain as you get older is inevitable – but it’s not. That’s not to say you don’t need to pay attention though – you’ve still got plenty of things working against you that can make weight management more challenging with each passing decade.

For one thing, there’s often a downward shift in the number of calories you spend when you exercise. As you get older, you may tend to move a bit less, or to exercise less vigorously – all of which adds up to fewer calories burned over the course of the day. If you’re exercising less than you used to – but still eating the way you did in your 20’s – you shouldn’t be surprised if you’re packing on the pounds.

Then there are changes in body composition that are a natural part of the aging process. You tend to lose muscle as you age – partly because your muscle cells just don’t repair themselves the way they used to. When you’re younger, the everyday wear and tear of your muscles gets patched up relatively quickly, but over time, the process slows down – which means you can lose some muscle mass. Natural dips in hormone production – estrogen, testosterone and growth hormone levels all decline with age – can also contribute to some loss of muscle mass.

Since muscle tissue does a lot of metabolic ‘work’ that uses up a lot of calories, the loss of muscle tissue as you age means that you will burn fewer calories per day than you used to – in other words, your metabolic rate slows down.

This subtle shift in your metabolism starts somewhere in your 20s or 30s. You start to slowly lose muscle tissue and gradually pick up some body fat. By the time women reach the age of about 40 and men enter their 60’s, they start to lose about 6-8% of their muscle mass every ten years. That translates into a drop in metabolic rate of about 10% every decade.

Diet clearly plays a role here, too. If the rate at which you burn calories is slowing down, then you need to apply the brakes to your calorie intake, too, if you want to avoid weight gain. In many cases, people are taking in too many calories simply because they are eating they way they did 20 years ago, but moving a lot less. But the other thing that sometimes happens as people get older is that their eating habits change – and not always in a good way. “Empty nesters” who are no longer cooking for a family might stop preparing full, healthy meals. Instead, they might snack more, or rely more on higher calorie convenience foods or fast foods. Some people simply eat more meals out because it’s easier – but calorie control is often sacrificed. And, as people get older and find themselves less busy, eating can also become a calorie-laden form of entertainment.

Woman with weights6 tips for controlling your weight as you age

  • Don’t assume that weight gain is inevitable. With that attitude, you’ll be a lot less likely to take the necessary steps to keep your weight in check. Gaining weight in your middle years doesn’t ‘have to’ happen – and if it already has, it isn’t too late to get it under control.
  • Strength train a few times a week. Strength training is one of the best things you can do to retain – and even build – muscle. Since muscle cells burn calories at a much faster rate than fat cells do, building up your muscle mass will boost your metabolic rate. And don’t think you’re too old – studies show that with the proper resistance exercise, even people in their 80s can experience increases in muscle size and strength.
  • Keep up with the cardio and you could keep weight gain in check. Any exercise that gets your heart pumping is going to burn calories, so aim for at least 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise most days of the week. If the pace at which you walk or jog has slowed over time, keep in mind that you’ll also be burning fewer calories than you used to. To compensate, you’ll need to cut your calorie intake a bit or – if you can – exercise for a little longer. If you haven’t exercised in a while, be sure to get clearance from your doctor before you start out.
  • Fill up on low calorie, high-volume foods. Vegetables and whole fruits are “nutrient-dense” – which means they offer up a lot of nutrition for a relatively small calorie cost. Vegetables and whole fruits not only provide a lot of nutrients, they contain plenty of water and fiber, so they help to fill you up – not out.
  • Eat protein at each meal or snack. Protein not only helps your body to build and repair muscle mass, it also helps control hunger. The trick is to opt for the leanest sources, so that you get your protein without a lot of added fat that can often tag along. Choose seafood, poultry breast, egg whites, low fat or nonfat dairy products, lean cuts of red meat, and plant proteins such as tofu, beans, lentils, and protein powders which can be made into smoothies.
  • Keep a diary. A daily journal can help you to stay motivated. Keep tabs on your weight and write down what you eat, how much exercise you do and how much water you drink every day. That way, you’ll be able to track the results and rewards of your efforts.

Written by Susan Bowerman, MS, RD, CSSD. Susan is a paid consultant for Herbalife. Herbalife markets protein-based meal replacements, powders, and snacks.

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