You NEED Protein!
Did you know that women who are menopausal and post-menopausal need MORE protein because our hormones are no longer as active in muscle synthesis? Yep, it's true. The guidelines from the Whoop Women's Performance Collective is 2 g for every 1 kg of body weight. To calculate this divide your body weight (in pounds) by 2.2. Whatever that number is, 77kg for me, multiply by 2 and that's the DAILY protein goal. Mine is 155. what's yours?
You may have heard that you shouldn't eat more than 30 grams at a time because anything over that is "wasted." Or that you'll damage your kidneys if you eat too much protein. Or shouldn't supplement with collagen because it is an incomplete protein. Click on the Insta link below to read about 5 protein myths and what is really the case with protein with OptimizeMe Nutrition.
Protein is essential to human performance and most of us don't eat enough of it. Listen to the podcast below to learn about the myths and realities of protein.
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What's Your Healthspan?
National Public Radio started a special series this month called, How to Thrive as You Age: the Science and Secrets of Longevity. The first episode aired January 29th and focused on a series of tests that can give us insight into our "Healthspan."
Healthspan is how long we live free from chronic disease or other health problems. It differs from lifespan, the length of time we will live, in that healthspan is focused on the quality of our life as we age. Will we age well? Will we rapidly slide into decrepitude? There are a range of tests that we can take that can give us insight into our rate of aging and biological age. Learn about a few of these test by listening to the short NPR report by clicking on the ink below.
âIn the NPR article, Allison Aubrey completed a BODPOD test. The BodPod, is a capsule that looks like a submersible. According to Aubrey,
The machine assessed my body composition, determining the ratio of fatty mass to lean mass, which includes muscle.
Fortunately for us, Montana State University Nutrition Research Laboratory conducts body composition, VO2 Max, and resting metabolic rate (RMR) testing to the public and MSU community for a small fee. Body composition is measured using a BODPOD the same testing equipment used by Allison Aubrey.
The other tests mentioned in the article can be ordered by your primary care provider or completed via mail-in testing services. Buyer beware, before you order these tests, much of them are out of pocket, be sure to listen to the next installment of the How to Thrive as You Age special report. â Show Your Love in February
Welcome February, the month of love. Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day has a bloody and blurry past. According to Walks of Italty.com, "Saint Valentine of Valentineâs Day was one of two guys preaching the good word in Rome in the third century. One of these two was martyred on February 14th 269, thus giving us the date for his eponymous day."
Oh my! Fast forward 1,755 years and we a have holiday celebrating love and all things pink, red and glittery. Roses, chocolate, wine and sweets have their moment in the spotlight in 2 weeks. This is a challenge for some of us who are still trying to course correct from a sideways food choices in December and January. I propose that we try something new for this year's celebration of love. Why not turn it into a FUN 30 day challenge of love and gratitude? I came across this super fun 30 day challenge when I purchased my new Commit30 planner. I love all the creative ideas for showing the people in our lives how much we appreciate them. Of course, if you have no one for acts 5, 12, 23, 29, and 30, you can opt to give a big hug to your coach:) âYou could, of course, complete the challenge by doing these acts of kindness for anyone in your life. Let's spread the love this month! Let me know in the comments if you plan to take on the Commit30 Show Your Love Challenge:)
Femme Fatale Week is Feb 12-17!Your Period is Your Super Power
Last year I completed Dr. Stacy Sims online Menopause course. I learned SO MUCH about female hormone cycles. Dr. Sims asserts that women are not small men and what I learned in the course certainly emphasizes that!
Obviously, the biggest difference between men and women are our hormones. We women have an amazing and fantastic super power, it is the regular hormonal shifts of our menstrual cycle. It really is a source of POWER and not a curse! There are four distinct phases to our menstrual cycle. Tracking your cycle can help you harness your super power and understand what is happening to you in each phase. Week One: Early Follicular or Menstrual Phase - sex hormones are low and we adapt especially well to training. This is when we are actively bleeding. This is a great time to set new PRs and lift heavy shit. Here are Dr. Sims's tips for this phase. Performance tips: Take advantage of your hormonal profile and be sure you're well fueled and go for it. Even with heavier bleeding and cramping, a few sets of 20s sprints will help promote a boost in growth hormone and anti-inflammatory responses, to help get through these few days; but if you feel like you need to rest, go for it; listening to your body is key
Week Two: Ovulation and Mid-Follicular Phase - When you ovulate you get a surge of estrogen, an anabolic hormone, which means we build all the muscle and get STRONG during this phase. Here are Dr. Sims's performance tips for this phase. â
Performance tips: Some women may feel flat around ovulation and then bulletproof a day later; others feel the opposite. Take advantage of this bulletproof feeling and nail your lifts. Sleep has a performance boost here too. Your core temperature is at its lowest point when estrogen surges, which can help you get into a deep, restorative sleep
Week Three: Early-Luteal Phase - The body prepares for a potential pregnancy by increasing both estrogen and progesterone. This reduces our training adaptations and we may experience low energy. This is a good time to not push the lifting PRs and go for moderate intensity in our workouts. Showing up is a win in the early-luteal phase. Here are Dr. Sims's performance tips for this phase.
Performance tips: Progesterone's main job is to shuttle glucose and amino acids away from the liver and skeletal muscle to build a lush endometrial lining. This increases your energy needs slightly, so you may feel you need to eat more. Make sure you fuel well in and around your training to keep out of a low energy state, and to signal muscle synthesis, not breakdown!
Week Four: Mid-Luteal Phase - This is HIGH PMS time! Bloating, cramping and all the other symptoms are making life challenging. This is a great time to allow yourself to work on technique and reduce intensity. Give yourself permission to go at 70% effort during this phase. Here's what Dr. Sims advises:
Performance tips: If you experience significant PMS symptoms, you can try countering the inflammatory responses that create these: taking 250mg magnesium, 45mg zinc, 1 gram of omega-3 fatty acids, and 80mg aspirin or white willow bark
If you still have a monthly cycle lucky you! You can track it on your Whoop or with a Period Tracking App. By knowing your hormonal shifts you can learn WHY you feel the way you do and make appropriate decisions about your training. You can also give yourself some GRACE!
For those of us in menopause we have a wholly different hormonal shift and I'll explore that in the weeks to come. â
Click here to read the entire article on understanding your menstrual phase.
Here's to being informed and being a women in total control of herself:) â |
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