Training Blog

PROTEIN - are you getting enough?

Last month I listened to 2 podcasts on protein. One was saying we eat too much of it, the other was saying we don’t eat enough. Confusing? Digging deeper, the first one was talking about the general population with no differentiation between gender, age or stage in life. The other was specifically referring to women over 40. 

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT FOR WOMEN TO GET ENOUGH PROTEIN AS THEY GET OLDER?

Estrogen is not just a sex hormone, it has many other roles in our bodies. One is to help build muscle and maintain bone density. Once we head into perimenopause and our estrogen levels fluctuate and eventually bottom out in post menopause, we need to look too our diet and exercise to full the gap left by estrogen. 

KEY BENEFITS of protein for menopausal women are:

• The amino acids in protein, when paired with exercise stimulates the building of muscle. Which in my book is the number 1 thing we can do to keep us strong, mobile, active and slow the aging process. 

• Levels out blood sugar, therefore avoiding the 3pm energy slump and mood swings

• Reduces brain fog.

• Keeps us fuller for longer so we don’t reach for those “empty” calories.

HOW MUCH DO WE NEED?  

A rough rule of thumb is 1.8 to 2.3g/kg/ day. E.g., If you weigh 65kg you need 120-150g of protein/day. The more active you are, aim for the higher end of the range. 

GOOD SROUCES OF PROTEIN

The highest sources of protein are from animals, but there are also many plants that are good sources as this infographic shows.

Aim to get as much as you can from real food. 

Image 1: Amount of protein per 100g of food

IMPORTANCE OF TIMING

To get the best benefit eat protein across the day. Don’t leave it all to your evening meal, have some for breakfast, lunch and dinner. If you do a boot camp or other vigorous exercise have some protein within an hour to maximise the muscle development your exercise has stimulated. With gentler movement such as yoga and walking, you can wait until you next meal or snack.

So are you getting enough? If you would like to know please do get in touch with Jane.

Why Menopausal Women Need to Lift Heavy Weights. 

About 6 years ago, I started lifting a few weights for the first time, but not that heavy. As someone who prefers getting my exercise outside, I hadn’t spent much time in a gym and I had not thought about using weights to stay strong.  

BUT..now that I have hit menopause my body has developed its own agenda. Last week I did my biannual Body audit. It shows how much muscle mass, body fat and visceral fat you have. Compare to the last one, I have lost muscle mass and gained body fat without changing anything I do. I put it down to my declining estrogen levels. 

Over the next 8 weeks I am going to do a focus strength training programme 3 times per week. Then follow it up with another Body Audit to see what has changed. Watch this space!!

But why do we need to lift weights as part of our exercise?

According to Dr Stacy Sims, Exercise physiologist and nutrition scientist ( Read more ) research shows that some of the key benefits to counter effects of peri and post menopause are;

1. It stimulates building lean muscle mass 
2. It reduces visceral fat & total body fat 
3. It increases your power & strength.
4. It ramps up your metabolic rate. i.e you burn more calories when at rest 
5. It builds bone density; we lose this faster once we hit menopause. (upto 50% by your 80^th birthday)
6. It helps reduce hot flushes
7. It improves joint stability and strength
8. It improves your cardiovascular, blood pressure and general health.

Some of you might read this and think, “this is not for me, I don’t want to bulk up.” But don’t worry. It is harder for women to build muscle due to our lower levels of testosterone to start with, then throw in declining hormones, means you would have to spend hours and hours at the gym to become a female Hulk. This is all about getting some muscle definition and strength.

If you are interested in trying strength training please get in touch and we can get you started with the right moves. It's very important to work your way into big lifts to avoid injury and have correct technique. When you can perform the exercises with full range of motion without weight, you're ready to start slowly adding weight.  If you have pelvic floor issues speak to a Pelvic floor expert before starting.