Episode 67: The Protein and Muscle Mass Video
Protein is one of the most important nutrients for midlife women because it is the building block of our muscles and prevents us from losing muscle as we age. Muslce loss is common as women enter the 40’s and beyond. But Midlife women can remain strong and muscular by ensuring adequate protein consumpiton daily. In this episode of Life after Kids with Drs. Brooke and Lynne, we’re discussing the importance of protein for women over 40, how much protein to eat, and what the best types of protein are.
He may have been strong to the finish cause he ate his spinach, but we're here to tell you, Popeye got it wrong when it comes to building muscle and being strong in midlife.
Sarcopenia, or muscle loss, is a common side effect of aging. However, we don't have to resign ourselves to loose skin, saggy arms, and weakness in midlife. There are simple steps we can take to ensure we're stopping the loss of muscle as we age and building the muscles we do have. Protein is the key ingredient...
We hear so much about protein, but we don't always hear about how important it is for women our age. Many of us tend to shy away from eating alot of protein either because of taste or because it's so easy to ride the carbohydrate train. Who doesn't love a steamy bowl of pasta, a plate of crackers, or a bowl of chips? Chances are if you're craving these foods regularly, your body is telling you it's lacking something, and very often, that something is protein. Protein happens to be the building block for muscle in our body, so it's extremely important to make sure we're getting enough in this phase of life. That's why we're talking all about protein in this week's episode of Life after Kids with Drs. Brooke and Lynne, The Protein and Muscle Mass Video. We've included a few important highlights below.
Regardless of whether or not you lift weights or exercise regularly, you should make sure you're getting enough protein to meet your body's muscular needs. If you work out regularly, you will need even more protein than others.
When you lift weights or do a hard workout, you're breaking down muscle, and afterwards, you're body needs protein to repair and build up that muscle.
In general, women should be eating 1 gram of protein for every pound of lean body weight. Keep in mind that a 4 ounce chicken breast is approximately 25 grams of protein and 1 egg is 6 grams of protein
Quality and variety matter! Try to consume organic and grassfed sources of protein whenever possible, and eat a variety of protein sources. Some of our favorites are grass fed beef, chicken, fish, pastured eggs, and goat cheese.
If you have trouble getting enough protein in your diet, try supplementing with high quality protein powders in smoothies or take amino acid supplements.
Make sure you eat a healthy source of protein at every meal, and try eating it first. Doing this will fill you up and may stop you from over loading on carbs.
As we've mentioned many times before, the face of aging is changing. We are capable of living a long, vibrant, youthful life for years to come with strength and independence if we take the right steps now to improve our health. Slowing muscle loss and building the muscle we have is one of the keys for maintaining our strength and vitality as we age, and eating enough of the right protein daily is one of the simplest things we can do for the health of our muscular system. Get yourself pumped up by clicking the picture above to watch Life after Kids with Drs. Brooke and Lynne, The Protein and Muscle Mass Video.