Protein is Key for Muscle Building
If you follow me on social media (Instagram is where I am most consistent - you can find me @jenniferahaessler), I’ve been spending a lot of time talking about the importance of protein and muscle.
It is so important. I’ve attended several conferences in the last few months (I just got back from one in Florida earlier this week), and this is a topic that came up at every single one of them. It is important at every age, but especially for women 40+. As your hormones change with peri/menopause, your body starts to break down muscle at an increasing rate. Muscle is very metabolically active, so less muscle means a slower metabolism, more inflammation, more insulin resistance, lower bone density, and less strength. This has a huge impact on your ability to stay healthy and active as you age. It’s also why so many women I talk to are frustrated because they find themselves gaining weight despite their best efforts to change that.
The good news is that this isn’t just something we have to accept as part of aging. We have the power to change that trajectory with what we eat and how we exercise. When you build your muscle, you will speed up your metabolism, reduce inflammation, improve insulin sensitivity, increase bone density, and get stronger!! The two main things you need to make sure you are doing are:
Eat enough protein. Protein gets digested and broken down into amino acids which are the building blocks for muscle, neurotransmitters, hormones and so much more. If you don’t eat enough of it, you won’t have optimal levels. How much is enough protein? That varies for each of us - approximately 1 g/lb of ideal body weight is suggested, but…. given how big a jump that is for most people, 100g/day is a good place to start. Almost all of the women I work with (including myself when I started tracking) find they are not eating nearly enough when they look at how much they are eating. I’ve created this protein cheat sheet to help you out (see below)
Strength training. Walking is great, but it won’t help you build muscle. You need to be lifting heavy (that means different amounts for different people) 3-4 times per week for 30 minutes at a time to prevent your body from breaking down muscle and help you build it.
It’s not so simple that nutrition and exercise alone can change all aspects of your health, but I can say that they do a lot. They are an important foundation to help your body function as it is meant to. Testing and supplements have their place and can also be helpful, but they won’t do much if you don’t have these pieces in place creating a healthy foundation.
Are you feeling confused about how much and what approach to nutrition is best for you and how to effectively strength train? That’s what I do in my 6-week virtual FASTer Way groups. I help you set your ideal macro goals and share recipes to help you reach them, give you daily 30-minute effective workouts that you can do at home or the gym with minimal equipment, and give you accountability and support every day of those 6 weeks. You get all of that for less than the cost of a 1 hour one on one consult with me. I love doing consults, but I believe that my nutrition and exercise groups are the best place for you to start optimizing your health. Unlike many other programs, the one I teach has been scientifically studied and shown to help women lose fat while gaining muscle, improving overall health, and reducing biological age (that’s how old your body thinks it is compared to your actual age).
If you are already one of my FASTer Way clients, keep on tracking your macros to hit your protein goal and do the workouts. Get ready for a focus on upper body strength in March - I can’t wait! I'm here to support you every step of the way. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions. If you are ready to take your nutrition and fitness to the next level, learn more about the Faster Way below!