Tag: honest opinions
August 9, 2022

 The Benefits of Resistance Training on Older Americans

In 2019 ACL.gov reported that the number of Americans 65 and over was 54 million or 16% of the American population. Census.gov reports that in 2050, 17% of the population or 1.9 billion of the 9.4 billion people in the world will be 65 and over. That being written, it is becoming increasingly important that we find ways to help this segment of the population live better lives so they can not only survive but thrive. And considering most of the leading causes of death for this population–- heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, strokes and even accidents–, can all be prevented or slowed down by exercising regularly (Eure, 2022), we must state more specifically that we are referring to strength resistance training. Fragala, et al., concludes the following:. 

Muscle “use” in the form of exercise resistance training has been consistently shown as a feasible and effective means of counteracting muscle weakness and physical frailty, attenuating age-related intramuscular adipose infiltration, improving physical performance, increasing muscle fiber area, improving muscle quality, bone density, metabolic health and insulin sensitivity, management of chronic health conditions, quality of life, psychological well-being, extended independent living, and reduced risks for falls and fractures in older adults. (pp. 3-4).

Strength gains from resistance training don’t happen overnight, but they do occur faster in individuals who have not engaged in weight training previously and whose programs involve large muscle groups, heavy weights, and multiple sets. Initial strength gains usually come as the result of improved neuromuscular coordination and can be observed in as little as three to four weeks (Dintiman, 2020). And while many persons aged 65 and older may not believe they can lift “heavy” weights, it is important to realize that individualization is key. Heavy is different for everyone because everyone’s 1RM or 1 rep max will be different.  A 1 rep maximum is the most you personally can lift in any given exercise. And lifting this amount of weight is not necessary for muscle development. It is only helpful in determining what amount of weight you as an individual should be using to increase the size of the muscle(s). When the objective is to increase maximum strength by stimulating muscle hypertrophy, 70-80 percent of the 1RM should be lifted five to eight times or until failure, and volume should be increased (Dintiman, 2020). 

In addition to strength training for improved muscle mass and to stave off disease, it is important to factor in functional resistance training. Functional resistance training is most useful for activities of daily living and varies slightly from ordinary resistance training as the movements are designed to mimic everyday life movements which become more challenging as we age. Fragala, et al., (2019) further asserts that the age-related decline in physical function can only be partly explained by the loss of muscle mass or muscle strength. And that other essential motor control aspects also influence an older adult’s functional performance of ADL (Fragala, et al., 2019).

Strength training at any age can be a challenge, and people of all ages generally have some skepticism or fear of strength training, especially if they have never exercised in this manner. Many are led to believe that age is a limiting factor when it comes to resistance training and is to be avoided.  However, when it comes to suitability, seniors 65 years of age and older are just as capable as the rest of us. Aging does not appear to enhance or reduce the ability of the musculoskeletal system to adapt to resistance exercise (Haff & Triplett, 2016), nor has it been proven unsafe for frail older adults and individuals with disease (Fragala, et al., 2019).   

Resistance strength training has too many health benefits to offer to be dismissed. And with it being safe at any age, it would behoove us all, including those 65 years of age and over to begin a strength training program immediately. Don’t just survive, thrive!

References

2020 Profile of Older Americans. (2020). acl.gov. https://acl.gov/aging-and-disablity-in-america

Roberts, A. W. and Ugunwole, (Oct 2018). The Population 65 Years and Older in the United States, 2016. Census.gov. https://www.census.gov/library/publications/2018/acs/acs-38.html

Eure, Mariann (2022). Very Well Health. Top Causes of Death Among Adults Over 65 https://www.verywellhealth.com/top-causes-of-death-among-adults-over-65-2967470

Dintiman, G.B. (2020). Nase Essentials of next-generation sports speed training. Healthy Learning. 

Haff, G .G. and Triplett (2016). Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning. Human Kinetics.

Fragala, M.S., Cadore, E.L., Dorgo, S., Izquierdo, M., Kraemer, W.J., Peterson, M.D., Ryan, E.D. (2019). Resistance Training for Older Adults. Position Statement from the National Strength and Conditioning Association. The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. https://www.nsca.com/contentassets/2a4112fb355a4a48853bbafbe070fb8e/resistance_training_for_older_adults__position.1.pdf 

Preston Ray No Comments , , , , , ,
April 14, 2022

Tips to Lower Your Body Fat Percentage

If you remember from my last newsletter, I said I would expand in the future on body composition parameters like lean muscle mass, fat mass and how much water your body contains. Well, I recently did a DEXA scan and felt compelled to go down the road of body fat percentage today.

I’m not going into great detail about my personal body fat percentage. But I will divulge that I was in the normal range for my age. In fact, I was in the top percentile. However, I would still feel better if I dropped about 3 percent. So I decided to make this fun and give you three smoking gun tips to do the same if it happens to tickle your fancy.

1. Stop eating late at night.

Do you know what one of THE biggest contributors to weight gain and ill health is? You guessed it, eating late at night. I know, calories in vs calories out, right? As long as you burn more calories every day then you consume, you will lose weight… Sorry, but it’s not that simple.

When you eat late at night, you disturb your Circadian Rhythm. This simply means that your body and all of its organs function differently at different times of the day. Your pancreas does not like to work late at night. When you ask it to release insulin after say, 7 pm, it throws a fit. It doesn’t want to be disturbed and it has a harder time stabilizing blood sugar levels.

Couple that with the fact that your metabolism naturally slows down at night and you have a recipe for weight gain. In turn, your body goes into fat-storage mode, regardless of how clean the food is.

Plus, you prevent your body’s natural mechanisms from taking place, like recovering from hard workouts. The result of that is from human growth hormone (HGH) going down.

Simply put, eating late causes your hormones to be out of whack, which creates a favorable environment for weight gain. The best-case scenario is to finish no later than 7 pm, but the earlier, the better.

2. Fit additional activity into your day.

Any additional movement you get into your daily life will pay big dividends when it comes to cutting your body fat percentage down by a few points. Take a power walk at lunchtime, get up 10 minutes early and do some bodyweight drills or join a recreational sport league in your town.

Just find something you like to do and add it to your calendar. Even 5-to-10-minute bouts of activity sprinkled in through the day will help you lean out faster.

3. Don’t follow a fad diet.

There is no shortage of fad diet plans to follow out there. If you decide to give up all forms of carbs and follow the caveman diet, for example, you run the risk of falling off the wagon because it’s so restrictive and not sustainable over the long-haul.

Even if you did shave 3% body fat off your body, you run the risk of gaining it all back with interest the day you decide you’re craving a slice of pizza and give in. Your diet should be sustainable and balanced with quality sources of protein, carbs and fat.

If you want to do anything at all, simply eliminate liquid calories. That, in conjunction with more daily activity alone will send your body fat spiraling downward.

Take-home Message

In reality, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel or get super extreme to lose a few pounds and get back on track. As long as you stick with basic principles and display even the slightest bit of discipline, you can easily trim a few percentage points of fat off your body.

Preston Ray No Comments , , ,
March 10, 2022

Who Benefits from Your Obesity?

In my previous article, we discussed protein: how much, deleterious effects and its relationship to muscle mass. If you recall, I mentioned that overconsumption of this macronutrient results in stored fat. That actually goes for fats and carbohydrates.

Therefore, if eating too much of any macronutrient causes excess weight gain, then just about anything you eat too much of can cause you to become overweight—maybe even obese. But have you ever stopped to think about the concept of an ideal weight? And, who put forth the information that categorizes us all.

The whole idea of an optimal weight was started by insurance companies. The selling of life insurance comes with payouts that these companies want to avoid for as long as possible. To determine how long this payout would take, they came up with the body mass index scale, or BMI for short, as a way to measure a person’s health status.

There’s nothing inherently “wrong” with this practice. Except, at its onset, most policy holders were white males. In addition, not everyone in the population wants life insurance. Furthermore, studies have shown that overweight and obese folks can reduce hypertension, diabetes and cardiovascular disease with a mere 5 to 10% reduction in weight.

But a word of caution. Be careful when comparing yourself to BMI numbers. They are skewed and should align more with 25 to 30 BMI and not 20 to 25. This number could be even higher for athletic people because the mathematical equation for BMI does not consider how much of your body mass is fat and how much is muscle.

Shorter bodybuilders are especially victimized by an “obese” reading, yet their body fat percentage is in the single digits!

Overall, be careful labeling yourself as overweight or obese. You are likely making a false judgment. And suffice it to say, you may be setting yourself up to be someone’s cash cow.

Magazines, websites,  surgeons, the pharmaceutical industry, gyms, and yes, even personal trainers, ALL benefit from you trying to lose too much weight and they’ll gladly fit you into a category that you were never supposed to be in. It is a far better metric to find out your body composition with a body fat percentage reading. That’s even better than scale weight.

Then you’ll know exactly how much lean muscle mass, fat mass and water your body contains. More of that to come in future newsletters!

rowdy ferret design No Comments ,
August 12, 2019

Five Truths For Losing Weight

Want to know my honest opinion? Going through the process of losing weight SUCKS! I believe it is one of the hardest things you can do in your lifetime, and most people are not prepared for the challenge. It’s not because you lack information — it’s because you are waiting for someone to tell you how to do it. But you already know.

Just think about all the diet and exercise books that come out each year; each promises you a new solution to weight loss. I’m not saying these books have nothing to offer, but most of us already know the answer to the problem: eat healthier and move your body!

I don’t mean to be dismissive of how hard it is to lose weight. I speak from experience — weight loss is the number one reason I entered the health and wellness industry nine years ago. I have lost 50 pounds twice in my life, first in 1995, then in 2005. Currently, as a model for Scout SF, it is still challenging for me to maintain.

Losing weight is more instinctual than scientific, and you already know what to do. But here are my top five truths to follow to lose weight and keep it off. I truly believe that if you follow these recommendations you too will be successful. Take one day at a time, and they will turn into weeks, then months. Weight loss is a marathon, not a sprint.

 

#1: Documentation

We’re not counting calories so much as we are creating awareness. It is laborious and takes brutal honesty, but it is highly effective. And, you must do it for at least a week. Not just the things that are healthy, but everything you put in your mouth.

 

#2: Abstinence

Avoid alcoholic beverages like the plague. Secondly, eliminate foods high in sugar. Lastly, no fast food. Notice I didn’t tell you what to eat. I believe most of us already know and just won’t comply. Trust your instincts. You already know what’s healthy and what’s not.

 

#3: Exercise 

See a personal trainer. Don’t trust your instincts in this area. Professionals know best!

 

#4: Mindset

 Please be aware that weight loss is EXTREMELY demanding with plenty of ebbs and flows along the way. What is your WHY? And how much does losing weight REALLY mean to you? If you aren’t mentally tough, and aren’t willing to become mentally tough, you will fail.

 

#5: Rest

7-8 hours per night. Period. No shortcuts here.

 

My core belief around weight loss is that anyone can do it.

Yes, I truly believe anyone can lose weight and get the body they desire. Will it be challenging? Of course. Will you want to quit? More than likely. Can it be done? Absolutely! If you believe in yourself — and COMPLY!

 

 

 

 

Preston Ray No Comments , , , , , ,
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