It is January.
And often, after the excesses of the festive season and our wanting to implement new year resolutions, we turn our attention to our health. We want to feel stronger, leaner, have more energy, more focus & enjoy our life to the full. We often look at our food to do so and, as a Health & Nutrition Coach, I will of course encourage you to do so!
However, there is another element that we don’t always think about that is a powerful ally for our health.
I am speaking about our muscles.
And, don’t worry, I am not going to tell you to run to your local gym & start lifting heavy weights all day long!
Let’s explain first.
The roles of our muscles for our health
We rarely think so but our muscles are super important to our health: Our dialy activities are reliant upon them.
Muscles are made of thousands of small elastic fibres that either contract or relax.
Typing on our computer. Cutting an apple. Walking. Talking. Moving. Eating. Breathing. Singing. Our body temperature. Our blood circulation. Our Digestion. Our movements and all our vital functions depend on the proper functioning of the hundreds of muscles in our body that make up 40% of our body mass.
Our muscles help us pump our blood (no muscle, no heart!) and move our food through our gut (peristalsis) to excrete it (if this mechanism didn’t work, we would accumulate waste inside, build up toxins and die). Muscles allow protein metabolism which helps with the prevention of many chronic diseases.
Strong muscles support a healthy cardiovascular system by improving circulation and reducing blood pressure. Studies have shown that resistance training support healthy cholesterol levels, leading to reduced risks of heart diseases.
The more muscle mass we have, the more calories our body burns: this way, our muscle are an essential tool for weight control and the prevention of obesity. Muscle tissue also help regulate blood sugar levels, thus insulin sensitivity and the risks of type 2 diabetes.
Muscles support the production of immune cells, strenghtening our immunity and helping us fight infections.
Despite all of these amazing benefits, the maintenance of adequate muscle mass and strength is rarely considered or suggested in medical protocols.
Muscles and the menopause
Hormonal changes during pre-menopause and menopause weaken muscles and bones. A decrease in muscle mass and strength (sarcopenia) is part of the often unrecognised collection of musculoskeletal issues we women face at this stage of our lives. Given that perimenopausal women often present with musculoskeletal symptoms without positive imaging, it is even more important to look at preventing these symptoms through diet and lifestyle interventions.
Personal confession: I have myself literally just been admitted to the “menopause club”. It is now over one year I have not had my periods: this officially “diagnose” me as menopausal – although I do not agree with the fact this is a diagnosis as this makes menopause a disease. It is not a disease, it is a transition in our lives. And there are many things we can do (see below) to go through this transition the best we can and with the minimum of symptoms.
Diet and lifestyle changes to support our muscle health
(all interventions should be taken with the support and guidance of a qualified therapist)
Nutrition for muscle health
- increase protein intake
Myth debunked!
“I need protein shakes and powders to get big muscles” Not True!
Most kids get plenty of protein just by eating a balanced diet
A healthy diet is always the best tool we have to strengthen our muscles
(protein powders can be an intervention but only in some cases, and for a limited period)
- increase omega-3 intake: oily fish, nuts & seeds, avocado, olive oil…
- increase water intake
- vitamin A, C, D (with k2), K
- magnesium
- calcium
- glycine
- lysine
- creatine
Lifestyle interventions for muscle health
- Remember our parents telling us to sit straight at the table? Well, it seems they were right! Stand & sit well. Many activities can also help our posture: yoga, pilates, tai chi, qi gong…
- Move! Movement brings nutrient and oxygen to our tissues (preventing hypoxia), It also improves stability, mobility & flexibility. Go for: squatting, stepping, lunging, reaching, leg raising, push up, rotary stability…Don’t stay seated for too long: put a reminder on your phone/laptop to move at least every 20 minutes! If you don’t have time, just walk around your home, go to the kitchen to make yourself a drink, stretch whilst listening to a podcast…
- Resistance training exercise.
After my personal confession above, I can admit to you that I anticipated this new stage of my life and started seeing a personal fitness coach over six month ago to help me strengthen my body. I see him once a week to go through resistance training, muscle building, core stengthening and general fitness. It is hard work but he helps me push myself – thank you Christian @ose_physique_mental – I feel stronger and fitter. And I feel motivated as I know it helps my present and…my future!
So you now understand: taking care of our muscles is a must for our health and if you just implement the suggestions mentioned in this blog, it will be a great start. I have not discussed interventions in the case of muscle tearing or pain. These require other/additional approaches – keep your eyes open for another blog on this subject… At this stage, I just wanted to highlight how important they are and some strategies we can all start with for supporting them straigthaway!
If you are interested in exploring other ways to improve your muscle health, get in touch with me on +44 (0)7788 444 199 / +33 (0)6 52 76 95 67 or info@biovitalnutrition.com or https://biovitalnutrition.com/contact/.
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