Fitness & Wellness

How Sleep Affects Your Immune System

How Sleep Affects Your Immune System

I’ve seen people who get every cold and flu that’s making the rounds, yet who also eat healthy meals and get adequate exercise. When they ask for help to boost their immune system, after the traditional dietary questions, I ask about their sleep habits. In most cases, these people aren’t getting adequate sleep. They claim they have too much to do for that to happen, yet they end up spending days in bed, unable to get tasks accomplished. One of the factors for a healthy immune system that’s often overlooked is lack of sleep.

What happens when you sleep?

Understanding why sleep is important for good health requires knowing what sleep does for your body. Cytokines, a protein created by T cells, provides a strong immune response when infection or inflammation occurs. They’re created while you’re asleep. They’re also released during sleep. If you don’t get adequate sleep, not only won’t you make them, those that are made in the short time frame when you do sleep won’t be released.

You’ll eat healthier and maintain your weight better when you get adequate sleep.

People who are overweight or obese tend to be more susceptible to disease. It’s more than just heart disease or high blood pressure, it can include viruses, too. Lack of sleep affects your hormone balance between leptin, the satiety hormone, and ghrelin, the hunger hormone. It suppresses the creation of leptin and increases ghrelin. That causes you to eat more. Lack of sleep also tends to make you crave instant energy from sugar and highly refined foods. You’ll eat more and less healthily.

The body needs sleep to do its work.

If you lack sleep, it stresses your body, producing hormones like adrenaline, cortisol and noradrenaline. These are pro-inflammatory and can inhibit the effectiveness of T-cells, which stick to cancerous cells and cells that are infected with viruses. In order to be functional, T-cells require the ability to stick to cells. Sleep lowers the amount of stress hormones, allowing the transmembrane receptors that facilitate the stickiness of T-cells to function and giving more direct contact that boosts the immune reaction.

  • Not only is the amount of sleep important, so is the quality of sleep. Don’t sleep with lights on or the television. It’s especially important for older people who feel less rested after adequate sleep.
  • Not only does the stress response interfere with T-cell activity, but lack of sleep also increases the stress response. It triggers the release of hormones that are detrimental to your health.
  • To get the best quality of sleep, keeping your bedroom cooler is important. It’s important not to have too many covers. Your core temperature needs to be lowered to attain a deep sleep.
  • Just like scheduling exercise, you should have a sleep schedule that you keep even on the weekends. You should go to bed at the same time and get up at the same time every day to enhance your circadian rhythm.

For more information, contact us today at LIV Fitness


The Oil Debate - Olive Vs Avocado Vs Coconut

The Oil Debate – Olive Vs Avocado Vs Coconut

If you’re looking for the healthiest oil to use, and choosing from olive, avocado or coconut oil, you’ve narrowed your choices down to three very healthy options. All three are good oils to use and each has their own benefits and drawbacks. What it basically comes down to is your personal taste and making certain you get the oil that has the right type of processing in each group. For instance, choose extra virgin olive oil and extra virgin avocado oil that’s first pressed and cold processed. Coconut oil is removed from the meat of the coconut through a wet or dry technique. The wet method and first pressed is the healthiest coconut oil.

Olive oil and avocado oil are mostly monounsaturated fatty acids—MUFAs.

Monounsaturated fatty acids—MUFAs—are the most dominant type of fat in both olive and avocado oil. This type of fat is more stable when cooking, but has other health benefits, such as protecting the DNA, fueling the fires of the cell mitochondria and increasing the strength of cell walls. They improve and help regulate the immune system and are known for aiding in the prevention of breast cancer. MUFAs are also important for raising the good cholesterol—HDL, while preventing oxidation of bad cholesterol on vessel walls, causing blockage and lowering blood pressure, MUFAs improve blood glucose control and reduce insulin resistance, plus help burn body fat.

Coconut oil has a higher ratio of saturated fat to monounsaturated fat.

Coconut oil is about 90% saturated fat, compared to olive oil and avocado oil that’s 90% monounsaturated fat. It does, however, contain three fatty acids that are medium chain fatty acids, caprylic acid, lauric acid and capric acid. Those three medium chained saturated fatty acids make up 60% of the composition of coconut oil. Because the medium chained fatty acids—MCFAs—are easier to digest and metabolize, they provide quick energy and don’t store in the body, so they can enhance endurance. MCFAs enhance fat burning ability. Lauric acid and caprylic acid are antiviral, antifungal and antibacterial.

Are you using it for cooking or on salad?

When you cook with oil, there’s a point where the oil quits sizzling and starts to smoke. It’s called the smoke point but is really the burn point. When oil burns, it leaves an unhealthy residue. That smoke is an indication that the oil is breaking down and releasing chemicals to give the burnt flavor, while releasing free radicals. Coconut oil has a smoke point of approximately 350 degrees F. Extra-virgin olive oil is great for salads and stable for low to medium cooking temperatures between 350 and 400 degrees F, it breaks down if the temperature is hotter. Avocado is stable up to approximately 480 degrees F, so you can grill and fry with it.

  • Caprylic acid and lauric acid have been shown to be effective in fighting disease-causing microorganisms, such as escherichia coli, staphylococcus aureas, streptococcus mutans and helicobacter pylori, the bacteria responsible for ulcers.
  • Coconut oil helps protect the brain, due to the MDFAs. It helps people with epilepsy and those with Alzheimer’s by providing fuel for the brain that’s better than glucose. It’s also heart healthy and anti-inflammatory.
  • If you’re baking food avocado oil may offer the best option, primarily due to the taste that olive oil can have and the fact that coconut oil can also impart a coconut flavor. It’s all a matter of personal preference.
  • Avocado and olive oil enhance the antioxidants of garlic, onions, peppers and tomatoes and makes them more bioavailable. Coconut oil enhances omega 3 fatty acids and the absorption of calcium and magnesium.

For more information, contact us today at LIV Fitness


Best Workouts To Tone Legs

Best Workouts To Tone Legs

Who doesn’t want great looking legs? It’s a goal of both men and women. At LIV Fitness in Dublin, CA, our workouts focus on balance, variety and avoiding both plateauing and repetitive strain injuries. There are a huge number of exercises to help tone legs, some of which focus on thighs, while others on calves and ankles. If you’re trying to reduce the size of thighs or increase the size of calves to balance with the rest of the body, there are exercises that help.

Start with the ankle.

Do you have cankles? Cankles are ankles that are the same size as calves and particularly obvious when wearing heels. There are exercises that can change that appearance. Weighted calf raises are the perfect exercise for reducing the size of ankles and giving that sculpted look. Weighted calf raises, either using weights or resistance bands and stair calf raises using a five inch or larger stair, are two ways to shape your ankles. Jumping rope is also a great opportunity to shape ankles, calves and burn calories.

Calves need toning to look your best, whether you’re a man or woman.

If you have skinny legs and a great upper torso, whether you’re a man or a woman you’ll look out of balance. The term often used is chicken legs. By the same token, excess weight on the calves also deters from appearance. Some exercises help both. The calf raises that help eliminate fat ankles also help sculpt calves. You can adjust the positions of your feet to work all muscles. Ballerinas use five plie positions, which are basically squats with feet pointed open in different angles. You can modify your squats to get the same effect.

Thighs need to look sleek and not full of cellulite.

You won’t get rid of all cellulite with exercise, but you can make your thighs look smoother and more attractive. The answer is to get back to basics and do squats or lunges. There are numerous types of squats, but a goblet squat, keeping feet wider than regular squats, is one of the best. Your knees are facing outward, so when you squat, they go outward instead of forward. Doing lunges in all directions, side lunges, front and reverse lunges, tone all muscles in the thigh.

  • Weighted seated calf raises can be done at work or at home. If you have a baby, sit the baby on your lap to provide weight or use a heavy object. Push your toes to the ground and lift your heels to raise the weight on your lap.
  • To loosen your calves and tone your muscles, do calf stretches against a wall. Putting hands on the wall, place one foot about 12 inches behind the other foot. Bend the knee of the leg closest to the wall, pushing the heel furthest away down into the floor, stretching the calf.
  • Work all sides of the legs. If you’re up to it, jumping plyometric squats are excellent for the legs, but tough. Jump up and drop down to squat position, then immediately repeat. Explosive lunges also work all leg muscles.
  • Many leg exercises tone all parts of the leg and also the glutes. One exercise that’s good for legs, glutes and abs is the bridge. Lay on your back, knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Lift your hips off the floor and hold. Squeeze your butt cheeks together as you do.

For more information, contact us today at LIV Fitness


Will Processed Foods Make It Hard To Lose Weight?

Will Processed Foods Make It Hard To Lose Weight?

There’s a lot of different ways foods are processed and different types of processed foods. Just cleaning vegetables makes it processed. Not all processed foods are bad for you. In fact, in some cases, they may be healthier than fresh fruits and vegetables. Frozen fruits and vegetables without additives are picked at peak ripeness, so they’re packed with nutrients. However, those veggies and fruit on the grocery shelf are picked early and ripen in transit to the grocery store, often sitting on the shelf for several days. Processed foods with additives are a different group entirely and may be one of the reasons it’s hard to lose weight.

Processed foods may contain ingredients that affect your health dramatically.

For a long time, anything that came from vegetables and fruit was considered healthy. However, that was before food became a chemistry set. When people grew their own food or bought it from a local farmer, it was easier to know what was in the food. Today, the FDA requires manufacturers to put labels on food, but many people don’t read those labels. Even when you read the labels it’s not always understood how those additives impact health. High fructose corn syrup—HFCS, for instance, is one example that is added to food that sounds innocent, but it’s not.

It’s all about the body’s ability to utilize food.

HFCS isn’t a natural sugar. It’s created by adding an enzyme produced by bacteria to glucose to turn part of it into fructose. The mixture ends up 42% fructose and 53% glucose. While cane sugar, honey and natural sugars aren’t healthy for the body, HFCS is worse. The body metabolizes glucose in every cell, but only metabolizes fructose in the liver. Animal studies show it can cause fatty liver disease, contributes to hypertension, damage the brain and lead to excess weight gain. HFCS is in a huge proportion of processed foods since it’s cheap.

Food has changed dramatically.

Part of the research into food has been to make it more appealing to people, and another important role is to increase shelf life. To make bread more appealing and give it that stretchy quality, increasing the gluten in the grain was a huge benefit. Also milling out the bran and germ, leaving only the endosperm—the starchy part that lacks nutrients, made the bread more appealing, but definitely not healthy and far more fattening, since it doesn’t contain fiber, which makes you feel fuller.

  • Shelf life has become far more important in today’s food, since from factory to farm to you is a far longer trip than from garden to you. Ingredients that increase shelf life, like those used in processed meat
  • Eating a diet of ultra-processed foods often means you’re consuming more calories. There’s added sugar, little fiber and protein that helps keep you feeling full longer.
  • Additives like nitrates are in processed meats, which can cause increased blood pressure and cause other issues. It can cause weight gain and increase the risk of diabetes.
  • It’s not just food that affects weight, what you drink also has that effect. Soft drinks and fruit juices can boost calorie intake and spike your blood glucose levels, which can cause weight gain around the belly.

For more information, contact us today at LIV Fitness


Is The Paleo Diet Legit?

Is The Paleo Diet Legit?

If you’ve heard about the Paleo diet, but didn’t know what it was, you might wonder if it was good, a hoax or just another fad. It’s based on the diet that man might have eaten during the Paleolithic period—2.6 million years to 12,000 years ago. During that period of time, man was not agrarian and instead was a hunter-gatherer. Man didn’t eat grains, dairy, sugars, salts, oils, caffeine, alcohol or legumes, but focused on meat from wild animals, and what they could forage in the wild, like fruit, nuts and roots. The idea is to go back to the way man ate then to maximize digestion and benefits.

Actually, man ate quite differently from what Paleo enthusiasts proclaim.

The Paleolithic Era lasted about 3 million years and a lot changed over that course of time. It includes humans who were functioning more like animals to humans that used fire and tools. Diets did change. The geography of man made a difference, too, and food that was available in the local area varied. People living in areas closer to the equator, near lakes and oceans or in lush forests ate differently from those who didn’t.

Even the food sources were different from those used today.

Food sources have changed. They were hybridized by man to be more appealing and larger. Bananas once had seeds and corn had very few kernels. Wild cabbage was the wild ancestor of wild ancestor of Brussels sprouts, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, collard greens, and kale, which didn’t exist in the Paleolithic period. It was nothing like its descendants. We no longer have woolly mammoths for a winter stock of food, and the breeds of animals whose products are found in the grocery store didn’t exist. Animals were grass fed and not raised in factory farms, which also made them a healthier source of food.

The Paleo diet can still provide benefits, even if it’s not historically correct.

While you’ll never be able to truly eat like a caveman, it’s still a good idea to eliminate processed food from your diet. Cutting out food with added sugar is also a good idea. The Paleolithic diet also includes using the whole animal approach, which means organ meats, bone marrow and cartilage is used in the diet, which is also a good thing. The diet is filled with fruits, vegetables and seeds, but not oils and uses fermented food as part of the diet, both of which are good and part of a sensible diet for good health and weight loss.

  • The Paleo diet also cuts out grain and dairy. Whole grain, legumes and dairy are part of a healthy diet. They provide important nutrients for the body, plus whole grains and legumes provide fiber, which can fill you up to help you lose weight.
  • Unlike the average American diet, there were no chemicals in a caveman’s diet. However, even fresh fruit and vegetables may be modified and contain some pesticides. The food sources of early man were less bountiful, but far more nutritious.
  • Early man ate more food that was high in omega-3 fatty acids. Grass fed animals and their products contain more. Today, researchers are learning just how important that is for good health.
  • While the Paleo diet may not be historically correct, so it doesn’t take the digestive system back to the food man could digest easily, cutting out processed food, food with added sugar and food with white flour can definitely improve your health.

For more information, contact us today at LIV Fitness


Vitamin D Deficiency Could Be Causing Inflammation

At LIV Fitness in Dublin, CA, we help clients become their healthiest. That includes diet and exercise. The benefits of vitamin D and the problems caused by vitamin D deficiency became very obvious during the pandemic, with studies now showing that a lack of vitamin D might make a person more susceptible to more serious problems from the virus. Besides boosting the immune system, vitamin D also plays a role in reducing inflammation.

Vitamin D isn’t really a vitamin, but closer to a hormone.

The body can manufacture vitamin D and it acts like a hormone, making it more of a steroid hormone than a vitamin. People who lived in warmer climates seldom had a vitamin D deficiency in early times, but the realization that too much sun could cause skin cancer, constant use of sunscreen and a lifestyle that doesn’t expose people to the sun on a daily basis actually changed that. Modern lifestyle also changed things for those living in the north, who used to eat eggs from free-range chickens, fatty fish and even fish livers. All those things made up for the fact they didn’t get adequate sun for many months out of the year.

One of the functions of vitamin D is that of a hormone precursor.

Vitamin D actually inhibits the production of cytokines, which are inflammatory. It changes the immune response. Because of the introduction of vitamin D, the immune response changes, causing a modification of T-cells from those causing inflammation to ones that protect. Scientists believe that can lower inflammation and help reduce the risk of chronic inflammatory diseases or reduce their severity.

What are some of the signs of vitamin D deficiency?

D fights inflammation, aids in weight loss, increases serotonin, builds bones and teeth, influences fat distribution and boosts the immune system. There are several signs that you might need more time in the sun, more foods high in vitamin D or a supplement. It can cause muscle aches and pain, leave you feeling weak, show itself in poor dental health or bone health. Always consult your physician if you think you have a deficiency. A blood test will identify it or rule it out as the cause of your problem.

  • You can boost your body’s supply of vitamin D by spending ten minutes daily in the sun. It’s best if it’s between 11 in the morning and 2 in the afternoon. You can also increase food containing vitamin D, such as eggs, fatty fish and fortified food products.
  • The older you are, the more vitamin D you need. People under 70 need 600 IU a day, while those over 70 need 800 IU daily. Obese people need more vitamin D than those of average weight, although there is a theory that D deficiency may cause obesity.
  • If you’re fair skinned and choose to do safe sunning to increase your vitamin D intake, start with a minute or two and build from there. The darker your skin, the more sun you’ll require.
  • Chronic inflammation can be a contributing factor to a wide range of diseases, including heart disease, autoimmune disease and type 2 diabetes.

For more information, contact us today at LIV Fitness


Do Low Carb Diets Mess With Women's Hormones?

Do Low Carb Diets Mess With Women’s Hormones?

Low carb diets can be great for weight loss in most cases. However, in some people it can negatively affect the body. For instance, if a low carb diet is too low in carbs or followed for too long, it can cause problems with some women’s hormones. It can cause problems with the menstrual cycle, disrupt sleep quality and even cause infertility. A diet too low in carbs can affect your mood, causing anxiety and depression. It can also interfere with weight loss, to the point it may cause weight gain.

Why a low carb diet may affect menstrual cycles.

Some women on low carb diets may experience irregular periods or completely stop having periods for over three months. Those things can occur for a number of reasons. The first occurs from consuming too few calories or carbs, weight loss, too much exercise or stress. It may be caused by a drop in the hormone that starts the menstrual cycle, which also affects the levels of other hormones. It can cause other hormones like estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, LH–luteinizing hormone and FSH—follicle stimulating hormone to drop.

Like any good chain reaction, it doesn’t end there.

The hormonal changes that affect menstruation can slow the functioning of the hypothalamus, which is part of the brain that causes other hormones to release. It can affect leptin levels, making them drop. Leptin is the hormone that makes you feel full, but also is necessary for normal menstruation. The most obvious cases occur in women who are already underweight and follow a low carbohydrate diet or followed it for an extended period of time.

Adrenal glands may be affected by a low carb diet.

You need all three major glands, hypothalamus, adrenals and pituitary, to be functioning correctly and in balance to be healthy and a low carb diet may interfere with that. The three glands function in synergy, interacting with one another to maintain hormonal balance. That delicate balance controls everything from mood and immune system to metabolism, sex drive and energy levels. A diet that’s too low in carbs may lead to stress on the body, leading to inflammation, diabetes, mood disorders and other health issues.

  • While a low carb diet may be good for weight loss, it also can affect the thyroid functioning if it’s too low in carbs. That can cause weight gain, exhaustion and a foul mood.
  • A low carb diet for too long can affect fertility. All animals reproduce when conditions are best. It’s a natural function of the body. Too few carbs or calories indicate food shortage or starvation to the body.
  • The ideal low carb diet consists of approximately 15-30% of calories from carbohydrates. Moderate carb diets are better for women that are active and have trouble with recovery, have an underactive thyroid, struggle with weight loss on a low carb diet, pregnant or cease menstruating.
  • Low carb diets may be better for women who are obese, diabetic, have polycystic ovarian syndrome, have epilepsy or have certain conditions like yeast overgrowth, some types of cancer or a neurodegenerative disease.

For more information, contact us today at LIV Fitness


Tips To Avoid Burnout

Tips To Avoid Burnout

Do you find yourself dreading working out, when just a few months ago, you couldn’t wait to go to the gym? Maybe you’ve noticed you have more colds or a foul mood recently that can’t be explained. You could have burnout. Burnout occurs for a number of reasons, but it’s often from pushing yourself too hard, too often for an extended period. It can slow progress and even diminish the progress you’ve already made.

Pace yourself.

Whether you’re just starting a workout program or are a pro in the gym, it’s important to pace yourself. You won’t build big muscles in one session. It takes time to build muscles and burn fat. Muscles grow when they’re stressed enough to cause microtears. Those tears heal, making the muscles stronger. If you don’t give them time to heal, but continuously work them causing more tears, you won’t build muscles, but tear them down. As far as getting rid of fat. The fat didn’t develop overnight and trying to burn it off in one session is impossible, plus it can cause gallstones, just like eating too much fat can do.

Getting fitter is about working smarter.

You have to design your workout program to provide the right type of workout at the right intensity for the right number of times per week. It’s not about how much time you spend in the gym, but what you do with that time. If you’re doing an intense workout, you don’t need to workout as long as you do if you expend moderate intensity. Alternate your workout so you aren’t doing strength-building two days in a row. Give yourself a day or two of rest or use recovery exercises, like walking or riding a bike a couple of days a week.

Eat healthy and get adequate nutrition.

If you aren’t providing the right nutrients, your body won’t have the raw materials to become stronger. While you might want to cut back on calories, if you’re attempting to build muscle at the same time you want to lose weight, cut only a moderate amount from your diet, rather than go on a low calorie diet. Keep your diet clean and well-balanced, with adequate protein, carbs and healthy fats.

  • When you’re working out, always make sure you stay hydrated. Drink about 8-ounces of water about a half hour before you workout and then sip on a bottle of water throughout your workout.
  • Take a short break from intense exercise if you find you’re getting exhausted quickly, have a longer recovery or higher resting heart rate, are extremely moody, get sick more frequently or are losing muscle mass instead of gaining it.
  • Get adequate sleep. If you’re not getting enough sleep at night, your body doesn’t have a chance to heal. Even worse, if you’re overexercising, it can cause problems getting a good night’s sleep.
  • Vary your workout or include some fun type of activities. Exercise can include things you enjoy doing, like dancing, hiking or biking. It doesn’t all have to take place in a gym. Vary your workout to include these things.

For more information, contact us today at LIV Fitness


Does Stretching Burn Calories?

Does Stretching Burn Calories?

Do you want to lose weight and focus on what exercises can help you reach that goal? It’s a natural reaction, but don’t give up stretching just because you don’t think it will burn calories. No matter what workout or movement you do, it burns more calories than you would laying on the couch and stretching plays an important role in fitness. Stretching can help warm the body and get it ready for a workout, improve flexibility to prevent injury and cool down your body after an intense workout.

The number of calories you burn depends on the type of stretching.

If you’re thinking about just static stretching, like touching your toes, where you stretch and hold, you are only seeing half the picture. Dynamic stretches are quite different. Lunges and high knee marching or hugs are examples of this type of stretching. They’re normally done to stretch and warm the particular muscle groups used as a warm up for an intense workout or an athletic event. These types of stretches are more like calisthenics and burn about 150 calories a half hour.

If you’re doing yoga or that type of stretching, it all depends on intensity.

When people think of a stretching session, they often think of yoga, since the various poses often require stretching. If you’re doing a slower, more focused type of yoga where you pose and hold, of course you’ll burn fewer calories than a session where you’re more active. Besides other benefits, such increasing circulation and improving flexibility, slow stretching and breathing techniques can increase mindfulness, which also helps you eat less if weight loss is a goal.

Stretching isn’t the best calorie burner, but it’s important.

Besides preventing injuries that can keep you on the bench and away from the gym, stretching also provides other benefits and is a necessary part of your workout program. It helps improve your posture, which not only makes you look thinner, helps prevent back pain and improves both digestion and breathing. You’ll move more gracefully when you include stretching in your workout, which gives you a more youthful appearance. Stretching can take a lot of the groaning about aches and pains out of your day.

  • Stretching doesn’t have to take a long time and you can even do some stretches at your desk. It can help clear your head as it increases circulation and make you more efficient during the day.
  • The increased circulation that occurs when you stretch also increases muscle growth. The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn, so it can help boost metabolism over the long haul.
  • Since stretching helps reduce muscle pain and tension, it can help you move with more ease. The easier it is to move without stiffness and pain, the more you will move. That means you’ll burn more calories at other times.
  • While stretching doesn’t burn the most calories, it’s important for your exercise program. Warm-up stretching prepares the body for a workout so you can work harder. Stretching throughout the day can help you stay more active and keep you safer from injury.

For more information, contact us today at LIV Fitness


How Long Does It Take To Lose Muscle Mass?

How Long Does It Take To Lose Muscle Mass?

Everyone has interruptions in their life that take them away from the gym. Do these interruptions cause you to lose muscle mass? Of course, they do. However, taking a week off won’t do much damage, except making it a bit more difficult to get back into your routine. Just how long will it take before you start to lose muscle mass that will make a difference in your level of fitness.

The amount of time you can take depends on many factors.

If you’re in tip-top shape, almost like an athlete, you won’t lose muscle as fast as you would if you’re the person who goes to the gym less than five times a week, or just started working out. However, no matter how fit you are, you may lose a bit of an edge when it comes to endurance. It could take weeks for someone fit to lose muscle mass, but only days to lose aerobic benefits. For beginners, the loss of muscle mass is more significant.

The older you are, the more difference it makes.

The older you are, the more difficult it is to build muscle mass and the quicker it tends to disappear. One study followed two groups during a break. One group contained 20-30 year olds and the other 65-75 year olds. Each group first went through the same exercise program to build muscles, then both had a six-month hiatus. The younger group maintained muscle strength longer. In fact, the older group showed strength to dissipate at twice the rate of their juniors.

Older women face the worse loss after a six-month break.

Menopause does make a difference when it comes to maintaining muscle mass. Women beyond menopause who were in the study previously noted, lost the most muscle mass. In fact, after the six-month break, they lost all the progress they had made. The consensus was that as estrogen declined, it caused a decrease in both strength and muscle mass. For most people, especially seniors, working out isn’t about having those rippling muscles or a six-pack, but being able to have the strength to do the tasks of daily living and especially for seniors, living a quality existence independently.

  • Even if you took a break, if you were fit previously, but are now out of shape, getting back into shape will be quicker. The fitter you were, the quicker it is to get back into shape.
  • If you’re in a position where going to the gym is impossible, but you aren’t incapacitated, stay active. It takes longer to lose muscle mass, but cardio fitness dissipates quickly. Include more walking in your daily life. Take the stairs and not the elevator to help maintain aerobic fitness.
  • Find ways to maintain strength. Do planks when watching TV to maintain core strength. Load your arms with grocery bags and lift and lower them a few times before putting them on the counter. Find ways to lift heavy things throughout the day.
  • If you’re bedridden, there are strength training exercises to help maintain muscle mass. Always check with your health care professional first before starting any fitness program.

For more information, contact us today at LIV Fitness