Keep muscles strong by lifting… your fork
Some of my female patients over the age of 65 often complain that they have to work much harder to build muscle and stay in shape than their male counterparts.
The culprits are women's reactions to the foods they eat—and the after- effects of menopause. These are some pretty powerful foes in the fight to keep muscle, but they can be overcome.
Research shows that women have a hard time maintaining their muscles as they age. And when you start to lose muscle, it's more challenging to put it back on, even if you're lifting weights as part of your exercise regimen.
Menopause complicates the problem by flipping your hormones on their collective heads, and results in a loss of estrogen. Estrogen helps your body store protein in its muscles, and when estrogen levels decrease, it's harder to build muscle mass.
Does this mean you should trade in your gym membership or dumbbells for the remote control?
Not so fast. I'm not going to let you off that lightly.
You may need to tweak, or even revamp, your present diet to include more protein. It doesn't mean you need to eat a huge steak at every meal. While that's a tasty option, it's not the healthiest way to boost your protein intake.
Other sources of protein include fish, poultry, eggs and beans. And when you do eat some red meat, be sure it comes from grass-fed animals. Same goes for your poultry selections. You don't need all of those extra hormones and who knows what else that comes with meat from factory-sized breeding farms.
And, even though it may be discouraging at times, don't give up on the strength training, whether you elect to use elastic bands, dumbbells, or even soup cans. Research shows that people over the age of 65 who have stronger muscles experience fewer falls. Good balance, after all, takes muscles.
