Protein Fat Burning: Proper Care & Feeding for Muscles

Research has shown that as we get older it’s important to increase our focus on building muscle. In fact, as we approach the age of 50, strength or resistance training is crucial for maintaining the ability to have an active and independent lifestyle.

While many of us might think it’s increasing our cardio, the holy grail of health and longevity is building muscle. In addition to all its fat burning components, it also helps slow down the aging process. You also end up burning more fat in the process. I’ve personally found that doing heavy amounts of cardio just tires me out-especially if I did a long session in the morning. Weight training, on the other hand, seems to give me energy and I just feel better.

The average 30-35-year-old person will experience roughly a 25 percent decline in his or her muscle strength and tone by the age of 70-75, and up to a 50 percent decline approaching the age of 90.  Just doing aerobic exercises such as walking or light treadmill workouts won’t be enough to preserve muscle tone, bone health, balance, and posture.

Speaking of posture, it’s one of the top things I’ve been working on as of late. I’m 6’3” tall and until recently, working on back muscles wasn’t a priority. After shoulder issues and a series of physical therapy sessions to correct them, it’s now a top priority. At 55, my back muscles are as strong as they’ve ever been, and my posture is much better. I hope my mother notices😊

For most Americans, inactivity, poor nutrition habits, and just aging, all help to reduce bone mass at the rate of approximately 1% per year after age 40.   As a result, our bones are more fragile and the percentages of having a fall and an unpleasant fracture go way up.

Strength training also has positive benefits as it helps us avoid osteoporosis, which is the loss of bone mass. This disease is responsible for more than two million fractures a year and affects nearly 10 million men and women.

If you’ve not done a lot of muscle-building exercises and you’re not familiar with proper techniques, I’d recommend that you get instruction from a certified fitness coach. Not doing exercises correctly can lead to chronic injuries and set you back quite a bit. I’ve hired personal trainers over the years to help me with technique and It was well worth the investment.

So, as you can see, based on the research, maintaining and even increasing muscle mass as we age is very important. But just working out isn’t enough. You need to feed those muscles good forms of protein.

When you push through a tough workout, your muscles are constantly challenged, and their fibers begin to break down and sustain damage. Although any nutritious sources of protein will help the process along, there are a few distinct advantages to drinking protein shakes after exercise.

Because protein powder is an isolated nutrient source, it can provide a lot of nutrition for relatively few calories if you pick the right type. Not all protein powders are created equal. Some have too much sugar and calories so it’s best to read the labels. After exercise, your body needs that nutrition to recover, but it doesn’t need a ton of calories to negate your hard workout. According to the National Sports and Conditioning Association, when you eat carbs and protein in a 4:1 ratio within 30 minutes of exercise, you’ll recover faster and gain more strength.

Additionally, the International Society of Sports Nutrition published an article stating that having protein shortly after a workout is associated with fewer medical visits, decreased muscular soreness and better immune response to infections. Subjects who received a placebo after their workouts got sick more often and logged more total doctors’ visits.

Make sure to get on a muscle-building campaign for the entire body and feed those muscles with a high-quality protein! We have added some links to some of our favorite protein powders just below this blog post, as well as a link to our protein smoothie video.

Ann Affinito, Brand Fifty fitness contributor shows you a few of her favorite receipts in this video series. 

You may also download some easy blender shake recipes here.

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