LEAN MUSCLE MASS AT 40 AND 50

LEAN MUSCLE MASS AT 40 AND 50 - When we’re in our 20s we can party hard, train hard and live life fast and we always seemed to have abs and feel completely untouchable. As we creep into our 30s and the partying starts to subside and responsible life takes over, we felt somewhat still in control of our abs and vitality. But as our 30s take hold and we head towards our late 30s it doesn’t seem to be so easy to have abs at all times. Instead they seem to have grown a comfort layer of love to hold onto! Before long it becomes apparent we are well and truly out of our 20s and 30s!

This phase is our life is most commonly known for how difficult it is to feel good and look good. Often described as the body not working properly anymore. We begin to feel foreign in our own skin. In a way the body does become foreign to us because we have to relearn who we are becoming. Our body takes on a new personality. But it is important to know, your body still works and it’s working perfectly, it’s just working differently to the way it did before, differently to what you’ve been accustomed to.

So how to navigate this? What is this new personality and how does this new ‘me’ operate? Think of it the way you would when you’re helping someone. What are their struggles? What do they need? How can you help them? When we look at our body in our 40s and 50s we see big shifts in hormones and how the body is subsequently affected by this. The body feels more tired, groggy in the mornings, the joints are achy, energy wanes throughout the day, muscle mass is harder to build and maintain and body fat is harder to keep low.

The most important area for us to focus on at this time is strength, appropriate fuelling, mobility,  keeping stress levels low and rest and recovery. Understanding the differences between our 20s-30s and 40s-50s will enable us to achieve a strong, lean, functioning body with a metabolism that works for us not against us.

What our body wants us to do is to keep active, keep moving, increase the strength training, lift heavy, increase the protein, maintain cardio in the high intensity interval training zone, get plenty of rest and recovery, fuel before training, fuel after training, avoid alcohol, edit lifestyle to keep cortisol levels down (physical, mental, emotional and digestive) and add in more mobility and flexibility.

It’s a foreign road to travel alone, but when you understand this transition and what you need to do for yourself, the journey can become exciting and extremely rewarding. You can feel strong, fit, lean, rested, energised and most importantly you can feel like YOU again!