11 Things you should know about macros

I asked members of the 40+ Fitness Podcast Group what topics I could cover and one of them was about macros (macronutrients).  Having a good general understanding of macros is important for maintaining good health and fitness.

 

11 things you should know about macros

Protein

1) Building block – This macro is something you must have in order to rebuild.  But this is not a “more of a good thing” is good macro.  You need to get just enough protein to allow your body to rebuild.
2) Essential amino acids – Amino acids are the building blocks of protein.  There are some amino acids that our body cannot make.  We must eat them to have what we need.
3) Complete proteins – A complete protein is one that has all of the amino acids.  An egg is often referred to as the perfect protein because it is a complete protein.  Vegetarians should be very diligent in their food choices to ensure the way they mix and match their protein sources gives them all of the amino acids.

Fats

4) Mono/Poly/Saturated – Saturated fat has been demonized and recent science seems to show this to be unfair.
5) Omega 3 / Omega 6 – When animals are permitted to live their lives the way they choose, their meat tends to have a 1 to 1 ration of omega 3 to omega 6.  This is a healthy ratio.  When animals are feed grains, their omega 6 goes up, breaking this ratio.  As a result, we are not getting enough omega 3.  Eating fish or taking fish or kreel oil can help you rebalance if you're not able to get grass fed and finished beef.
6) MCT – This is a medium chain triglyceride.  Your body cannot use MCT for anything but energy.
7) Bad fats and oils – Fats and oils can go rancid.  Make sure you're properly storing fats and oils to avoid this.  You should also be sure you're avoiding partially hydrogenated oil.  This man-made oil is very bad for us.

Carbs

8) Simple carbs and sugar – These carbs are turned to blood sugar (glucose) very quickly.  Where there is more than you need, your body produces insulin to protect the brain from excess glucose.  It stores the glucose as body fat.
9) Soluble fiber – This fiber is digested very slowly.  It is also referred to as a slow carb.  These are good sources of energy and should be focus of your consumption of this macro.
10) Non-soluble fiber – This fiber cannot be used by your body so it just passes through you.  This can help you keep regular.
11) There are no essential carbs – While our body needs protein and oil, it does not need this macro.  Carbs can be part of a healthy diet, but they are not essential.

 

Something else from 40+ Fitness Podcast you may enjoy

https://40plusfitnesspodcast.com/shop-good-food/

Live to your chronotype with Dr. Michael Breus

Dr. Michael Brues introduces the chronotype in his new book, The Power of When.  In his practice as a sleep doctor, he realized there are more than just night owls and early birds.  He based the chronotypes on mammals.

His curiosity on this came about when he was working with a tough patient.  She told him she felt like she needed to go to bed at 1am and sleep until 8 – 9am.  In an effort to help this woman, he called her employer and asked if she could shift her work day back two hours.  The results were tremendous.

He took this further and found that based on chronotype and hormone cycles there were optimal times for certain activities.  By being true to your chronotype will help you sleep and perform better.   It is also valuable to know the chronotype of the people in your life so you can understand where they are in mood and performance during the day.  For example, if you know your boss is a wolf, you wouldn't want to schedule an early morning meeting with her.

The four chronotypes:

• Dolphins – The dolphin chronotype tends to struggle with sleep patterns.
• Bears – The bear chronotype is the most common (55% of people) and sleeps the traditional sleep pattern.  They tend to be outgoing.
• Wolfs – The wolf chronotype prefers to stay up late and sleep later.
• Lions – The lion chronotype prefers to go to bed early and get up early.

Find your chronotype:

You can determine your chronotype with the quiz at the Power of When Quiz.

Links

The Power of When Quiz

The power of When

The sleep doctor

 

Something else from 40+ Fitness Podcast you may enjoy

https://40plusfitnesspodcast.com/sleep-smarter-shawn-stevenson/

Birding for fitness and health

When the publisher sent me the book, Birding at the Bridge by Heather Wolf, I wasn't sure it would be a fit for you.  But the thought hit me, birding for fitness is a thing.  Getting outside, walking and potentially more make bird watching a great hobby for health and fitness.

In this episode, Heather and I go over some getting started tips for bird watching.

 

Something else from 40+ Fitness Podcast you may enjoy

https://40plusfitnesspodcast.com/walking-weight-loss/

Walking for weight loss with Lucy Wyndham-Read

In her book Walk off the weight, Lucy Wyndham-Read shows us how to use walking for weight loss.  With 5 years in the Brittish Army and 20 years in fitness, Lucy has helped thousands of men and women lose weight and stay in shape.  In this book, she sets up a daily program for walking for weight loss with walking plans and menus to ensure you're eating right.

Benefits of walking

– Health – Walking strengthens your heart and reduces cholesterol.  It helps strengthen your bones.  It prevents obesity and lifts depression.
– Fitness – Walking helps make you faster and stronger and gives you more stamina.  You'll improve your flexibility and balance.
– Weight – Walking for weight loss works because you are burning more calories both during and after the walk.
– Aging – Walking helps promote human growth hormone (HGH), which begins declining after age 20.

Measure it & snap it

– Measurements – Lucy recommends you measure your waist, bottom, thighs and arms so you can see your progress.
– What to expect – As you go, you'll notice you are dropping dress sizes and feeling stronger and more energetic.
– Commitment – Before you start, make the commitment to make it through the first seven days.  This will drive you through the 21 days.

Tips for Motivation

1. Mind makeover – Make sure you have the right attitude to ensure success.
2. Put on your visualization glasses – Visualize what health and fitness looks like.
3. Score a goal – Set goals to drive you.
4. Be your own fitness dj – Change up your playlist from time to time to stay motivated.
5. On the dot – Find a set time to work out so you're high energy and can keep doing it.
6. Become a master chef – Learn how to make new dishes with fresh, healthy ingredients.

Walking for weight loss links:

Youtube Channel

Twitter

 

Something else from 40+ Fitness Podcast you may enjoy

https://40plusfitnesspodcast.com/11-best-getting-started-tips

 

 

 

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Is wheat poison?

Cindi O'meara is a nutritionist who in her effort to heal herself and determine if wheat is poison, made the documentary “What's with Wheat.”  In this documentary, Cindy brings together some of the best experts on health and fitness to discuss what we've done to wheat over the last several decades and what it is doing to our bodies.

In a search for optimizing her own longevity, Cindi started an elimination diet.  Within days she had lost weight and was looking and feeling great.  As she reintroduced food, she recognized that wheat was a problem for her.  Shortly after her discovery, books began coming out on the dangers of wheat.

Is wheat poison today?

As hunter-gathers, we were nomads.  Once we could cultivate crops, we were able to settle in towns and cities.  This made civilization possible.

In the 1920s we began having the first shelf stable foods.  Finding we were developing vitamin deficiencies, food companies began fortifying foods with artificial vitamins.  Then in the 1970s we began developing hybrids and spraying the wheat with chemicals.

And one of the core differences, we are exposed to much more wheat through our food, cosmetics, etc.

Elimination Diets

Cindi used an elimination diet to get healthier, and she provides a guide for doing a four-week elimination-style diet.  Many people shy away from dropping wheat and grains from their diet.  While this is not the easiest of protocols, it is typically only temporary for most foods.  It is only the foods that make you sick that you'll have to avoid after the initial period.

 

changinghabits.com.au

What's With Wheat documentary

 

Elimination diets

Paleo for thyroid health with Elle Russ

 

 

11 best nutrition tips

In this episode, I share my best nutrition tips.  Most people approach weight loss from an exercise perspective.  Unfortunately, when you're over 40, it is nearly impossible to out-exercise a poor diet.

My best nutrition tips

Cut sugar

Sugar is the number one reason most of us are overweight.  When we eat more sugar that we need for current energy, our insulin spikes to take up the sugar and store it as fat.  Over time, this can lead to obesity and diabetes.

Water

Many people will question why I put water in my nutrition tips when water isn't a nutrient.  Water is essential for good health but is even more important when we're exercising and losing weight.

Simple carbs

Sugar is a simple carbohydrate, but there are more simple carbs that make up our daily intake. And these raise our insulin and are stored as fat when we take in more than our body needs at the point we eat them.

Protein

Protein is an essential building block for our body.  But in excess, our body breaks it down to glucose for energy use and/or storage as fat.

Whole foods

I'm a strong believer that we should primarily eat real, whole foods.  Processing strips the food of nutrients.  Foods that are “fortified” to make up for this don't necessarily serve us well.  Whole foods are things your great-grandmother would have recognized as food.

Read labels

If you find yourself eating something from a package, take the time to read the nutrition label.  You might be surprised at the chemicals that are used to keep that product shelf stable and the other additives to make it taste the way it does.

Portion size

We have been conditioned by restaurants and food companies to eat far more than a single portion at a meal.  Break this conditioning by requesting a takeaway box for the excess.

Logging

Take the time to log the food you're eating.  This can help you learn more about what's in the food (calories, carbohydrates, protein, fat, etc.) and makes it easier to manage your food.

Slow down

Eat slower to eat less.  Your body needs time to process the hormone signaling to know your full.  Slowing down also helps you enjoy the food more.

Be prepared

Many times, we make poor choices because we haven't taken the time to plan and prepare.  If you know you're going to out, pack a healthy snack.  I will often pre-log my food for the day and make sure to carry that with me in an insulated container.

Try new foods

Most of us stick to foods we know and like.  This can lead to nutritional deficiencies in certain vitamins or minerals.  Varying your diet can help you get the nutrients you need.

 

I hope you enjoyed this post.  Do you have any nutrition tips I missed?  If so, please let me know in the comments below.

How to shop for good food

Health and Fitness Foundations

 

Menopause advice for women and men with Dr. Tara Allmen

In this episode, we meet Dr. Tara Allmen to get menopause advice and solutions presented in her book Menopause Confidential: A Doctor Reveals the Secrets to Thriving Through Midlife.

Every man needs a gynecologist for menopause advice

An accountant and a gynecologist have in common when meeting a man at a party, the question ‘what do you do for a living' is a conversation stopper.  It shouldn't be that way.  At least not when you meet a gynecologist.  There is a lot to learn what the women in your life are (or will) experience.  Menopause advice works for both women and men.

Sleep

The symptoms of perimenopause and menopause can cause sleep disruption.  It is important for women to focus on getting the best quality sleep.  A few sleep tips provided by Dr. Allmen include:

• Go to bed at the same time each night.
• Avoid stimulants that will disrupt sleep such as heavy meals, alcohol, and caffeine.
• Cool, dark bedroom.
• Don't keep your phone by the bed.
• Eat healthy foods.
• Exercise regularly.

Colon cancer

Dr. Allmen decided to design her own colon cleansing approach and has been successful in coming up with a way that is a lot easier.  She's shared this approach with her patients and they've had great results in colon screening prep.  While not menopause advice, it is something we face in mid-life and you may find Dr. Allman's recipe for colon cleansing easy and effective.

Weight lifting

It is very important that women work to maintain muscle mass and bone density by lifting weights.

Links

DrAllmen.com

The menopause solution | Dr. Stephanie Faubion

The estrogen window | Mache Seibel