Empower Yourself: Learn How to Stay One Step Ahead of Osteoporosis
[Estimated reading time: 4 minutes, 58 seconds.]
In Dr. Peter Attia’s book “Outlive”, he discusses two factors that have a high correlation with longevity.
Strength
VO2 max
Today’s focus is on strength. Later this week, I will discuss VO2 max, which is related to aerobic fitness.
Do you struggle with age-related health concerns?
Most people grapple with health-related concerns as we age. I am no different. Two of the things I am trying to stay on top of are:
Sarcopenia - loss of muscle mass, which can lead to….
Osteoporosis - loss of bone density
And being in my early 50s, I know it will be more challenging to build and to maintain muscle. This is due to age and perimenopausal hormonal changes, which accelerate muscle and bone density loss. This is your friendly reminder these changes can start in your late 30s.
That doesn’t mean I am powerless. I can perform exercises that increase my strength through building and maintaining muscle.
It’s never too late. Don’t buy into that garbage. You can make the changes you want.
How do you go about improving your strength?
When we returned from our trip over the summer, my coach asked me if I would be interested in getting a body composition scan. This entails understanding what percentage of your body weight is fat. You can be the same height and weight as your neighbor, but they might have more body fat and less muscle.
Your scale at home won’t help much in this regard. This includes the scales that claim to measure your body fat and muscle mass.
The last time I did something like this was an unmitigated disaster. I was completely body shamed by the administrator of the test. I let the person live rent-free in my head for way too long. Not a proud moment, but it happens to us at some point.
That was a few years ago. I decided to keep an open mind when my coach brought it back up. The focus would be on my health goals instead of letting my fear of a repeat bad experience take over.
Are you one of those people who needs help in breaking down how to make the changes you want to make?
What method did I use?
More reliable forms of measuring body composition exist than your scale. Yes, they are more expensive. Companies like InBody and DEXA lead the way. Another accurate method is a hydrostatic test, where you submerge yourself underwater in a tank.
I went with the DEXA scan for two reasons:
Reliability
Can tie it to the DEXA bone scan I will have later this year
For body composition:
Lean body mass in different areas of my body
Body fat, which includes essential body fat and storage body fat, in different areas of my body - note women need more essential body fat than men due to childbearing and other hormonal functions
Visceral fat
3 other measurements were taken - if you want to nerd out, email, comment or like this post
Friendly reminder to please check with your doctor or a licensed dietician before making any changes to your nutrition or exercise regimen.
Lean body mass includes muscle mass, organ mass and fluids. More medical professionals are now using lean body mass as an indicator for assessing metabolic function. This is due to body fat being less relevant for your metabolism.
Now visceral fat is a completely different story. It is located inside your abdominal cavity. Visceral fat is layered underneath your skin and packed between your organs. Excess visceral fat is closely associated with metabolic disorders, insulin resistance, cardiovascular disease, etc.
Here’s the thing. You can have low body fat and high visceral fat. This is called “skinny fat”, which I touched upon in this post. You may still look good, but you may have some underlying health risks.
This is why getting these scans is helpful for you to discuss with your doctor.
What my numbers said and what I’m doing about them
The good news is my visceral fat is in the ‘best’ category, as defined by DEXA.
You’re likely going to be stuck with me for a bit longer. Sorry? 🤷🏻♀️
I still have a little bit of work to do on my lean body mass/body fat numbers.
Bringing it back to the top of the post…. My fear of osteoporosis and sarcopenia, both of which my mother has.
This is something that requires a multi-faceted approach. It’s difficult to convert fat into muscle simultaneously. It also takes longer than individually losing fat or putting on muscle.
From a nutrition perspective, I am continuing to focus on my protein intake. My goal is to eat 1 gram of protein for every pound I weigh. This means having some protein-rich snacks between meals, like turkey slices, fat-free yogurt or protein bars. These foods will help with muscle mass and continuing to build strength.
I am watching my fat consumption. While I mentioned fat-free yogurt, I prefer to get my fats from animal meats or from different butters like regular butter, almond butter or peanut butter. Fat has 9 calories per gram. Protein and carbohydrates each have 4 calories per gram. And you’d be surprised in how many places fat rears its head.
I’m looking at you, PCC and Whole Foods prepared foods counter! I digress.
I am not fat-free nor carb-free. Everyone needs to do what works for them, but know genetics and sex can play a role if being carb-free or fat-free is the right move for you.
With respect to my fitness regimen, I am continuing weightlifting mixed in with some cardio. My coach focuses many of my lifting workouts with time under tension, which prolongs the stress on my muscles and bones (a good thing).
As for lifestyle factors, I aim to get to bed at roughly the same time every night. I have a pretty regular wind down routine that is helpful in managing stress. I am also on hormone replacement therapy under my general practicioner’s supervision. This has helped with many perimenopausal symptoms.
Please note the above is what I have found for what works for me.
I know it sounds overwhelming.
It doesn’t have to be.
Go Long can help.
