Tips for a Healthy, Active 2024
For most of us, a new year brings an assessment of the past year and a commitment to personal goals. According to a recent Forbes Health survey of 1,000 U.S. adults, 48% responded that Improved Fitness is their top priority. Weight Loss and Improved Diet are the top priority for 34% and 32%, respectively.
These three goals are nicely intertwined since a focus on fitness requires a reassessment of diet and it contributes to weight loss.
Fitness requires exertion and recovery to ensure long term effort yields fitness improvement without injury. Two key nutritional elements that help achieve this result are consuming the right amount of protein and adequate hydration.
Protein
Recent studies indicate the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for protein of 0.36 grams per pound of weight (54 grams for a 150 pound adult) is not adequate to fight the natural process of muscle loss that begins around age 50.
Adults require more protein to maintain muscle compared to that required as a youth. It seems counterintuitive, but as we age our muscles are less efficient in the use of protein to build muscle, requiring more protein in our diet to limit age-related muscle loss. To reduce muscle loss, a 150-pound adult should consume 68+ grams (0.45+ grams per pound) of protein daily. And even more if very active physically.
Take a few minutes to calculate your daily protein target (weight x .45 = # grams), identify what foods you enjoy that provide high protein, and plan to consume about one third of your daily target at each meal. Some foods to consider – Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, eggs, cheese, milk, tuna fish, peanut butter, turkey, chicken, lean meats, salmon, hulled hemp hearts, almonds, black beans, lentils, chickpeas, tofu.
You’ll reap more benefits from exercise and remain stronger longer when you consume the right amount of protein for you.
Hydration
Adequate water in our bodies and balanced electrolytes (certain minerals such as sodium, potassium, chloride, phosphate) are critical for proper body function, especially balanced blood pressure. Both are affected by daily life (simply breathing in a dry climate is dehydrating). They are important in exercise to enable performance, prevent injury, and aid recovery.
An electrolyte-infused water or electrolyte mix added to water as part of a daily routine, as well as consumption of foods that deliver these minerals, will help replenishment to maintain the proper balance of water and electrolytes before, during, and after exercise.
You’ll feel better and recover faster when properly hydrated. Your muscles will thank you.
To Learn More
Harvard Medical School offers a good resource to learn more about exercise and its benefits: Learn More
Cheers to a healthy and active New Year.
REFERENCES
1 https://www.forbes.com/health/mind/new-year-resolutions-survey-2024/