Fit For Life - Solid To The Core

April 27, 2025

Losing Muscle Mass in our Senior Years

Skeletal muscle secretes a panel of cytokines and proteins named myokines, https://bit.ly/4iGbQe7, and is part of our endocrine (hormonal) system. They are synthesized and secreted by myocytes(muscle cells) in response to muscle contraction—i.e., strength training.

Physical activity is the primary physiological stimulus for bone anabolism (and/or catabolism) through the production and secretion of myokines, such as IL-6, irisin, IGF-1, FGF2 (muscle growth hormones), besides the direct effect of loading (weight lifting).

Importantly, exercise-induced myokines can exert an anti-inflammatory action that counteracts acute inflammation due to an infection and chronic low-grade inflammation raised by physical inactivity, aging, or metabolic disorders (i.e., obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus).

Sarcopenia is the loss of muscle mass due to the natural aging process. This decrease in muscle leads to a reduction in a person’s strength. As a result, their balance and gait are also affected.

Sarcopenia can impact a person’s ability to perform everyday activities, such as climbing stairs, lifting objects, and walking.

Muscle mass starts to decline around the age of 40. The loss of muscle tissue may progress more rapidly when a person reaches their 60s and 70s.

Although the exact rate of decline varies, a person may lose 3 to 8 percent of muscle mass per decade.

Age-related hormonal changes may also lead to a decrease in muscle mass. Testosterone levels and insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) typically affect muscle growth and muscle mass.

The decline in hormone levels may contribute to the loss of muscle mass.

Although aging is the leading cause of sarcopenia, other factors contribute to the loss of muscle mass. They include:

Living a sedentary lifestyle: Getting little or no physical activity regularly puts people at an increased risk of developing sarcopenia as they age.

Poor nutrition: Poor dietary habits can also contribute to the development of sarcopenia. Although poor nutrition is possible at any age, it may affect how fast muscle mass declines in older adults.

The old saying “use it or lose it” is true regarding muscle mass. Working the muscles helps maintain muscle mass and strength. When muscles are not used, they shrink.

Strength or resistance training can improve muscle size, strength, and tone. It can also strengthen bones, ligaments, and tendons, which enhances overall health.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), older adults should participate in muscle-strengthening activities at least 2 times per week. https://bit.ly/3EJOqGF

The program should exercise all the major muscle groups, which include the legs, arms, chest, shoulders, back, and abdomen. Strength training involves using resistance to cause muscle contraction. The muscle contraction builds muscle size and increases strength. My https://bit.ly/435aS6s FitForLife class utilizes weights, resistance bands, body weight, and a chair for core strength training and balance.

Working with a certified personal trainer specializing in senior strength & conditioning and corrective exercise can be beneficial to develop an effective and safe strength training program.

March 21, 2023May 8, 2025

The Motivation to Lose Weight? Part 3 of 3

This is the heart of the matter. Maintaining the intention ( to lose weight) is all about staying motivated and BEING PATIENT. The wins are little victories when you get on the, whichwhich is your ultimate scoreboard. The fear of a physical catastrophe in the form of cardiac stress can be the motivator. The decade of your 50s is also known as the “widow maker” years; the statistics bear this out. “The average amount of calories you consume daily over time must be less than the average that you burn or expend.

Being more than 15% overweight, as measured by height and body mass, is unhealthy. If you have the “Intention” to reduce your weight, this is the simple and honest truth.

If you think only about what you are eating and modify it, that is not getting at the root cause of weight gain. A better way to approach it is to count your calories and keep your diet healthy and simple. An egg is 60 calories. A piece of bread is 80 to 120 calories. Clean protein (both animal and vegetable) can provide 200-300 calories at meals. Of course, limiting the starches and sugars really help you achieve a moderate average caloric deficit .

Low section of people doing power fitness exercise at yoga class in fitness studio

Portion control and just as important is being in a community of others who share your intention (weight loss). This is why “Weight-Watchers” is so successful. It is about maintaining the intention and understanding that an average daily caloric deficit of 500 calories over 30 days (1 month) will result in a 4lb weight loss.

In my “Fit For Life” classes at the Clearwater YMCA, my members average 5,000 steps through endurance strength-training and aerobic stepping to music. An average of 400 calories can be burned in the 50-minute class. It is held 3 times per week.

Increasing your aerobic capacity (walking, dancing, and cycling) and, at the same time, improving your mood and clarity of thought is a part of winning at your intention and staying motivated.

January 19, 2022March 21, 2023

“Your Thoughts and your Body Weight” Part 2 of 3

As older adults, we have experienced the ups and downs that life brings. With that experience, we have acquired “attachments” to certain ideas. These become reinforcing beliefs as we stay in our “comfort zone.” For instance, many of us have tried all sorts of ways to manage our body weight, and all through these different “diet plans, we may have lost the desired weight only to put it back on again, and in many cases, even more than we lost! The story or beliefs we now have, based on these failed experiences, is that we can’t lose weight.

So, how do we overcome these mental attachments?

Here is my story.

About eight years ago, my daughter, her husband, and my spouse and I went out to get a bite to eat. It was Christmas time here in Florida, and my weight issue was simple. While I was standing, my daughter took a side shot picture of me. My belly was hanging over my belt line. Everyone had a good laugh when I gave a shout out to my new “beer belly” which really wasn’t that new. The very next day that picture shot through me to my core. For quite a while, I held a story; my story, that the extra 30 lb I had gained over a period of 10 years couldn’t helped. I didn’t have the time to work it off. As a full-time caregiver to my spouse, it was just the way it was and is. As a matter of fact, I had all sorts of attachments to being a full-time caregiver. ” Ican’tt do what I want when I want. I couldn’t do this, and I couldn’t do that.” On top of that, I also held a story about myself that I was always in trouble. Particularly in making ends meet. and this was what was really bothering me.

We all have these thoughts and beliefs about ourselves. And you know what? They may be our reality, but they are not reality. They are the product of my “False and Failed intentions.”

Intention- “Intentions are mental states in which the agent (me) commits myself to a course of action.” Now, this goes on all the time in my head, and when I don’t follow through, it is absolutely a “false intention.” In other words, I lied to myself, which also means that I was not “impeccable with my word” to myself.

“Breaking the lying to myself habit.”

How did I break this vicious cycle of lying to myself about my weight? I called a close friend and shared with him the fact that I was decieving myself about having this “Intention of losing the weight.”I wasn’t taking the actions I visualized. By sharing this and being vulnerable about my weakness, I could now be accountable to him. I committed to him that I would start by taking two steps toward my goal of losing 25 pounds. I am going to ride my bike three times per week for a minimum of 45 minutes and cut down on the bread intake. And we agreed that I would speak with him next week to confirm that I had taken the action of my intent.

Within two weeks, I had dropped 1.5 pounds. Sure, it was only 1.5 pounds, but after a month, it was three! I now had momentum and a new healthy habit. Getting on the bike was now actually joyful! I admit cutting way down on the bread wasn’t actually delightful, but I still had my peanut butter on toast, but one slice was enough. It became a real treat! So did eating more vegetables. I improved my diet, and also Deb’s (my spouse) because I do all the cooking as a full-time caregiver.

As I gained more confidence and momentum over the next 14 months, I went from 200 pounds to 175! The major factor in my success was threefold.

1.) I reached out and shared my problem authentically and vulnerably with someone I could trust to be straight with me.

2.) I visualized myself as a fit personal trainer. (This was a longer-term goal)

3.) My commitments ( the actions of my intention) were accountable to another human being.

The major takeaway to this post is that I could not lose the weight all by myself. I needed encouragement from a trusted friend and/or professional coach who understood.

Today, I am full of gratitude for so many things.. particularly for my friends, my coaches, and family. And I try everyday to hold this intention… “To be grateful “

So “Carpe Diem!”