Anti-aging tips: The 40 year old way to exercise

I recently started playing flag football in an adult sports league and have quickly learned that my body does not recover as easily as it used to. While I do exercise regularly, these specific type of "quick" movements did quite the number on my body in the days following the first game. 

The problem that most people my age experience is the loss of muscle mass, a problem that gradually increases each year. What does this exactly mean? Basically, that your body is unable to burn as many calories during activity and rest. This also has a direct effect on how the body will shift from muscle to fat. 

Now, even though I consider myself to be in really good shape, why would someone like me get so sore after a 60 minute pick-up game (Other than the fact I tried to put on my best Jerry Rice impersonation)?

The way that I and most people exercise is that way that we have been taught for years (Cardio for 20-45 minutes, upper body day, lower body day, etc, etc.). This type of exercise uses "short fiber muscles" (more on this in a moment) and while this is definitely important, it is also essential that we do get in some peak fitness exercises. I was first introduced to this form of exercise by Dr. Joseph Mercola who runs the website mercola.com

Peak fitness exercises is one of the only exercises that can increase human growth hormone(HGH), which is vital for our overall health and our longevity. After age 40, HGH levels will decrease if the proper steps are not taken. The physiology behind this involves our muscle fibers (slow, fast and super fast) and to increase the HGH levels in our bodies, we must use the super fast fibers. 

This is where peak fitness exercises come in. To utilize the super fast muscles, "burst" exercises are performed. This involves short segments (30 seconds) at a very high intensity rate (recumbent bike or treadmill is best) followed by a period of rest (90 seconds ). Now the number of times or repetitions will depend on your fitness level. If you are not used to working out, it is probably best to start out with 3 or 4 repetitions of this cycle and gradually work your way up to 8 total repetitions. 

So, just to break it down for you: 3 minutes of a warm-up, followed by a 30 second burst of high intensity pedaling, followed by 90 seconds of recovery. Do this 3-8 more times, again, depending on your fitness levels. Finish off with a cool down period of 2 minutes.  If you are able to do this 8 times, then this workout should take about 20 minutes.

Besides the enormous benefit of increasing your HGH levels as stated above, the other major effect of this type of exercise is it's fat burning capabilities. If you have had trouble burning off that mid portion of your belly or the flab on your sides, you owe it to yourself to at least explore and research this increasingly popular form of exercise.

In closing, while I would never deter you from doing your regular exercise, this might be a nice little spice to add to your routine. Additionally, Dr. Mercola advises to do this type of exercise only 1-2 times per week to prevent "burn out". 

It is also very important to add strength training to your routine because,remember, the more muscle you have the more calories you burn which will eventually cut down fat stores.

Since I have added this to my weekly workouts, I have noticed more endurance with my swimming and jogging workouts, more overall strength and less soreness after trying to re-live my football playing days :)

Does it matter what time of day we exercise? Absolutely!

If you have been regularly exercising but still experience sluggishness, fatigue or those unwanted pounds are not coming off, you may want to consider when your workout time is. Recent research has shown that those who exercise first thing in the morning and before breakfast have had the most success with weight loss and overall good health. 

Why does this matter? Both exercise and fasting together will force the breakdown of fat and glycogen, which is essential for energy. The sympathetic nervous system plays a large role here because this system controls your body's fat burning processes and is activated by lack of food and exercising(this is what you want).

On the other hand, exercising after a meal will actually slow down the sympathetic nervous system and have the exact opposite effect on fat burning. 

Of course, I know there are some people who simply cannot exercise on an empty stomach, maybe due to blood sugar concerns. So what is the answer for them? If you absolutely need something before your workout, I would recommend a small protein shake with healthy fruits and a quality whey protein powder.

This can aid in increasing your metabolism and additionally help with muscle building. If you have an under active thyroid, this can really help boost your thyroid levels. 

Another big factor here in fasting (not eating before your workout) is the huge role it plays in fighting insulin resistance. If you have diabetes or pre-diabetic, you know that the regulation of your insulin levels are crucial. For that matter, even if you are not diabetic, proper function of insulin levels is extremely important for overall health.

In conclusion, what we eat or don't eat before a workout can have a direct effect on our workout performance. This is why I recommend not eating anything, if possible, to optimize fat burning processes. For me, working out first thing in the morning is the logical answer for maximum health. 
Working out first thing in the morning also let's us "get it out of the way" for the day. This way, there are no excuses that can pop up during the day to prevent us from hitting the gym later in the day. Also, drinking pure water throughout your workout is key and not "Vitamin water" or any other sugary energy drinks that can have very negative effects on the body no matter when you workout.