10/6/15 ~~
Have you heard of the word Sarcopenia?
Webster’s Dictionary defines it as: the reduction in skeletal muscle mass due to aging – or in simpler terms – age related muscle loss.
Around the age of 30, your muscle loss can begin and this lost muscle is eventually replaced by fat. This can occur at about 1 pound per year and it accelerates as you get older.
That means you can be the SAME weight but your body composition will be made up of more fat and less muscle, leading to that soft look we don’t want and unhealthy consequences.
The great news is that you can correct this and maintain lean muscle, prevent that soft look and re-shape your body. You just need to send the right signals to your body!
Your muscle is a VERY active organ on its own — in fact, it’s THE most active metabolic organ you have.
That’s why losing muscle mass is so devastating to your body composition.
The problem all starts with your fat cells — they are programmed to be a bit greedy. If fuel (glucose or fatty acids) is available, they’ll use it and turn it into fat.
Muscle cells are more selective. They only use fuel when it’s needed.
So because we all move less as we age, our muscle cells use less fuel.
That makes more fuel available to those greedy fat cells to use and convert to body fat.
The Simple Answer to Age-Related Fat Gain and Sarcopenia…
The answer to stopping age-related muscle loss and fat gain is EASY and it’s something that any of us can do.
Just send the correct signals to your body to say “maintain muscle and burn fat”.
How? Just follow the two steps below.
Step #1: Exercise for at least 10 minutes with short burst workouts. These metabolic workouts drive sugar (glucose) and fat (fatty acids) into your muscle cells to be used as fuel. Just exercise with me doing Toned in Ten. 🙂
Step #2: Remember the 4 P’s
Eat Protein (lean meat) and Produce (veggies or fruit) at each and every meal, and avoid Processed and Packaged foods.
Also remember to eat Healthy fats like avocados, olive oil, and raw nuts.
This way of eating maximizes your body to burn fat. 🙂 Hooray!
If you send those signals to your body – you’ll end up with a permanently HIGHER metabolic rate, LOWER level of body fat and more energy.
Just be sure to exercise intensely at least 10 minutes per day 5 x per week and eat fat burning foods to maximize your metabolism. Your top 2 healthy Signals for your best body and life. 🙂
Here’s a yummy fat burning recipe for you that follows the 4 P’s! Enjoy!
Recipe Corner
AVOCADO BOATS
A Recipe by Diana Keuilian
Serves 8
PREP TIME
30 mins
COOK TIME
60 mins
INGREDIENTS
- 1 lb ground beef
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 yellow onions, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- ¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
- 4 tomatoes, chopped and peeled
- 8 oz mushrooms, sliced
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 2 Tablespoons coconut palm sugar
- ¼ cup white wine
- 4 large green-skinned avocados
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a large pot brown the beef over medium-high heat until all the pink is gone. Drain off the juices and transfer the browned beef to a plate.
- Wipe out the pot, return to medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the onions and garlic cloves and cook for 3 minutes. Add the basil, tomatoes and mushrooms. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and coconut sugar. Cook for 3 minutes. Add the wine and ground beef and simmer for about 40 minutes, until the sauce has thickened.
- Cut the avocados in half and remove the pits. Use an ice cream scooper to place a mound of sauce inside each avocado half. Sprinkle with sweet paprika, garlic powder and sea salt, if desired.
NUTRITION
Calories: 365 Fat: 14 g Carbohydrates: 11 g Sodium: 208 mg Fiber: 2 g Protein: 17 g
Happy Eating!
