Exercise Motivation to Prevent Age-Related Body Changes Julia Basso - PhD
As we age, the body goes through many changes. These include widespread changes in body composition including loss of muscle mass and bone mass. With this loss, there is marked reduction in physical capacity or our ability to perform physical movements. During our 20s, we are at the peak of our physical capacity. Little decline is seen during our 30s and 40s; however, at age 50, our physical capacity begins to significantly decline. After this point, we lose approximately 1-2% of our lean body mass (i.e., muscle mass) per year and between 1.5-5% of strength per year (Keller & Engelhardt, 2013). One of the major reasons for this loss in muscle mass and strength is the loss of hormone production that occurs with aging. Around the 50th year of life, our bodies (both men and women) go through distinct hormonal changes that lead to overall lower levels of hormones in the body. Anabolic hormones such as testosterone and insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) help our muscles and bones to grow. Therefore, a loss of these hormones leads to a decrease in the ability of our muscles and bones to increase in size. Another main contributing factor is the decrease in physical activity levels that occur with aging. Physical inactivity and a sedentary lifestyle leads to a significant loss in both muscle and bone. Additionally, the loss of appetite that often accompanies aging tends to contribute to further muscle and strength loss. Fortunately, by making sure that exercise is a regular part of our lives, we can attenuate these age-related changes. Through exercise, we can actually slow down the aging process, both as it relates to the physical body as well as to our mental state. Of course, there is the problem of the motivation to exercise. Do we lose motivation as we age? Does exercise motivation decrease as we age? In When I’m 64: Motivation and Behavioral Change, Carstensen and Hartlel note that, “Getting people to develop and maintain healthier patterns of living involves the issue of motivation: How do you get people to perform and maintain behaviors that are in their own best interests but that can be bothersome or difficult to do, such as eating properly, exercising, moderating bad habits, and following through on doctors’ directives?…Aging often entails the need to make changes and the types of changes older people must consider are particularly pressing.” The motivation to do anything stems from a brain circuit known as the mesolimbic pathway that consists of dopamine cells projecting from the ventral tegmental area to the nucleus accumbens and up to the medial prefrontal cortex. Unfortunately, as we age, along with muscle loss, there is also loss of brain tissue including these dopamine cells, which often lead to the loss of motivation. In fact, loss of motivation is quite common in the elderly. But, how can we keep up or enhance our motivation during the aging process? There must be a way! The idea here is that we can take advantage of our brains and specifically our motivational circuitry to influence our exercise motivation behavior and thus our physical bodies. Carstensen and Hartel note that,
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“if older people are going to change their diets or exercise more, they first need to develop favorable attitudes toward these behaviors and toward making these changes.” Indeed, science has shown that individuals who have a more favorable attitude towards exercise or believe that exercising will be a pleasurable experience, tend to exercise more than those who do not share these beliefs. One recent study examined the effect of different types of exercise on physical function, psychological health, quality of life and motivation in older (67-93 years of age), untrained adults (Pedersen et al., 2017). Participants were randomly assigned to participate in team sports, resistance training, or a sedentary experience for 12 weeks. While both exercise training regimens led to improved physical functioning, enhanced psychological well-being, and improved quality of life, the team sports group reported a higher level of enjoyment and intrinsic motivation to exercise. This was mainly due to the social interaction that occurred during the activity. Therefore, exercising with a group of people, whether it be in an exercise class or a team sport may be a key way to enhance your motivation to exercise.
Exercise Motivation Another recent study examined a group of individuals, between the ages of 49 to 65, who had a family history of Alzheimer’s disease. These individuals participated in an 8-month exercise program (Etnier et al., 2016). After they completed the program, they were asked open-ended questions as to what motivated them to continue exercising throughout the 8 months of the study. Adherence to exercise was linked to an interest in contributing to our understanding of Alzheimer’s disease (or science in general), the opportunity to participate in a formal exercise program, the perceived benefits of exercise, and the added social support that resulted from participation in the study. In conclusion, we can defy the age-related decline in physical capacity by maintaining our exercise regimen as we age. To keep up the motivation exercise, try first developing a positive attitude about physical activity. Second, try exercising with a partner, friend, or even joining an exercise class or team sport. You may just find yourself more motivated to stay physically active!
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How Much Protein Do Women Really Need? Lauren Rubadeau
How Much Protein Do Women Need Based on their Activity Level? With New Year’s resolutions in full swing and many looking to improve their health in 2017, I am here today to touch on the significance of protein and just how much of it women need to consume based on their activity level. We hear again and again that women are lacking protein, yet many of us are in confusion about why we might need more, how much we actually need, and how we should incorporate more into our diet. To start off with the basics, protein is one of the three macronutrients your body needs to function properly, along with fats and carbohydrates. According to the U.S National Library of Medicine, proteins are the building blocks for bones, muscles, cartilage, skin, blood, enzymes, hormones, and vitamins. Every cell in the human body contains protein!
Amino Acids Chemically, protein is composed of a chain of amino acids. Amino acids are organic compounds made of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen or sulfur. In order for the human body to be healthy and fully functional, it needs all 20 of the varying amino acids (U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2016). These all have unique chemical makeups and are used for different purposes in the human body – but their primary role is to build protein.
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Amino acids are classified into three groups: essential, nonessential, and conditional. Essential amino acids cannot be made by the body and must be supplied by food. Instead of storing up a supply of the essential acids, the body uses them to create new proteins on a regular basis. Therefore, it is ideal to provide the body with enough protein intake throughout the course of the day. Nonessential amino acids are made by the body from essential amino acids or by the normal breakdown of proteins. Thus, although they are an important part of building proteins, they do not need to be included in an everyday diet. Finally, conditional amino acids are a component of nonessential amino acids and are particularly needed in times of illness and stress (U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2016).
Why is protein consumption so important? Recover quickly No matter your activity level, being able to properly recover from any sort of physical activity is key and protein is the golden ticket to doing so. Protein consumption post-workout ultimately helps your body repair muscle fibers, restore depleted energy and promotes new protein generation in muscles.
Improve immunity Protect your immune system by first taking a look at your plate. The antibodies that help you fend off infection from bacteria and viruses are actually made of protein. Additionally, foods that are high in protein also tend to be higher in other nutrients that boost your immune system such as magnesium and zinc. Do yourself a favor this flu season and up your protein intake! Related Article: Get Outside and Exercise – Your Immune System Will Thank You
Burn more calories Aren’t we all looking for a way to burn more calories? Protein can help! Everything we eat has something called thermic effect of food (TEF), which determines the amount of calories it takes for your body to process and use the nutrients. Proteins have a higher thermic effect than any other type of food at 20-35 percent, which means that your body has to work harder to metabolize protein than other foods, thus burning more calories while doing so (Crovetti et al., 1998).
How much based on activity level? The U.S. Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for protein is 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight. To calculate your RDA, you first take your weight in pounds and divide it by 2.2 to figure out your weight in kilograms, then multiply by 0.8 to determine how many grams of protein you need. This approach measures the amount of a nutrient you need to meet your basic nutritional requirements (essentially what you need to prevent from getting sick), not necessarily the amount you should be consuming based on your individual nutrition needs and activity level. According to a study by the Journal of the International Society of Sports Medicine, this amount of intake may be appropriate for non-exercising individuals, but it is likely not sufficient to offset the oxidation of protein/amino acids during exercise nor is it sufficient to provide substrate for lean tissue accretion or for the repair of exercise induced muscle damage (Campbell et al., 2007).
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Different Quantities The study argues that individuals participating in various levels of physical activity require different quantities of protein. I find it significant to note that the results from these studies are applicable to both men and women engaging in physical activity. Relative to endurance exercise (i.e. long distance running), recommended protein intakes range from of 1.0 g/kg to 1.6 g/kg per day depending on the intensity and duration of the endurance exercise, as well as the training status of the individual. Strength/power exercise (i.e. sprinting, weight lifting) is thought to increase protein requirements even more than endurance exercise, particularly during the initial stages of training and/or sharp increases in volume. Recommendations for strength/power exercise typically range from 1.6 to 2.0 g/kg/day. In addition, research has been done on those engaging in intermittent sports (i.e. soccer, basketball) and found that a protein intake of 1.4–1.7 g/kg was recommended.
Intake Based on Activity Level What are the best sources? Before diving into a roundup of high protein sources that you can begin adding to your grocery list, it is important to take into consideration the differences between the two types of proteins: Complete and incomplete. Complete proteins (CP’s) contain all nine of the essential amino acids that your body needs. These are typically animal-based proteins, but some plant-sources are also considered complete. Examples include meat, fish, eggs, and dairy products. According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, grains such as quinoa and amaranth are also classified asCP’s due to their makeup of all essential amino acids (Giancoli, 2016). An incomplete protein contains fewer than all nine essential amino acids. However they can be combined in meals to make a CP. Examples of incomplete proteins include grains, nuts, seeds, black beans, and nut butters. Combinations of foods such as rice and beans or whole-grain toast and peanut butter effectively create a CP. To make 2017 your healthiest year yet, kick things off by incorporating a combination of these high protein foods into your diet. Your body will certainly thank you! Eggs: 6 grams of protein per egg Non-fat plain Greek Yogurt: 16 grams of protein per 6 oz. serving Chicken Breast: 23 grams of protein per 3 oz. serving Pork Tenderloin: Lentils: 18 grams of protein per 1 cup serving Peanut Butter: 8 grams of protein per 2 tbsp. Top Sirloin: 23 grams of protein per 3 oz. serving Cottage Cheese: 14 grams of protein per ½ cup serving Kashi GOLEAN Cereal: 13 grams of protein per 1 cup serving Salmon: 29 grams of protein per 4 oz. serving (Source: USDA National Nutrient Database)
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Impact Of Competitive Sports On Female Athletes Julia Basso – PhD
Fitness athletes- the healthy body image idea: how are they doing? (Therese Methisen, The Norwegian School of Sport Sciences) Body image is important for the female fitness athletes. Around 3 to 4 months prior to competition, many fitness athletes begin to diet. This produces a variety of changes in body composition such as a decrease in body weight, resting metabolic rate, and fat mass, and an increase in lean body mass. However, 1-month post-competition, all of these changes return to baseline levels. This “body ideal” is not realistic or sustainable and leads to a significantly decreased bone mineral density. In addition, these ideals lead to increased feelings of depression, disordered eating and often times, eating disorders.
Is it appropriate to manipulate body composition in young athletes to meet sport-specific requirements for performance? (Ina Garthe, The Norwegian Olympic and Paralympic Committee and Confederation of Sport) It is not recommended for young athletes to diet to lose weight, but we know that such methods are being used in youth athletes and promoted by coaches. Youth athletes are those individuals who compete in sports and are between the ages of 12 to 18 years. Unlike adult athletes, they are going through a unique time period – puberty. During this time, the body goes through many changes and as such, youth athletes require special training and dietary. In this population, dieting starts at an early age (12.6-14.0 years). These restrictive eating and weight
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manipulation methods may lead to many negative outcomes including, “compulsive and excessive training, dissatisfaction with the body, low self-esteem, insomnia, reduced coping skills, and increased risk of disordered eating and eating disorders.” In youth athletes, these issues present as, “reduced energy or ability to recover, decreased concentration, mood swings, reduced social activities, and avoidance of eating situations.” Because of these prevalent issues in youth athletes, the focus needs to shift! Rather than dieting, the focus needs to be on performance and health enhancement, optimization of nutrient intake and food habits, and improving knowledge and skills. Educated role models for these youth athletes will be integral to this new approach.
Menstrual dysfunction – potential impact on performance (Anna Melin, University of Copenhagen) 50% of female athletes report that menses affects their performance. Women experience changes in a range of hormones throughout the monthly cycle; these hormones regulate metabolic, cardiovascular, respiratory, and musculoskeletal systems, and so it is no surprise that these hormonal changes affect athletic performance. In addition, several menstrual dysfunction issues exist such as polycystic ovarian syndrome and functional hypothalamic amenorrhea. These issues may be cause low energy states and are associated with, “increased muscle fatigue, decreased recovery rate of muscles, decreased blood flow and aerobic substrate utilization, decrease pulmonary oxygen uptake, decreased glycogen stores, increased risk for low bone muscle density and musculoskeletal injury, and changes in cognitive functions like reaction time, which are important for sports.”
Pregnancy and postpartum in international and Olympic level athletes: what do we know? (Jorunn Sundgot-Borgen, The Norwegian School of Sport Sciences) Previous research has shown that exercising at 90% or above of VO2 max during pregnancy, may be dangerous for the fetus. Therefore, pregnant elite athletes have two questions, “How much exercise can I do, and when can I compete?” Sundgot-Borgen and colleagues examined 35 elite athletes who were Olympic medalists and world champions in the areas of endurance, ball game, technical, esthetic, and power sports. When asked about pregnancy and motherhood in relation to sports, one of the participants said, “[I have ] no problem with training, competing, and being a mother, but not sleeping is a problem”. Overall, in this group of pregnant elite athletes, there was no problem with fertility, risk of miscarriage or preterm birth. In addition, fetal growth was normal, most continue to train as usual until the 3rd trimester, and most return to ordinary training with 3-6 months after birth.
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Exercise And PMS Catherine O’Brien
Exercise and PMS: A case for exercising during menstruation To exercise or to rest? That is the question many women face once a month when they get their period. The fatigue, achiness and cramping can be enough to make you hit the snooze button or ditch your post work cardio session. Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) occurs in the days leading up to, and often in the first few days of, your period. PMS is marked by a variety of physical symptoms including fatigue, headaches, fluid retention, abdominal cramping, acne flare-ups, constipation and/or diarrhea. PMS can also bring on emotional and behavioral symptoms including depressed affect, mood swings, anxiety, change in appetite, food cravings, difficulty concentrating and irritability. According to the Mayo Clinic, 3 out of 4 menstruating women experience some kind of premenstrual syndrome that usually includes just a few of the previously mentioned symptoms. It is safe to say that most women do not feel their best during this time of the month but the question is, can exercise remediate some of these symptoms? According to research, the resounding answer is yes! We know that exercise is good for our bodies; The American Heart Association cites just a few of the benefits of exercise – it increases stamina, reduces body weight, reduces blood pressure and helps modulate good and bad cholesterol levels. Research indicates that regular exercise is leads to increased production of Brain Derived Neurotropic Factor (BDNF) which plays a key role in the survival and growth of neurons. Exercise has also been shown to selectively increases
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hippocampal volume which promotes improvements in memory and cognitive function. During the menstrual cycle, many women feel sluggish and lack focus. The research suggests that getting moving may help combat these symptoms and give you energy and focus to power through. Now, for the cranky or somber mood. The findings from a study reported in the Journal of Multidisciplinary Research demonstrated that mood states (tension, anger, fatigue, depression and confusion) were improved after a bout of exercise. Both aerobic and resistance exercise were successful in improving mood states. Interestingly, this study found that resistance exercise had a larger effect on mood states associated with tension, depression, vigor and confusion compared to aerobic exercise. The takeaway, if your period has you feeling moody and sad, hitting the gym may be a good way to turn that attitude around. How about the cramps? Cramping and abdominal pain are caused by the contracting of the uterus as the uterine lining is shed. Stretching the abdomen and engaging in light cardio like walking or jogging supports increased blood flow which can help soothe cramping. Yoga can also offer a good environment for stretching and relaxation during that time of the month. Keep in mind though, that inversions should be avoided during your period so if the teacher calls for a headstand or handstand, request for a modification. The moral of the story, periods can throw you off your game but it doesn’t have to throw you off your sweat schedule. When it comes to working out on your period, something is better than nothing, so if you can’t muster the strength to hit the gym, opt for a walk or hike. Of course, it is always a good idea to check with your physician to make sure you are healthy to exercise, especially if you are being treated for PMDD or have extreme symptoms.
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Do Female Athletes Need More Sleep? Hadley Seward
Do female athletes need more sleep? Female athletes face different challenges than our male counterparts. Women are more likely to sustain sports-related injuries than men [1]. We experience hormonal fluctuations throughout the month that can affect how our bodies build or break down muscle. And, as it turns out, we have different sleep needs that could affect our athletic performance. While there is a shortage of scientific studies looking specifically at female athletes, there is a large body of research about how gender affects sleep. Here’s what we know about women’s sleep: • Women need more shut-eye, approximately 20 minutes extra per day. • Our circadian rhythm is a few minutes shorter than men’s. Researchers don’t know why, but they do know that this slight shift can result in a greater sleep debt over time [2]. • We’re early birds. The difference in our circadian rhythms means that we’re more likely to feel our best in the earlier part of the day. • We’re more likely to experience disrupted sleep overnight. Women are prone to insomnia and, to make matters worse, oftentimes experience sleep disruptions due to our partners’ snoring. Studies show it’s not uncommon for people to be awoken multiple times per hour by their partner’s snoring. • As we age, women’s sleep quality generally declines and the rate of sleep apnea rises. Postmenopausal women tend to experience more overnight wakings and express more dissatisfaction with
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nighttime sleep [3]. • The good news! We can function better with less sleep when compared with men and rebound more quickly from sleep deprivation once we’re able to catch up [4].
Female athletes need to sleep smarter. Given that we biologically require more of it, we need to make sleep a priority. Early risers must adapt their bedtimes to ensure sufficient rest. (Always keep in mind that athletes need more sleep than non-athletes—so if you’re training, tack on more time to your sleep requirements. Your body will thank you). Try to wake up around the same time each day. This will help to regulate your circadian rhythm, which resets each morning, and will lessen the chance that you build up sleep debt incrementally over time. Don’t fool yourself: just because you can function on less sleep doesn’t mean that you should. Be sure to adjust your training schedule based on your sleep. If you planned an intense workout but had trouble sleeping the night prior, consider adjusting your plan. Training while sleep-deprived makes a sports-related injury more likely. Factor in sleep requirements when you create a training schedule. There’s no way around it: the body needs sleep to recover between workouts. An intense morning run after too little sleep won’t help you achieve your fitness goals.
The takeaway The fact that we have different sleep needs doesn’t mean that female athletes can’t compete or perform as well as men. Instead of fighting biology, let’s embrace it and be smart about how we workout and how we recover.
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References: Carstensen, L. L., & Hartel, C. R. (2006). When I’m 64. Natl Academy Press. Etnier, J. L., Karper, W. B., Park, S. Y., Shih, C. H., Piepmeier, A. T., & Wideman, L. (2016). Motivating Mature Adults to be Physically Active. Journal of aging and physical activity, 1. Keller, K., & Engelhardt, M. (2013). Strength and muscle mass loss with aging process. Age and strength loss. Muscles, ligaments and tendons journal, 3(4), 346. Pedersen, M. T., Vorup, J., Nistrup, A., Wikman, J. M., Alstrøm, J. M., Melcher, P. S., … & Bangsbo, J. (2017). Effect of team sports and resistance training on physical function, quality of life, and motivation in older adults. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports. “Protein in Diet.” U.S. National Library of Medicine. Bethesda: A.D.A.M. Inc., 2016. MedlinePlus. Web. 6 Jan 2017. Crovetti R, Porrini M, Santangelo A, Testolin G. “The influence of thermic effect of food on satiety.” US National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health. Eur J Clin Nutr (1998): PubMed. Web. 06 Jan. 2017. Campbell et al. “International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: protein and exercise.” Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. (2007): BioMed Central. Web. 06 Jan. 2017. Giancoli, Andrea. “5 Whole Grains to Keep Your Family Healthy.” ww.eatright.org. Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 16 Sept. 2016. Web. 06 Jan. 2017. USDA Food Composition Databases. United https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/. Accessed 7 Jan 2017.
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