Want to age better? You better step on it!
To build strength for long-term health, celebrity nutritionist and certified personal trainer JJ Virgin advises simulating your daily activities in the gym, performing workouts that engage fast-twitch muscles and prioritizing protein in your diet.
She shared these tips on Sunday’s hourlong episode of “The mindbodygreen Podcast.”
“Aging is a privilege but aging powerfully is a choice,” Virgin declared.
Simulate your daily activities in the gym
“We train in the gym to get better at life,” Virgin explained.
She emphasized the importance of a training regimen that helps with your daily routine, such as squats to mimic sitting down or standing up from a chair; bent-over deadlifts to practice moving a heavy box or lifting a child or pet; and weighted step-ups, which are designed to enhance glute strength and imitate hiking or walking up stairs.
Virgin, who wrote “Six Weeks to Sleeveless and Sexy,” recommends avoiding bicep curls or knee extensions if you’re training for vitality or everyday strength.
“How often do you ever do a bicep curl…unless you’re in a marching band?” she reasoned.
Perform workouts that engage fast-twitch muscles
Virgin also advises building fast-twitch muscles, which are found throughout the body but especially in biceps, quadriceps and pecs.
Fast-twitch muscle fibers are responsible for quick, explosive movements, while slow-twitch muscle fibers are better for endurance activities. Calf muscles are composed mostly of slow-twitch muscle fibers, which are also prominent in the back and feet.
Virgin suggests incorporating jump training, sprints, high-intensity interval training, Olympic lifts, high knees and other agility exercises into your plan, so you’re better able to ride a bike in the future or chase after your dog or grandchild.
“Whatever you train at is what you will be at,” Virgin said on “The mindbodygreen Podcast.”
Prioritize protein
The Recommended Dietary Allowance is 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight — or 0.36 grams per pound a day. For a 150-pound person, that’s 54 grams of protein daily.
Virgin proposes eating 30 grams of protein with each meal to build muscle mass and maintain strength. Experts often recommend each meal contain 15 to 30 grams of protein.
Women’s Health says 30 grams of protein are found in 1 cup of cooked ground turkey, 1 2/3 cups cooked lentils, 1 1/2 cups Greek yogurt, 3.9 ounces of reduced fat cheddar cheese and 1 cup of beef jerky pieces.
For her part, Virgin likes to get protein from grass-fed, grass-finished beef, wild salmon and chicken breast.
She recommends people who follow plant-based diets eat 40 grams of protein at each meal.
Women approaching perimenopause or menopause, when muscle mass and strength naturally decline, should also take particular care with their protein intake.
“I would argue right now that we should all be trying to put on as much skeletal muscle as we possibly can,” Virgin said, comparing the effort to an investment. “We want to stuff as much money into a retirement account if it had a really good interest rate as we possibly can, because then we’ll have more later to use.”
Rachel Carter is a health and wellness expert dedicated to helping readers lead healthier lives. With a background in nutrition, she offers evidence-based advice on fitness, nutrition, and mental well-being.
