August 27, 2025 • 22 mins
Feeling overwhelmed by all the midlife fitness trends bombarding your social feeds? You're not alone. From weighted vests to protein obsession to step-counting fixations, the wellness world has become a maze of contradictory advice that leaves many women feeling like they're failing—even when they're doing their best.
In this revealing episode, I dive deep into the most pervasive fitness trends dominating the menopause conversation and separate evidence-based practices from marketing hype. Did you know the sacred 10,000 steps rule originated from a 1960s Japanese pedometer advertisement—not scientific research? Or that studies on weighted vests for bone health are surprisingly underwhelming compared to the mountain of evidence supporting simple strength training?
As a culinary nutritionist specializing in women's health, I break down exactly what your changing body truly needs: progressive strength training to combat accelerated muscle and bone loss, strategic protein intake (achievable without expensive supplements), and consistent, enjoyable movement without obsessing over arbitrary metrics. You'll discover how to hit 100 grams of protein using only whole foods, why lifting weights matters more than step counts for long-term independence, and which trendy practices you can confidently leave behind.
The truth is refreshingly simple: midlife wellness isn't about doing everything—it's about doing the things that actually work. Stop chasing every trending protocol and start focusing on the foundational habits that deliver real results for your health, strength, and longevity. Share this episode with a friend who's drowning in wellness advice and remember: you don't need to do it all to thrive in midlife.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey everybody and welcome back to the Real Food
Stories podcast.
I hope you're having a greatsummer.
I can't believe we're almost atthe end.
For me, it's been very busy andfilled with lots of friends and
entertaining and cooking and mygarden my garden has been
absolutely booming.
I just made tomato sauce withmy 30 pounds of tomatoes it's
(00:26):
just going gangbusters right nowand all my basil, and I just
love this season so much.
I love being able to walkoutside and just pick fresh
vegetables and cook them and ifI have an abundance of something
then that's how I plan my meals.
And it's just been a really,really nice summer.
(00:49):
And last week on the podcast, Italked about this absence of
food awareness that I have beenseeing out on social media,
especially when it comes to themidlife and menopause space.
I don't know if you've seen ittoo, but there's a lot of talk
(01:10):
about protein or lack ofenjoyment around our food, and
this fall I am definitely goingto be reviving that, because I
(01:36):
know even I have gotten a littleoff base with just talking
about food.
I mean, after all, this is whatI do for a living.
I am a culinary nutritionistand I am all about the food, and
I wanted to not only be ashealthy as possible, I wanted to
taste amazing too.
That's my job is to make sureyour healthy food tastes
(01:58):
delicious and that you loseweight, you have your energy and
you just feel your best withthe help of our food, and
there's so many amazing ways todo that, so I'm really excited.
I have some really great ideascooking up, and I'm going to
share those with you, probablynext week or in the next two
weeks.
So, for right now, though, Iwant to just continue my
(02:23):
conversation about all of thebig things that are happening
out on the internet and allthese trends that I'm just
seeing, and today I wanted totalk about the physical part,
the weighted vest trend, theprotein and macro trend and our
(02:43):
obsession with our steps.
So let's get to it All right.
So, if you are in midlife orgoing through the menopause
transition, there is a hugeamount of pressure right now to
do all of the things, and what Imean by all of the things are
weighted vest.
By all of the things, ourweighted vest, getting your
(03:09):
10,000 steps, lifting heavyweights, going gangbusters on
your protein these are thethings that are just dominating
the wellness space as it playsout in menopause.
So if you're in midlife and youfeel like you need to do all of
these things, you're absolutelynot alone.
The wellness world is loud andit's easy to feel like you are
(03:30):
failing if you are not doing allof it at once and you're not
doing it correctly, or you'rejust not doing it at all.
But here's the truth.
You don't need to chase everysingle trend.
I mean, five years ago, weweren't wearing weighted vests.
Why, all of a sudden, iseverybody wearing a weighted
vest now?
And I'm going to get to thebottom of things today.
(03:52):
What I want to do is give youwhat actually matters and not
just what is noise out there.
So today we're going to cutthrough all of it.
All right?
So when it comes to midlifehealth, we are bombarded with
information.
On one hand, you've gotinfluencers strapping on weight
vests and marching through theirneighborhoods swearing it's the
(04:15):
key to bone health and this isthe solution to everything.
On the other, you've got thestrength coaches telling you the
only way to survive menopauseis by deadlifting twice your
body weight.
Then, of course, there's the10,000 to 15,000, 20,000 step a
day culture.
If you're not closing yourrings on your iPhone or hitting
(04:36):
your steps.
Did you even move today?
Did it even count?
And let's not forget theprotein push.
Every headline says eat moreprotein.
What does that even meanexactly?
And every supplement company isready to sell you a shake or a
powder to get there.
Oh my God, it's exhausting.
(04:57):
I mean really, I am exhausted,and I do this for a living and
honestly, it makes a lot ofwomen feel like they are failing
, even when they're doing theirvery best.
The problem isn't that thesethings our weighted vests, our
steps, lifting protein any ofthese are bad per se.
The problem is that we rarelyhear what matters most and
(05:20):
what's just optional.
So that's what I want to giveyou today the real deal, and by
the end of this episode,hopefully, you'll know exactly
which levers to pull for yourhealth, for your strength and
your longevity, and which onesyou can stop worrying about.
All right, let's start with thetrend of the year weighted vests
(05:42):
.
Should you be wearing one?
Or is this another shinydistraction from the real work
your body needs?
Because lately, weighted vestsare everywhere.
I see them in every woman in myneighborhood walking around up
the hills or going up and downthe hills.
They've got their weightedvests on.
You've probably seen someone inyour neighborhood too walking
(06:05):
with what looks like abulletproof vest strapped on,
swearing it's the secret tostrong bones or faster weight
loss.
So here's the deal.
The research on weighted vestsis just not backing that up.
There have been studies done onweighted vests.
They have shown evidence thatreally, for as far as bone
(06:28):
health goes, weighted vests arenot the be-all end-all.
While it makes sense in theory,more weight on your frame
equals more stress on your bones, and that's what we want to do
for our bones is to kind ofstress them out and that helps
with our bone health overall.
Osteoporosis prevention,osteopenia the science just
(06:50):
isn't solid.
So studies on weighted vestsand osteoporosis have been very
small, pretty inconsistent andhonestly, a little underwhelming
.
Some show tiny benefits in veryspecific situations, but others
really show no effect at all.
It's nothing like the mountainof evidence we have on
(07:12):
resistance training and I'mgoing to talk about that next
where lifting progressivelyheavier weights clearly improves
both bone and muscle strength.
So let's set the recordstraight.
There is a myth out thereweighted vests prevent
osteoporosis and the truth isthat they really don't.
(07:33):
Only strength training andcertain impact exercises think
lifting, jumping running havestrong evidence for improving
bone density.
And here's the kicker weightedvests aren't risk-free, okay.
So if you've got back pain, ifyou've got cranky knees or
balance concerns, adding extraweight on your shoulders like
(07:57):
that can really end up makingthings worse.
At best, it's a fun way to makewalking more challenging.
Right, we are adding some extraweight.
Feels like something we used todo like back in the 80s, but at
worst it could sideline youwith an injury.
Okay so, should you wear aweighted vest or not?
(08:18):
Does it matter?
You probably have already paidthe $25 for your weighted vest,
so should you keep it or give itto Goodwill?
If you're stable on your feet,if you love walking as exercise
and you want to make it a littleharder, then definitely go for
it.
I'm not saying don't do it, butit's not a must do.
If your goal is bone health,muscle strength and long-term
(08:41):
resilience which in midlife itdefinitely should be, strength
training is the real deal first.
So let's talk about strengthtraining.
This one is the cornerstone of amidlife woman's health, of a
(09:03):
midlife woman's health.
Let's review again whatmenopause does for a woman's
physical body.
So after menopause, or in themenopause transition, we start
to lose muscle and bone at anaccelerated rate.
Now, a lot of this has to dowith our dip in estrogen, right?
Our estrogen lowers, we stopgetting our periods and that is
responsible for a lot of ourbone health.
(09:26):
Estrogen is very protective ofbones and our muscle.
When we go through themenopause transition, we lose
that protection.
Now, if you are not on hormonesand that's your option and
you're right to be on hormonesor not be on hormones I cannot
tell you what to do there.
But if you're not on hormones,then it becomes a little more
(09:48):
challenging as well.
Now, lifting weights is, handsdown, the best way to fight back
on losing your muscle and yourbone.
And no, it's not about bulkingup.
Okay, you are not going to bulkup.
Believe me, I lift pretty heavyweights at the gym and I feel
like sometimes I can barely tellYou're not going to bulk up and
(10:12):
get big and strong, becausewe're just not built that way as
women.
This is about being able to getout of a chair on your own at
75.
Okay, these are the goals.
This is about being able tolift your grandkids when you are
65.
All right, so we want to thinkfuture getting up off the floor
(10:35):
out of a chair.
I mean just all of these thingsthat we want to think long term
out of a chair.
I mean just all of these thingsthat we want to think long-term
, because I see older women whohave not taken advantage of
strength training or hormonetherapy, who have a really hard
(10:57):
time getting up off of chairs orfloors or fear of falling.
So we want to know that we cancarry our groceries without
straining our back.
The other good benefit ofstrength training is that the
more muscle you have, the higheryour metabolism is.
The higher your metabolism is,the more calories you are going
to burn, so it is a win-winoverall.
(11:17):
Okay.
So you can either lift weightsat home you can find a good
exercise class like I have youcan go to the gym, you can do it
online.
Whatever, it doesn't matter howyou do it.
The important point is to juststay progressive with it, not
lifting little baby one-poundweights, but always challenging
(11:38):
yourself to lift heavier andheavier, all right.
So here's the myth aboutweightlifting that I've heard
Walking is enough to protectyour bones and muscles, like
wearing that weighted vest, andthe truth is it's really not.
Walking is great for your heart.
It's great for your mood, it'sgreat for your peace of mind,
(12:00):
but only resistance.
Training maintains muscle andbone strength.
Again, the key progressiveoverload.
Lift heavy, not to the pointwhere you're killing your back,
but lift as heavy as you can.
You want to challenge yourmuscles with weight that
actually feels very heavy to you.
(12:21):
Two to three sessions a week iswhere the magic happens.
If you do one thing physically,let it be this All right.
So I mentioned walking rightwith a weighted vest or not with
a weighted vest.
The walking the 10,000 stepsokay, the famous 10,000 step
rule.
The walking the 10,000 steps,okay, the famous 10,000 step
(12:44):
rule.
Where did that come from?
Why, all of a sudden, do wehave to walk 10,000 steps?
And I also see on the internetthat we need to be walking
15,000 steps, or some women arewalking 20,000 steps a day.
I mean, honestly, I don't knowwhere some of these women find
the time, because for me,walking 20,000 steps would take
me probably two hours of my time, and then I want to go to the
gym and lift my weights, andthat's a lot.
(13:06):
So where did this come from?
Well, it came from a 1960spedometer ad in Japan.
Not from science.
There is no science behind the10,000 step rule.
It's a nice number to sort ofstrive for and I think it's a
healthy number.
I mean, I think my 10,000 stepswould be about three and a half
miles a time, but the researchreally now shows that if you
(13:32):
walk six to 8,000 steps a day,that is enough to lower
mortality risk for most womenover 40 years old.
We also want to be walking justlike the weightlifting, not
6,000 to 8,000 slow, meanderingsteps or just gently strolling,
(13:52):
but we want to walk briskly ifwe can, to the best of our
ability.
Okay, so you know getting ourheart rate up, not being able to
not speak, but you know havinga walking and talking with a
friend and getting a sweat.
So the myth is if you don't hit10,000 steps, it just doesn't
(14:13):
count, and the truth it does.
Okay, any movement counts.
When I even when I say themeandering steps, that counts
too.
Walking around in your kitchen,gardening, all of this counts,
all movement counts.
All right, Not sitting all day,but moving, getting up and like
just moving around Any movementmatters and benefits level off
(14:34):
well before the 10,000 steps formost women.
So, yes, walk for your heart,walk for your mood and your
energy, but please do not obsessabout this number.
Okay, just do your best.
Walk most days, walk almostevery day, if you can.
Steps are a piece of the puzzle, but they're not the whole
picture.
(14:55):
Okay, here's the biggie one,okay, the one that I feel like
everybody is talking about, andthat is our protein.
Now, protein needs do go up inmidlife because we are losing
muscle faster, right?
So, in addition to strengthtraining, we want to also
(15:15):
fortify our muscles with protein, because our muscles are made
up of protein.
Most women do better in midlifewith about 80 to 100 grams of
protein a day.
That sounds huge.
I mean, you see on the internet, on social media, I mean it's
some women.
(15:35):
It's minimum 100 grams,sometimes it's 150 grams.
How they are getting 150 gramsof protein in is anyone's guess.
That means that you aredefinitely needing to supplement
with protein bars, with proteinpowders, shakes, and I'm not
really all about that.
I really want to get mymacronutrients from my food and
(15:59):
you can do 100 grams of proteina day, especially if you are
going to the gym and strengthtraining three days a week.
You want to be fortifying yourmuscles and getting them primed
to be able to go lift weights atthe gym.
So here's what 100 grams ofprotein a day might look like,
(16:20):
with whole foods, with real food.
Breakfast two eggs, half a cupof cottage cheese.
Have some berries with that,mix in some spinach.
Make sure you have some fruitsand vegetables here.
I'm just talking protein rightnow.
I'm not talking about the otherparts, components of your meals
.
But we know and you know ifyou've been listening to me for
(16:40):
a while that I am definitelygoing to tell you to eat some
fruits and vegetables and awhole grain along with that just
to balance out your meal.
But right now I'm just talkingabout the protein.
So let me do that again.
Breakfast two eggs and a half acup of cottage cheese that's 25
grams of protein right there.
Lunch four ounces of a chickenbreast in a salad that would be
(17:02):
30 grams of protein right there.
Snack in the afternoon someGreek yogurt and hemp seeds
that's again 20 grams of protein.
And dinner four ounces ofsalmon with some veggies and
some brown rice or something 28grams of protein.
So that's over 100 grams ofprotein right there, with no
(17:22):
powders, no bars.
What we don't want to do is loadall our protein into one meal
or skip breakfast.
This is where meals balancedthroughout the day become really
important.
You want to space out yourprotein throughout the day, so
don't skip breakfast.
Make breakfast a time to makesure you get some protein in,
(17:45):
and you could easily get your100 grams of protein.
Now we don't need to startcounting every gram of protein.
You don't need to count yourmacros and get obsessive about
this.
What you can do instead is justbe mindful when you're having
breakfast.
Where's your protein?
Is it in eggs?
(18:07):
Is it in yogurt?
Is it in something that has agood amount of protein in it?
Same with lunch, same with asnack and same with dinner.
Just make sure that these mealsand snacks always have a good
portion of protein and you canget your 100 grams of protein a
day.
So one myth that is out on theinternet is that you need shakes
(18:27):
and bars to hit your proteingoals and protein powders, and
the truth is you really don't.
Okay, as long as you're eatingbalanced throughout the day, you
don't.
Whole foods like yogurt, eggs,chicken, fish, beans, tofu can
get you there very easily.
Supplements are optional tools,not the foundation.
(18:48):
I understand if you aretraveling or you just can't get
your hands on like a balanced,like day of food.
I get it.
Have some protein, you know.
Use a protein powder and ashake.
I totally understand that, butdon't make that the rule, make
that the exception.
Bread your protein out throughyour meals and you'll stay
stronger, fuller and moreenergized, you'll see.
(19:10):
Okay, so where does this leaveus?
I've talked about weighted vests.
I've talked about steps.
I've talked about strengthtraining and protein.
Okay, these are four biggiesthat are just circulating around
the internet lately.
Lifting weights the cornerstoneof midlife health.
I cannot stress this enough.
Start lifting weights, startsmall and start lifting.
(19:33):
Number two eating enoughprotein to support those muscles
that you are building.
Three moving daily.
Your steps help, right, butperfection is absolutely not
required here.
Just go take a walk, just getup out of your chair, keep
moving.
We need to keep moving.
Okay, we sit way too much.
Weighted vests these areoptional add-ons.
(19:55):
They are not magic bullets.
If you want to add a littlemore weight to your body when
you go take your walk, totallyfine, but just be careful with
how much weight you are usingand be careful about injuring
yourself.
And know that they are not themagic bullet, all right.
Midlife isn't about doingeverything.
(20:16):
It's about doing the thingsthat actually work.
Strength, protein movementthose are what carry you forward
.
All right, thank you so muchfor tuning in today.
I hope that this helps clear upsome of the myths that are
circulating around the internetand if this episode gave you
some clarity, share it with afriend who's drowning in
(20:39):
wellness advice.
And remember you don't need todo it all.
Focus on what matters.
Start small and ignore thenoise, and give yourself credit
for every step forward.
Have a great day everybody.
Hey everybody and welcome back to the Real Food
Stories podcast.
I hope you're having a greatsummer.
I can't believe we're almost atthe end.
For me, it's been very busy andfilled with lots of friends and
entertaining and cooking and mygarden my garden has been
absolutely booming.
I just made tomato sauce withmy 30 pounds of tomatoes it's
(00:26):
just going gangbusters right nowand all my basil, and I just
love this season so much.
I love being able to walkoutside and just pick fresh
vegetables and cook them and ifI have an abundance of something
then that's how I plan my meals.
And it's just been a really,really nice summer.
(00:49):
And last week on the podcast, Italked about this absence of
food awareness that I have beenseeing out on social media,
especially when it comes to themidlife and menopause space.
I don't know if you've seen ittoo, but there's a lot of talk
(01:10):
about protein or lack ofenjoyment around our food, and
this fall I am definitely goingto be reviving that, because I
(01:36):
know even I have gotten a littleoff base with just talking
about food.
I mean, after all, this is whatI do for a living.
I am a culinary nutritionistand I am all about the food, and
I wanted to not only be ashealthy as possible, I wanted to
taste amazing too.
That's my job is to make sureyour healthy food tastes
(01:58):
delicious and that you loseweight, you have your energy and
you just feel your best withthe help of our food, and
there's so many amazing ways todo that, so I'm really excited.
I have some really great ideascooking up, and I'm going to
share those with you, probablynext week or in the next two
weeks.
So, for right now, though, Iwant to just continue my
(02:23):
conversation about all of thebig things that are happening
out on the internet and allthese trends that I'm just
seeing, and today I wanted totalk about the physical part,
the weighted vest trend, theprotein and macro trend and our
(02:43):
obsession with our steps.
So let's get to it All right.
So, if you are in midlife orgoing through the menopause
transition, there is a hugeamount of pressure right now to
do all of the things, and what Imean by all of the things are
weighted vest.
By all of the things, ourweighted vest, getting your
(03:09):
10,000 steps, lifting heavyweights, going gangbusters on
your protein these are thethings that are just dominating
the wellness space as it playsout in menopause.
So if you're in midlife and youfeel like you need to do all of
these things, you're absolutelynot alone.
The wellness world is loud andit's easy to feel like you are
(03:30):
failing if you are not doing allof it at once and you're not
doing it correctly, or you'rejust not doing it at all.
But here's the truth.
You don't need to chase everysingle trend.
I mean, five years ago, weweren't wearing weighted vests.
Why, all of a sudden, iseverybody wearing a weighted
vest now?
And I'm going to get to thebottom of things today.
(03:52):
What I want to do is give youwhat actually matters and not
just what is noise out there.
So today we're going to cutthrough all of it.
All right?
So when it comes to midlifehealth, we are bombarded with
information.
On one hand, you've gotinfluencers strapping on weight
vests and marching through theirneighborhoods swearing it's the
(04:15):
key to bone health and this isthe solution to everything.
On the other, you've got thestrength coaches telling you the
only way to survive menopauseis by deadlifting twice your
body weight.
Then, of course, there's the10,000 to 15,000, 20,000 step a
day culture.
If you're not closing yourrings on your iPhone or hitting
(04:36):
your steps.
Did you even move today?
Did it even count?
And let's not forget theprotein push.
Every headline says eat moreprotein.
What does that even meanexactly?
And every supplement company isready to sell you a shake or a
powder to get there.
Oh my God, it's exhausting.
(04:57):
I mean really, I am exhausted,and I do this for a living and
honestly, it makes a lot ofwomen feel like they are failing
, even when they're doing theirvery best.
The problem isn't that thesethings our weighted vests, our
steps, lifting protein any ofthese are bad per se.
The problem is that we rarelyhear what matters most and
(05:20):
what's just optional.
So that's what I want to giveyou today the real deal, and by
the end of this episode,hopefully, you'll know exactly
which levers to pull for yourhealth, for your strength and
your longevity, and which onesyou can stop worrying about.
All right, let's start with thetrend of the year weighted vests
(05:42):
.
Should you be wearing one?
Or is this another shinydistraction from the real work
your body needs?
Because lately, weighted vestsare everywhere.
I see them in every woman in myneighborhood walking around up
the hills or going up and downthe hills.
They've got their weightedvests on.
You've probably seen someone inyour neighborhood too walking
(06:05):
with what looks like abulletproof vest strapped on,
swearing it's the secret tostrong bones or faster weight
loss.
So here's the deal.
The research on weighted vestsis just not backing that up.
There have been studies done onweighted vests.
They have shown evidence thatreally, for as far as bone
(06:28):
health goes, weighted vests arenot the be-all end-all.
While it makes sense in theory,more weight on your frame
equals more stress on your bones, and that's what we want to do
for our bones is to kind ofstress them out and that helps
with our bone health overall.
Osteoporosis prevention,osteopenia the science just
(06:50):
isn't solid.
So studies on weighted vestsand osteoporosis have been very
small, pretty inconsistent andhonestly, a little underwhelming
.
Some show tiny benefits in veryspecific situations, but others
really show no effect at all.
It's nothing like the mountainof evidence we have on
(07:12):
resistance training and I'mgoing to talk about that next
where lifting progressivelyheavier weights clearly improves
both bone and muscle strength.
So let's set the recordstraight.
There is a myth out thereweighted vests prevent
osteoporosis and the truth isthat they really don't.
(07:33):
Only strength training andcertain impact exercises think
lifting, jumping running havestrong evidence for improving
bone density.
And here's the kicker weightedvests aren't risk-free, okay.
So if you've got back pain, ifyou've got cranky knees or
balance concerns, adding extraweight on your shoulders like
(07:57):
that can really end up makingthings worse.
At best, it's a fun way to makewalking more challenging.
Right, we are adding some extraweight.
Feels like something we used todo like back in the 80s, but at
worst it could sideline youwith an injury.
Okay so, should you wear aweighted vest or not?
(08:18):
Does it matter?
You probably have already paidthe $25 for your weighted vest,
so should you keep it or give itto Goodwill?
If you're stable on your feet,if you love walking as exercise
and you want to make it a littleharder, then definitely go for
it.
I'm not saying don't do it, butit's not a must do.
If your goal is bone health,muscle strength and long-term
(08:41):
resilience which in midlife itdefinitely should be, strength
training is the real deal first.
So let's talk about strengthtraining.
This one is the cornerstone of amidlife woman's health, of a
(09:03):
midlife woman's health.
Let's review again whatmenopause does for a woman's
physical body.
So after menopause, or in themenopause transition, we start
to lose muscle and bone at anaccelerated rate.
Now, a lot of this has to dowith our dip in estrogen, right?
Our estrogen lowers, we stopgetting our periods and that is
responsible for a lot of ourbone health.
(09:26):
Estrogen is very protective ofbones and our muscle.
When we go through themenopause transition, we lose
that protection.
Now, if you are not on hormonesand that's your option and
you're right to be on hormonesor not be on hormones I cannot
tell you what to do there.
But if you're not on hormones,then it becomes a little more
(09:48):
challenging as well.
Now, lifting weights is, handsdown, the best way to fight back
on losing your muscle and yourbone.
And no, it's not about bulkingup.
Okay, you are not going to bulkup.
Believe me, I lift pretty heavyweights at the gym and I feel
like sometimes I can barely tellYou're not going to bulk up and
(10:12):
get big and strong, becausewe're just not built that way as
women.
This is about being able to getout of a chair on your own at
75.
Okay, these are the goals.
This is about being able tolift your grandkids when you are
65.
All right, so we want to thinkfuture getting up off the floor
(10:35):
out of a chair.
I mean just all of these thingsthat we want to think long term
out of a chair.
I mean just all of these thingsthat we want to think long-term
, because I see older women whohave not taken advantage of
strength training or hormonetherapy, who have a really hard
(10:57):
time getting up off of chairs orfloors or fear of falling.
So we want to know that we cancarry our groceries without
straining our back.
The other good benefit ofstrength training is that the
more muscle you have, the higheryour metabolism is.
The higher your metabolism is,the more calories you are going
to burn, so it is a win-winoverall.
(11:17):
Okay.
So you can either lift weightsat home you can find a good
exercise class like I have youcan go to the gym, you can do it
online.
Whatever, it doesn't matter howyou do it.
The important point is to juststay progressive with it, not
lifting little baby one-poundweights, but always challenging
(11:38):
yourself to lift heavier andheavier, all right.
So here's the myth aboutweightlifting that I've heard
Walking is enough to protectyour bones and muscles, like
wearing that weighted vest, andthe truth is it's really not.
Walking is great for your heart.
It's great for your mood, it'sgreat for your peace of mind,
(12:00):
but only resistance.
Training maintains muscle andbone strength.
Again, the key progressiveoverload.
Lift heavy, not to the pointwhere you're killing your back,
but lift as heavy as you can.
You want to challenge yourmuscles with weight that
actually feels very heavy to you.
(12:21):
Two to three sessions a week iswhere the magic happens.
If you do one thing physically,let it be this All right.
So I mentioned walking rightwith a weighted vest or not with
a weighted vest.
The walking the 10,000 stepsokay, the famous 10,000 step
rule.
The walking the 10,000 steps,okay, the famous 10,000 step
(12:44):
rule.
Where did that come from?
Why, all of a sudden, do wehave to walk 10,000 steps?
And I also see on the internetthat we need to be walking
15,000 steps, or some women arewalking 20,000 steps a day.
I mean, honestly, I don't knowwhere some of these women find
the time, because for me,walking 20,000 steps would take
me probably two hours of my time, and then I want to go to the
gym and lift my weights, andthat's a lot.
(13:06):
So where did this come from?
Well, it came from a 1960spedometer ad in Japan.
Not from science.
There is no science behind the10,000 step rule.
It's a nice number to sort ofstrive for and I think it's a
healthy number.
I mean, I think my 10,000 stepswould be about three and a half
miles a time, but the researchreally now shows that if you
(13:32):
walk six to 8,000 steps a day,that is enough to lower
mortality risk for most womenover 40 years old.
We also want to be walking justlike the weightlifting, not
6,000 to 8,000 slow, meanderingsteps or just gently strolling,
(13:52):
but we want to walk briskly ifwe can, to the best of our
ability.
Okay, so you know getting ourheart rate up, not being able to
not speak, but you know havinga walking and talking with a
friend and getting a sweat.
So the myth is if you don't hit10,000 steps, it just doesn't
(14:13):
count, and the truth it does.
Okay, any movement counts.
When I even when I say themeandering steps, that counts
too.
Walking around in your kitchen,gardening, all of this counts,
all movement counts.
All right, Not sitting all day,but moving, getting up and like
just moving around Any movementmatters and benefits level off
(14:34):
well before the 10,000 steps formost women.
So, yes, walk for your heart,walk for your mood and your
energy, but please do not obsessabout this number.
Okay, just do your best.
Walk most days, walk almostevery day, if you can.
Steps are a piece of the puzzle, but they're not the whole
picture.
(14:55):
Okay, here's the biggie one,okay, the one that I feel like
everybody is talking about, andthat is our protein.
Now, protein needs do go up inmidlife because we are losing
muscle faster, right?
So, in addition to strengthtraining, we want to also
(15:15):
fortify our muscles with protein, because our muscles are made
up of protein.
Most women do better in midlifewith about 80 to 100 grams of
protein a day.
That sounds huge.
I mean, you see on the internet, on social media, I mean it's
some women.
(15:35):
It's minimum 100 grams,sometimes it's 150 grams.
How they are getting 150 gramsof protein in is anyone's guess.
That means that you aredefinitely needing to supplement
with protein bars, with proteinpowders, shakes, and I'm not
really all about that.
I really want to get mymacronutrients from my food and
(15:59):
you can do 100 grams of proteina day, especially if you are
going to the gym and strengthtraining three days a week.
You want to be fortifying yourmuscles and getting them primed
to be able to go lift weights atthe gym.
So here's what 100 grams ofprotein a day might look like,
(16:20):
with whole foods, with real food.
Breakfast two eggs, half a cupof cottage cheese.
Have some berries with that,mix in some spinach.
Make sure you have some fruitsand vegetables here.
I'm just talking protein rightnow.
I'm not talking about the otherparts, components of your meals
.
But we know and you know ifyou've been listening to me for
(16:40):
a while that I am definitelygoing to tell you to eat some
fruits and vegetables and awhole grain along with that just
to balance out your meal.
But right now I'm just talkingabout the protein.
So let me do that again.
Breakfast two eggs and a half acup of cottage cheese that's 25
grams of protein right there.
Lunch four ounces of a chickenbreast in a salad that would be
(17:02):
30 grams of protein right there.
Snack in the afternoon someGreek yogurt and hemp seeds
that's again 20 grams of protein.
And dinner four ounces ofsalmon with some veggies and
some brown rice or something 28grams of protein.
So that's over 100 grams ofprotein right there, with no
(17:22):
powders, no bars.
What we don't want to do is loadall our protein into one meal
or skip breakfast.
This is where meals balancedthroughout the day become really
important.
You want to space out yourprotein throughout the day, so
don't skip breakfast.
Make breakfast a time to makesure you get some protein in,
(17:45):
and you could easily get your100 grams of protein.
Now we don't need to startcounting every gram of protein.
You don't need to count yourmacros and get obsessive about
this.
What you can do instead is justbe mindful when you're having
breakfast.
Where's your protein?
Is it in eggs?
(18:07):
Is it in yogurt?
Is it in something that has agood amount of protein in it?
Same with lunch, same with asnack and same with dinner.
Just make sure that these mealsand snacks always have a good
portion of protein and you canget your 100 grams of protein a
day.
So one myth that is out on theinternet is that you need shakes
(18:27):
and bars to hit your proteingoals and protein powders, and
the truth is you really don't.
Okay, as long as you're eatingbalanced throughout the day, you
don't.
Whole foods like yogurt, eggs,chicken, fish, beans, tofu can
get you there very easily.
Supplements are optional tools,not the foundation.
(18:48):
I understand if you aretraveling or you just can't get
your hands on like a balanced,like day of food.
I get it.
Have some protein, you know.
Use a protein powder and ashake.
I totally understand that, butdon't make that the rule, make
that the exception.
Bread your protein out throughyour meals and you'll stay
stronger, fuller and moreenergized, you'll see.
(19:10):
Okay, so where does this leaveus?
I've talked about weighted vests.
I've talked about steps.
I've talked about strengthtraining and protein.
Okay, these are four biggiesthat are just circulating around
the internet lately.
Lifting weights the cornerstoneof midlife health.
I cannot stress this enough.
Start lifting weights, startsmall and start lifting.
(19:33):
Number two eating enoughprotein to support those muscles
that you are building.
Three moving daily.
Your steps help, right, butperfection is absolutely not
required here.
Just go take a walk, just getup out of your chair, keep
moving.
We need to keep moving.
Okay, we sit way too much.
Weighted vests these areoptional add-ons.
(19:55):
They are not magic bullets.
If you want to add a littlemore weight to your body when
you go take your walk, totallyfine, but just be careful with
how much weight you are usingand be careful about injuring
yourself.
And know that they are not themagic bullet, all right.
Midlife isn't about doingeverything.
(20:16):
It's about doing the thingsthat actually work.
Strength, protein movementthose are what carry you forward
.
All right, thank you so muchfor tuning in today.
I hope that this helps clear upsome of the myths that are
circulating around the internetand if this episode gave you
some clarity, share it with afriend who's drowning in
(20:39):
wellness advice.
And remember you don't need todo it all.
Focus on what matters.
Start small and ignore thenoise, and give yourself credit
for every step forward.
Have a great day everybody.
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