Let’s activate those muscles with my October 30-day Challenge!

Let’s strive to get stronger, leaner and faster as we age!

Join My October MPS Challenge!

Are you ready to improve HOW you age?

Let’s tackle muscle loss, slow metabolism, and hormonal changes together!

What’s MPS? It’s how your body builds muscle! But as we age, we face anabolic resistance and hormonal shifts, making it harder to maintain muscle.

In this challenge, you’ll learn how to:

• Build and maintain muscle
• Boost metabolism
• Optimize your hormones naturally

PLUS, get 20% off Body Health Perfect Aminos to supercharge your results! Use code COACHDEBBIEPOTTS at checkout ➡️ [link in bio!]

Ready to level up? DM me to join the challenge today!

#AgingStrong #MuscleHealth #PerfectAminos #MPSChallenge #BodyHealth #FitnessJourney #CoachDebbiePotts #HormoneHealth #StrongNotOld #Longevity #FitOver40

As we age, our metabolism naturally slows down due to several factors such as hormonal changes, muscle loss, and decreased physical activity. However, with strategic adjustments in fueling, training, and overall lifestyle, we can counteract this slowdown and even boost our metabolism.

Why Does Metabolism Slow Down as We Age?

1. Loss of Muscle Mass (Sarcopenia): After age 30, people tend to lose 3-8% of their muscle mass per decade. Muscle is metabolically active tissue, so a decrease in muscle lowers your metabolic rate.
2. Hormonal Changes: As we age, levels of hormones such as estrogen, testosterone, and growth hormone decrease, which affects muscle mass, fat distribution, and overall energy expenditure.
3. Reduced Physical Activity: Many people become less active as they age, which contributes to muscle loss and fat gain.
4. Decrease in Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR): Your body’s basic energy needs (RMR) also decline with age due to the loss of lean muscle and hormonal shifts.
5. Changes in Digestion and Nutrient Absorption: Aging can affect gut health, leading to a less efficient breakdown and absorption of nutrients, impacting metabolic processes.

How to Speed Up Metabolism as We Age

1. Resistance Training and Strength Workouts: Building and maintaining muscle mass through regular strength training stimulates metabolism. More muscle mass means your body burns more calories at rest.
2. Protein Intake for Muscle Protein Synthesis:
   • Muscle Protein Synthesis (MPS) is the process by which the body builds new muscle proteins. It is stimulated by resistance exercise and dietary protein intake, particularly leucine, an amino acid that signals the body to build muscle.
   • For older adults, consuming 25-30 grams of protein with a focus on high-leucine sources (such as whey protein) per meal can stimulate MPS and prevent muscle loss.
3. Increase Physical Activity: Incorporating both aerobic exercise (like walking or running) and resistance training is essential. High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) can also be effective for increasing metabolism and improving insulin sensitivity.
4. Nutrient Timing: Eating protein post-workout (35-40g for older adults) and strategically timing your carbohydrate intake (before workouts) can enhance muscle recovery and optimize fat metabolism.

Insulin Resistance and its Impact on Fat Metabolism

Insulin resistance occurs when your cells become less responsive to the hormone insulin, which is responsible for helping glucose enter cells for energy. When your body becomes resistant to insulin, glucose builds up in the blood, and the body stores excess glucose as fat.

• Impact on Weight and Fat Metabolism: Insulin resistance makes it harder to burn fat for energy, promoting fat storage, especially around the abdomen. It also increases inflammation, which can further contribute to metabolic dysfunction and weight gain.

How to Reverse Insulin Resistance

1. Nutrition:
   • Low Glycemic, Whole Foods Diet: Focus on unprocessed, whole foods rich in fiber, healthy fats, and protein to help regulate blood sugar levels.
   • Carbohydrate Timing: Consume carbohydrates around exercise sessions when your body is more insulin sensitive.
   • Reduce Refined Sugars and Processed Foods: Minimize foods that spike blood sugar, such as sugary snacks, processed grains, and high-fructose foods.
2. Exercise:
   • Strength Training: Building muscle improves insulin sensitivity, allowing your body to handle carbohydrates more effectively.
   • Aerobic Exercise: Activities like walking, jogging, and cycling can help reduce blood glucose levels and improve insulin sensitivity.
   • HIIT: High-intensity interval training is particularly effective in boosting insulin sensitivity and fat metabolism.
3. Lifestyle Habits:
   • Sleep: Poor sleep can lead to insulin resistance, so prioritize 7-9 hours of quality sleep per night.
   • Stress Management: Chronic stress raises cortisol, which can worsen insulin resistance. Practices like meditation, yoga, and deep breathing can reduce stress levels.
   • Intermittent Fasting: Time-restricted eating may improve insulin sensitivity by allowing the body to use stored fat for energy more efficiently.

The WHOLESTIC Method with Coach Debbie Potts

The WHOLESTIC Method is a personalized approach to improving metabolism and overall health. It combines several modalities to assess and enhance metabolic function:

• PNOE Metabolism Testing: Measures your metabolic rate, how your body utilizes fats and carbohydrates for energy, and oxygen consumption during exercise.
• Comprehensive Blood Chemistry Analysis: Looks at markers such as glucose, insulin, and thyroid function to provide insights into metabolic health.
• Functional Lab Testing: Includes gut testing to evaluate microbiome health, digestive efficiency, and food sensitivities that may impact metabolism and inflammation.
• Genetics (Clarity Report from Precision Medicine): Provides insight into how your genes influence your metabolism, fat storage, and muscle growth.
• Nutritional Therapy Assessment: Evaluates your nutrient intake and how well your body is absorbing and utilizing those nutrients to fuel metabolism.

This comprehensive approach can help you identify areas for improvement, balance hormones, optimize fat metabolism, and restore overall metabolic health as you age. By integrating these tests and assessments with personalized nutrition, exercise, and lifestyle strategies, you can reverse insulin resistance, boost muscle protein synthesis, and achieve long-term health and performance goals.

How Hormones Impact Muscle Protein Synthesis (MPS) as We Age — And What You Can Do About It

Hormones play a critical role in muscle protein synthesis (MPS) — the process of repairing and building muscle tissue. However, as we age, our hormone levels change, leading to challenges with muscle maintenance and growth. Understanding how hormones influence MPS and what you can do to combat these effects is key to staying strong and healthy as you get older.

Key Hormones Involved in Muscle Protein Synthesis

1. Testosterone
   • Role in MPS: Testosterone is one of the most powerful anabolic (muscle-building) hormones in the body. It helps stimulate muscle growth, supports muscle recovery, and increases protein synthesis.
   • What Happens as We Age: Testosterone levels decline with age, particularly in men. Lower testosterone leads to a reduction in muscle mass and strength, making it harder to build and maintain muscle tissue.
2. Estrogen
   • Role in MPS: Estrogen has protective effects on muscle and helps regulate metabolism. It also supports muscle repair by stimulating MPS and reducing inflammation post-exercise.
   • What Happens as We Age: In women, estrogen levels drop significantly during menopause, leading to a decrease in muscle mass and an increased risk of muscle wasting. Lower estrogen levels can also affect collagen production, impacting joint and muscle function.
3. Growth Hormone (GH)
   • Role in MPS: Growth hormone stimulates muscle protein synthesis by promoting tissue repair and regeneration. It also works in conjunction with insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) to promote muscle growth.
   • What Happens as We Age: GH levels naturally decline as we age, which can slow muscle recovery and reduce the rate at which muscle is built. This decline contributes to muscle loss and difficulty in maintaining lean mass.
4. Insulin
   • Role in MPS: Insulin is an anabolic hormone that helps shuttle amino acids into muscle cells, promoting protein synthesis. It also reduces muscle breakdown.
   • What Happens as We Age: Insulin sensitivity decreases with age, particularly if activity levels and dietary habits aren’t optimized. This can lead to impaired nutrient uptake and reduced muscle protein synthesis.

Hormonal Changes and Anabolic Resistance

As you age, the combination of declining hormones and anabolic resistance makes it more challenging to build and maintain muscle mass. Anabolic resistance reduces your body’s ability to efficiently use protein for muscle repair and growth, which is why older adults often need more protein and a more strategic approach to exercise to see the same results as younger individuals.

Solutions to Combat Hormonal Changes and Improve Muscle Protein Synthesis

1. Strength Training & Resistance Exercise
   • Why it Helps: Regular strength training is one of the most effective ways to stimulate muscle protein synthesis, boost testosterone, and improve growth hormone levels. Weightlifting and resistance exercises create micro-tears in your muscle fibers, prompting your body to repair and build stronger muscles.
   • How to Do It: Aim for at least 2-3 sessions of resistance training per week. Focus on compound movements like squats, deadlifts, and push-ups, which target multiple muscle groups.
2. Optimize Protein Intake
   • Why it Helps: Higher protein intake is essential as you age, especially since your body becomes less efficient at using protein. Consuming leucine-rich protein sources or supplements like Body Health Perfect Aminos can directly stimulate MPS and combat anabolic resistance.
   • How to Do It: Ensure you’re getting 25-30 grams of protein per meal, including a post-workout meal within 45 minutes of exercise. Supplements like Perfect Aminos can help ensure you’re getting all the essential amino acids needed for muscle repair. Save up to 20% with code COACHDEBBIEPOTTS here.
3. Hormonal Balance Support
   • Why it Helps: Addressing hormonal imbalances can improve muscle health and overall well-being. For women, bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) may help mitigate the impact of declining estrogen levels. Men can explore testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) under the guidance of a healthcare provider.
   • How to Do It: Work with a functional medicine practitioner to assess your hormone levels and develop a personalized plan to support optimal balance.
4. Prioritize Sleep & Recovery
   • Why it Helps: Growth hormone is primarily released during deep sleep, and adequate rest is essential for muscle recovery and hormonal balance. A lack of sleep can lead to higher cortisol levels, which may interfere with muscle repair and increase muscle breakdown.
   • How to Do It: Aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep each night. Establish a calming bedtime routine and create an environment conducive to rest, such as limiting blue light exposure and keeping the room cool.
5. Stay Active Throughout the Day
   • Why it Helps: Daily movement helps maintain insulin sensitivity and keeps hormones in balance. Sedentary behavior accelerates muscle loss and can exacerbate insulin resistance, especially as you age.
   • How to Do It: In addition to strength training, incorporate activities like walking, biking, or yoga into your daily routine to support hormone function and metabolism.
6. Manage Stress
   • Why it Helps: Chronic stress leads to elevated cortisol levels, which can impair MPS and promote muscle breakdown. Managing stress effectively can help maintain optimal hormone levels.
   • How to Do It: Practice mindfulness, meditation, or other stress-reduction techniques. Prioritize activities that help you unwind and promote relaxation.

Final Thoughts: Age Stronger with the Right Hormone Support

The hormonal changes that come with aging don’t have to mean inevitable muscle loss and metabolic decline. By staying active, optimizing your protein intake, addressing hormonal imbalances, and taking care of your recovery, you can continue to build and maintain muscle well into your later years.

For more guidance on how to support muscle protein synthesis and overcome anabolic resistance, be sure to check out my Coach Debbie Potts YouTube channel for educational content and tips. And don’t forget to message me to sign up for the October MPS Challenge—let’s work together to improve HOW you age and stay strong for life!

Stay strong and thrive as you age!