How Does Age Affect Your Fitness Journey?

Guest Question

“Thanks Moren. God bless you for Makkoy. My comment has nothing to do with today’s post. But we had some guests and we were discussing eating well and being fit and I got confused. A woman said we can eat anything we want as long as we watch our portions and calories. I believe that is what Makkoy too says. Follow your calories etc. Then another woman says it’s more than calories. As we get older, there are some foods we should avoid. She said even fibroids and many diseases have to do with our diet. She said even in little portions, there are some foods that are not good for you at all. Personally, I seem to believe this […] I guess I am talking from the point of view of those who are over 50. Please makkoy, can I have your opinion on this”

I got this question from a guest earlier today. I thought this was a fantastic question and truth is I get it all the time. Before I even try to get into it let me start here.

 

The Makkoy Way

So my view on fitness is simple and will be look very different for each individual.

1. Count your calories to understand your eating habits
2. Learn how your body works so you can make better decisions for yourself
3. Make portion adjustments to fit within your calorie goal
4. Start making small changes based on what you learn and observe about your body then keep growing from there
   1. What you eat, when you eat, exercise, how you sleep etc.
5. Add in exercise at any point in the process when it makes sense to you and you understand why you need it

I have a more detailed post coming soon on this but those 5 steps are the gist of it. The idea is rather than make a million changes because you “heard it’s healthy” or “it sounds like it should be healthy” make changes only because you understand what they mean for your body.

So How Does Age Impact The Makkoy Way

Truth is, it really does not. Since the process is very personal and about you; your age, preferences and current lifestyle have to be factored in when learning your body and in turn making changes that make sense to you.  See, the reason you start with your food is because there is no fitness goal that can be reached without understanding and managing what you eat. So for example, I learned earlier on, that eating heavy right before bed makes me wake up bloated and my back hurts… so I don’t do that. Not because I have heard a million times that you shouldn’t eat too late but because that change made sense to me.

As you age, it is true that your metabolism in fact slows down but the math remains true. Calories burned> calories eaten= better looking you. The crucial variable here is the “calories burned”.  When you use my fitness pal, which is the app I recommend for calorie counting, it asks for your date of birth and your age is actually factored into your calorie goal.

One of the interesting things I learned about the aging process, is that one of the biggest changes is muscle loss. Understanding that muscles are able to burn more calories than fat will immediately make you realize a piece of why you burn less as you age. A learning like this can then cause you to add more strength training exercises to help build muscle. The point is don’t do anything “just because” so that when you don’t feel like it, you have a legit reason in your mind to keep going.

Also there are definitely some foods that are better than others.  But don’t stop eating anything because someone said something, do some research- grab a book, google it, ask a doctor… Look for facts and have a real reason for any change you decide to make. Some examples of good and bad foods are highlighted  in these posts… Have questions about a particular food that’s not on Makkoy? Look it up! Educate yourself. Shoot to get information from reliable sources that are not just trying to sell you something.

I definitely think as you get older it is more crucial for you to make better choices for yourself but it is so much better to start making those choices now. Whether you are 15, 30, 60 or 90. There is never a better time to start building a healthy lifestyle than right now.

I hope that makes sense. There is no short answer to what fitness looks like for you because it is very personal and unique to each individual. It is a learning process and it will only be sustainable if you learn and grow. Need help figuring it out? Let’s talk! Have a wonderful day!