From protein to Prosecco: a 40-something’s guide to living a healthier lifestyle
Tips for living a healthier lifestyle are plastered on every magazine cover and featured in every Facebook ad. But how many eye creams, libido enhancers, gel masks, skin smoothers, butt lifters, hair shiners, and Botox injections can one woman take?!
What actually works to help us feel and look our best? And what is just noise?
In this blog, we’re digging into the nitty gritty (and research-backed) world of living a healthier lifestyle after 40—no Botox required, but no shame if that’s your thing!
Start with protein
After 40, our macronutrient needs shift. We go from being able to efficiently metabolize more sweet and starchy carbohydrates to having a harder time with these sugary foods (1).
I’m not saying we should cut out sugar or carbs.
What I am saying is that we should put more focus on dietary proteins paired with colorful vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and legumes. Along with helping us maintain precious muscle mass (think: less risk of falls, fractures, and frailty), protein-rich foods are satiating and delicious.
You may be thinking, “Kristin, I heard Americans eat too much protein. You want me to eat more?”
It’s a great question.
The current RDA, or recommended dietary allowance, for protein is 0.8 grams per kilogram per day. For the average 170-pound woman, this equals approximately 62 grams of protein per day.
And based on studies analyzing the amount of protein needed for physiological functions, we need over 70 grams per day. Again, this is just a baseline for biological processes like hormone balance, antibody formation, and neurotransmitter synthesis…not the formation of new muscle mass (2).
To optimize function and keep your muscles happy, shoot for about one gram of protein per pound of body weight. This easy math aligns perfectly with the needs of active women over 40.
But how to get in all that protein?
First, you don’t have to be perfect. Some days are better for protein than others, and that’s fine.
Your goal is to include a protein-dominant food in each meal or snack. My favorite protein-packed foods are:
Wild-caught seafood, including canned salmon, sardines, mackerel, and oysters
Pastured meats like bison, beef, and poultry
Eggs
Cottage cheese and parmesan cheese
Low-fat yogurt
Organic soy
Well-sourced whey protein from a company like Mt. Capra
While I’m a big fan of whey and even casein protein for more active women, I tend to avoid vegetarian protein powders due to common contaminants such as heavy metals. If you’re looking for a clean source of vegetarian protein, email me, and I can help.
Get cozy
Quality sleep and rest are major components of living a healthier lifestyle. I’ve worked with so many women who push themselves to the limit, thinking that a 5 AM HIIT class every morning is the best way to stay fit and feeling young.
The good news is, you can and should relax.
Now, I don’t want to discourage you from early morning workouts or even occasional late nights with your hubby—these may be important for your mental health.
But I do want to assure you that living a healthier lifestyle can look like naps, Yin yoga, walks, and slow resistance training, like PIlates. Going to bed early, sans cell phone or tablet, is literally life-changing for us as we get closer to menopause.
And you may notice the effects of all this rest in one key area: your belly.
I can hear you gasp from here.
Yes! The lower belly is often the first place we tend to hold weight when we are underslept, stressed, and in need of some downtime (3). And this is even true for otherwise slender women.
So, if belly fat is your foe, get to bed a little early and sleep in a little later, even if it’s just on the weekends. Make your room dark, cool, and you have my permission to grab a small midnight snack—just a few bites will help to stabilize blood sugar for more sound sleep.
Make something delicious
You may have noticed that extremes are not making the list of living a healthier lifestyle.
You do not have to ban sugar from your life forever, you can take days off from intense exercise, and the main component of your diet? How about food you love?
I urge all my clients to eat a whole foods diet. I encourage them to focus on proteins, anti-inflammatory fats, and colorful carbs. But my main recommendation for living a healthier lifestyle is balance. So make something delicious!
What is your favorite food? If it’s junkie pizza and chocolate cake, can you make less junkie versions at home?
If you love your grandmother’s lasagna, but you have celiac disease, can you sub gluten-free lasagna noodles and still savor the recipe and her memory?
Remember to incorporate foods you love into your weekly meal rotation. Enjoying our food (and our life) might be the most essential part of healthy living.
So, what about Prosecco and living a healthier lifestyle?
Yes, Prosecco makes the list!
Again, we’re not shooting for extremes: the goal is balance.
So, let’s talk about alcohol.
Currently, we know that there may be some benefits to light alcohol consumption.
“Light” means about one drink per day, with one drink consisting of 5 ounces of wine, 12 oz of beer, or 1.5 oz of distilled spirits, like vodka.
However, this is infrequent consumption limited to one drink per day. We’re talking birthday toasts, graduations, New Years…you get it. With an increased frequency and amount of alcohol come higher risks of diabetes, breast cancer, heart disease, stroke, hypertension…all of the chronic issues we’re looking to avoid when living a healthier lifestyle (4). Not to mention alcohol consumption also leads to poor sleep.
So enjoy Prosecco or your favorite glass of Malbec. But opt for sparkling water with lime and orange when your party moves on to their third or fourth glass of bubbly. However, If you feel like you have sunk into the red wine rut it might be time to reconsider your relationship with alcohol. Taking a break even for 30 days can do wonders to boost detox pathways and lead to better sleep.
Are you looking for even more ways to live a long and vital life? Be sure to download my free eBook, The Overwhelmed Women’s Guide to Saying No - Reclaim your life and your waistline.
