Why should you care more about muscle than body fat?
Dawn (00:00):
Hello and welcome to the Gastric Health Show. My name is Dawn Boxell and this week’s topic is all about muscle mass and it is titled Why you Should Care More about Muscle than Body Fat. And we are going to dig into really just helping you understand that maybe we’ve had a wrong perspective, maybe we’ve had our focus in the wrong areas and not from any type of programs or approaches that people have used. It’s more in the aspect of as research is evolving, we’re beginning to understand more.
Dawn (00:55):
of muscle mass and how really having this as a priority is more impactful than having lower body fat when it comes to your overall health. So this is where I want you to really just think out of the box. You’re going to have to maybe leave behind some of your old belief systems and your thought patterns in body fat is bad and that weight loss should be at all costs because getting the body fat off is essentially your ticket to health and it may not really be that way.
Dawn (01:46):
So I want you to kind of come in with an open mind into this conversation because this might challenge your thinking. This might challenge what your physician is saying to you, what your healthcare team is saying to you. And I say this all in love because I’m the more I do this and the more I dig into research and the more patients that I see I can honestly say I have never worked with a patient. And maybe that’s because of if what I have been in my whole career I have always been involved in weight loss.
Dawn (02:29):
some form of weight loss as a registered dietician, I have always had this as a focus. And maybe that’s why those are the people who seek me out and those are the people who I work with. But regardless, I have never worked with a patient in the functional medicine space in the bariatric space that has not had a goal of weight loss.
Dawn (02:59):
So this is where I want you to just be patient and let this kind of unfold and really hear some of these details and then challenge yourself because in the end, there are so many things that you can’t do to help protect and promote a healthy life and a healthy body no matter how much body fat you have on and how your body is made. And this is the genetic piece and this is what really does impact and influence how this plays out and how your muscle mass and how your body fat is a factor in your overall health.
The importance of muscle body over fat
Dawn (03:50):
So let’s kind of dig in and get into this topic and hopefully you will get the big picture of what is happening. So many, many people focus solely on just losing body fat when it comes to their health goals. And I would say body fat in the aspect of just weight the scale, the number on the scale has truly been, has given a lot of power and it has given a lot of way to observe success when in reality that’s not true because we do all realize that just because you lose weight doesn’t mean that you are losing body fat and muscle mass can be lost in that.
Dawn (04:43):
So it’s two different things and that’s where you need some type of machine that you can evaluate what you are losing. So even like a tanita scale where you are least evaluating water loss is sometimes helpful. There’s different factors. When it comes to losing weight just weight in general doesn’t mean that you’re losing body fat. So now undoubtedly reducing your body fat is essential in terms of your overall health. However, it is equally important to prioritize building and maintaining your muscle mass.
Muscle Helps Boost Metabolism
Dawn (05:31)
In fact, we’re going to discuss how maintaining muscle mass is even far more critical to overall health than losing body fat. So hang on, here we go. Health and wellbeing are directly related to muscle mass. And muscle mass contributes to your metabolic health. Your functional capacity reduces your fracture risk and improves your quality of life. And think of it this way, I mean, who doesn’t want to be able to go to the bathroom by themselves when you’re 80 years old and that if you can’t stand up because of the muscles are too weak and you can’t hold your body, then that is not going to provide you the quality of life that at least I would want to strive for in my eighties and nineties and beyond.
Dawn (06:32):
So again, I thank you. Have to think about long term. What type of life do you want to live when you hit your thirties, your forties, your sixties, your eighties, what is it that you want to be able to do and what are your expectations during that time? And we all have different answers to this and for me, I do have longevity in my family in the nineties, lots of family members can live into the nineties and I do have some of those longevity genes.
Dawn (07:03):
I do have that ability to live into my nineties and beyond. I personally would choose. And now we all understand that just because we want to doesn’t mean it’s going to translate and appear that way, but I would choose to be able to care for myself in my eighties and nineties and be physically active in doing things that I enjoy and still prioritizing my health and taking care of my body along the way.
Dawn (07:36):
So I think all these things have been documented pretty well when it comes to reduced fracture risk, quality of life, metabolic health, all of that. We understand that. But I want to hit some of these highlights so you kind of understand the full picture. And if you haven’t had that experience or knowledge, then I want to share that with you. So your health and wellbeing is directly related to your muscle mass. So muscle helps boost your metabolism. And you’ve probably heard me talk about this before muscle mass is your metabolic power.
Dawn (08:19):
This is where you can keep your metabolism humming right along no matter where you’re at in your health journey. So one reason muscle mass is so critical is that it promotes metabolic health. And research does indicate that having more muscle mass reduces your risk of metabolic diseases like type two diabetes, insulin resistance as well as cardiovascular disease.
Dawn (08:50):
So you are never going to go wrong with working on your muscles or using your muscles. This is something that you will always want to prioritize. And just for these basic things outside of the ones I’m going to get into as well, but when it comes to your metabolic health, muscle is king and the presence of having lean muscle mass can help manage your blood sugar better prevent the development of type two diabetes.
Dawn (09:27):
And one study from 2017 showed higher muscle mass was associated with a lower risk of type two diabetes. And even when at rest, muscle tissue burns more calories than fat tissue. So if you have more muscle mass, then you do fat mass, you are going to be burning more calories. So one example that we can all understand is athletes, and they definitely have more muscle mass than then they have fat mass.
Dawn (10:05):
So this is where you can easily see that they consume thousands and thousands of calories to maintain and meet their metabolic needs. So again, it just kind of goes back to that calories in, calories out is not really how obesity develops and is maintained. There is so much more hormonally that plays a role in this and this is part of it. Your metabolic health when it comes to diabetes and insulin resistance, all of these things are playing a role in your ability to maintain a healthy weight.
Dawn (10:55):
So increasing your muscle mass can increase your basal metabolic rate. This is just how many calories you burn while resting. So think of it this as what your body needs to digest the food for your brain to think, for your brain to tell your lungs to expand and for your heart to beat. Those are just your basic needs just to exist.
why prioritizing muscle mass over body fat is for the potential of muscle loss
Dawn (11:25):
So again, as a result, it can be easier for people to maintain healthy weight over time when they have more muscle mass. The second one is muscle improves physical performance and functional capacity. And another reason why prioritizing muscle mass over body fat is for the potential of muscle loss when attempting to lose weight quickly. So rapid weight loss such as some type of crash diet, like a pouch reset or some type of detox where you’re only drinking liquids or shakes or things.
Dawn (12:09):
And I’m going to bash the liver reduction diet here because this is one of them. And this to me, I will say <laugh>, and I think I’ve talked about this before, but four years. So I’ve worked in bariatrics for 27 years and I will tell you worked with fabulous surgeons and the same surgeons for decades. And it wasn’t until a newer surgeon was hired that all of a sudden the liver reduction diets became necessary and how important they were.
Dawn (12:51):
Although I understand the reasoning and why practices use them or surgeons use them I just know from experience that we never used them until, I don’t know, maybe five years ago. And it was again when a newer surgeon came in and this is where he was trained, this is what was promoted as a standard of care and none of us was really for it. And I say us meaning the dieticians because we always felt like one, they were too restrictive and created a lot of metabolic imbalances like low blood sugars and just problems. People felt awful by doing this liver reduction diet.
Dawn (12:51):
Although I understand the reasoning and why practices use them or surgeons use them I just know from experience that we never used them until, I don’t know, maybe five years ago. And it was again when a newer surgeon came in and this is where he was trained, this is what was promoted as a standard of care and none of us was really for it. And I say us meaning the dieticians because we always felt like one, they were too restrictive and created a lot of metabolic imbalances like low blood sugars and just problems. People felt awful by doing this liver reduction diet.
Dawn (13:49):
So we kind of revamped it and got away from utilizing just low calories in this and really pushed more food and just kept it more like a very low carb diet type thing which can provide the same impact for the surgeons to help reduce the size of the liver, which I totally get and understand the importance of that because it is important in surgery to have access to everything easily and not nick things because the liver’s too large.
Dawn (14:25):
So I understand that. But again, it falls in this whole realm of crash diets because some programs do this for more than just a couple of days. This is some of them weeks at a time. So again, I think it’s unfortunate, but when you do rapid weight loss programs like a PA reset or even the liver reduction diet or other detoxes and things, which again, I am not opposed to detox things because genetically some of us and I am one that’s included, that I have to support my liver in order for my body to function appropriately when it comes to my female hormones.
Potential Genetic Factors That Contribute to Muscle Loss
Dawn (15:14):
my body does not process estrogen well and has not my entire life. So again, without that support, that liver support that is one thing that I would not have the health outcomes nor if I would’ve found it out sooner. I would’ve been able to support myself better years ago and avoided many heartaches and problems and issues that I have dealt with.
Dawn (15:47)
So again, detoxes meaning you’re doing just a juice fast or some other type of just powder that you’re not eating food. I don’t ever do those type of detoxes and never will. So again, I do it whole foods and using real food and plenty of food and there’s no hunger involved.
Dawn (16:10):
again, I think you have to line up with someone who understands this differently and maybe the genetic piece of it to help guide you correctly. So we go through crash diets and even bariatric surgery will cause a muscle loss as well as these GLP-1 medications. And this has been shown in a few studies with the GLP medications. I also know some practitioners who no longer recommend that as a first line for obesity treatment or weight loss prevention or an approach because in their practice that is what they kept seeing. Muscle loss, muscle loss, muscle loss.
Dawn (17:07):
And again, I’m not against bariatric surgery, I’m not against GLP-1 medications. I think you just have to be informed and you have to be proactive. So if you have bariatric surgery and you decide to go on a GLP-1 medication, you have to prioritize muscle mass, you have to prioritize resistance, strain resistance and strength training and working on your muscles. You have to be intentional with this or you are going to lose that muscle mass that creates the problem again, and I’ll show you.
Dawn (17:46):
So I’ve covered all of the GLP information in my naturally increased GLP-1, appetite suppression hormone posts, as well as how to eat for optimal GLP-1 appetite suppression. Again, those are tools that you can refer back to for resources on GLP-1, which again, I am not against. Additionally, losing muscle mass can also contribute to weight loss not being maintained in the long term because muscle tissue is crucial to maintain good metabolic health in the long run.
Dawn (18:28):
So again, it’s kind of like are we creating part of the problem? And to me, I would love to see a research study where we did, okay, if we prioritized muscle mass, we already prioritized protein intake. But that’s not the only thing that’s going to protect your muscles. You have to use your muscles. So I would love to do a study where you are taking a group of bariatric patients and you are only looking at those individuals who just prioritize protein and then the ones who prioritize protein and muscle work and then see how after 10 years what happens?
Dawn (19:18):
Do they regain weight as easily as those individuals who don’t prioritize the muscle work? That would be super interesting to see and maybe this study has been done and I just haven’t come across it yet, but I would love that to be done so we could kind of evaluate that option.
Dawn (19:42)
And then how to build programs for bariatric patients for them to be successful long term and actually a way that you can help determine what approach is best for people. Is it should they do a GLP-1 medication? Should they do bariatric surgery? Do they have the ability and the capabilities of using their muscles appropriately after surgery or after the GLP-1 medications? To me, that would be a factor in determining that using which procedure which one would work the best and provide the best health outcomes long term.
Muscle Improves Physical Performance and Functional Capacity
Dawn (20:29):
Muscle mass is also essential for maintaining functional capacity as we age. So as we age, our muscles lose mass and function, and this is what we call sarcopenia and it results in a decline, strength and mobility. That aging thing that I was talking about we just get weaker and we don’t have the ability to do things for ourselves because of this problem that occurs as we age and it makes it harder just to do everyday tasks. So getting into bed, getting out of bed, sitting on the toilet, standing up on the toilet standing up, cooking a meal all of those things that we take for granted right now in our healthier years when we don’t have muscle mass. I mean it makes a huge impact in your quality of life towards the end of your life.
Dawn (21:36):
But sarcopenia is a result in a decline of strength and mobility, making it harder to do just the tasks that you want to do to care for yourself. Keeping your muscles strong allows older adults to maintain their independence and quality of life while delaying or preventing the development of sarcopenia. And you can prevent the development of this. There are ways to do this because muscle mass decreases in every single human being three to 8% every decade after the age of 30, and the rate goes even higher after the age of 60.
Dawn (22:20):
So you have to have things in place to protect your muscles so that you prevent the onset of sarcopenia and you have that ability to care for yourself in your sixties, seventies, eighties and beyond. Not to mention a higher amount of muscle mass can improve physical performance in sports weightlifting and running.
Dawn (22:47)
So these are additional things that you maybe at a younger age want to strive at you. Maybe you have some goals or you’re in some sporting things and not that you can’t as 70 and 80, I mean they’re all kinds of people do begin things and they’re 60 seventies and eighties. So I think that’s awesome. But I would say if you want to perform better by doing a mini marathon or a triathlon you definitely have to prioritize your muscle.
Dawn (23:28):
Cause muscle tissue is responsible for generating the force and the power which can enhance your ability to lift heavier weights, run faster and perform better in sports. So again, it’s all tied together and going to impact how well do in certain sporting events. The next one is muscle helps maintain bone density. The mass of your muscles directly impacts the health of your bones as well.
Dawn (23:57)
And it has been shown that the force produced by muscle contraction during exercise stimulates bone growth, which can play a significant role in preventing osteoporosis and reducing the risk of FA fractures. In fact, a recent study in 2020 found muscle mass and bone loss is associated with the menopausal transition in females. So again, sometimes certain seasons of life put you at a higher risk, meaning you have to prioritize in your transition into menopause.
Muscle Helps Maintain Bone Density
Dawn (24:35):
You have to prioritize muscle work because of this, because if you don’t, you the opposite is going to occur, which is osteoporosis, and this, there’s a genetic piece to this as well that makes you at a higher risk. There’s also when you have bariatric surgery, you are already at a higher risk for osteoporosis because of bariatric surgery. So we know that all of these factors is going to impact these outcomes.
Dawn (25:10)
So osteoporosis and fractures are more likely to occur as you age because your bone density declines. So that’s where I really like people to get a bone scan and make sure you have a baseline. I think I did my first one at 35 and because of thyroid disease, I get them every other year or every two years. I think I’m actually behind to be honest because this monitors any changes and that’s important.
Dawn (25:45):
You want to catch it before it’s already osteoporosis because there is no blood indicator that we can truly hang our hat on that says, oh, your bone density is declining. So your only way to know that is a bone scan or a DEXA scan. That’s the same thing. So a bone scan is a Dexa scan. So get with your provider, get a DEXA scan or bone scan done and make sure you have that done as often as they recommend based on your health conditions.
Dawn (26:20)
So it won’t be every year that you need this but it will be dependent on your health conditions, on how frequently you should get one. So then that you can watch those trends over time and make sure you are not losing that bone density. But building muscle and strength can help maintain and even increase your bone density. You by doing so, you can reduce the risk of fractures and it fractures and improve the health of your bones. So that’s why this is so important to incorporate into your daily life in finding ways to incorporate this into your workouts.
Muscle Enhances Overall HealthÂ
Dawn (27:04):
The last one is muscle enhances your overall health. So muscle building can benefit your health in many ways beyond just improving your physical performance. Strength training for instance, has been shown to improve insulin sensitivity, blood sugar control and cholesterol levels. Additionally, it reduces the risk of chronic diseases like heart disease type two diabetes and certain types of cancer.
Dawn (27:31)
Now what about the potential genetic factors that contribute to muscle loss? A person’s genetic background may also impact his or her risk of muscle loss and difficulty in regaining lost muscle, although it is not fully understood yet. So we know that this is something that is showing up with a genetic piece connected. We don’t fully understand this shit. So this is where having certain genetic SNPs will influence how your body responds to muscle mass, body fat and bone density or getting osteoporosis.
Dawn (28:24):
There are many factors, but when it comes to muscle mass, there is a connection. And over time I think we will fully have a better understanding of this and the connection between it. But some individuals may have a greater genetic predisposition to losing muscle mass with age or when undergoing periods of weight loss. So it can set you up. Again, this is where I think it would be great if we had the genetic piece when making an informed decision on what’s the best way to help this person lose weight or lose body fat is really a better way to think of it.
How can I help this person lose body fat?
Dawn (29:05)
How can I help this person lose body fat? And for some of you, the best solution is bariatric surgery. Some of you it might be a GLP-1 medication and some of you it might be just shifting your diet and lifestyle combined with maybe some other approaches. But once you understand your genetic risk this can really help make informed choices so that you’re not just blindly signing up for something that 10 years later, 20 years later you regret because now you have all of these other health conditions in your later life.
Dawn (29:48):
So as a result, it becomes even more important to encourage muscle building and maintenance for overall health and longevity in these situations. Next is why is losing weight at all costs not a good strategy and weight loss at any cost is missing the piece of losing body fat, which is what the ultimate goal is and not losing muscle mass.
Dawn (30:17)
So those who lose weight rapid rapidly risk losing muscle, which is bad for your health and can lead to fatigue, accelerated aging, heart disease and many other health conditions diabetes, insulin resistance, metabolic disease in general because you’re losing muscle instead of fat. So a lack of muscle preserving strategies following bariatric surgery, prolonged fast GLP medication leads to muscle mass.
Dawn (30:54):
As a result, overall health is adversely affected. So just having this thought of I want to lose weight, which I know people not even, they haven’t even had bariatric surgery and this is their mindset, and again, this is diet culture at its best. This is where we have this mindset that you have a certain body that is supposed to be attained or a certain look, and this is where people are losing the point, we’re losing the real reason why someone should even try to lose weight.
Why is Losing Weight at All Costs Not a Good Strategy
Dawn (31:42)
It is yes, we want you to be healthy, but if we are creating more health conditions by our approaches. What good are we helping you then? So again, we can’t just have weight loss at any cost. It really truly has to be focused on body fat with muscle preservation as the focus. And that is, I would say probably a slow long process. The long play it is you are choosing the long play, which in that position is probably the most frustrating way when you are doing it because you are not getting any reward for your behavior changes.
Dawn (32:34):
you’re not getting any reward for the changes that you are making. Which is hard to continue when you’re not seeing the scale move. Again, this is where I have a love-hate relationship with the scale. Sometimes it’s a great thing to have it’s information, it is a piece of information or a piece of data that can provide us us insight to how your body is responding, but it is really not the only indicator that you should look at.
Dawn (33:07)
So keep that in mind when you’re making your goals that you want to make sure that you are truly losing body fat and not muscle. Now the next one is body fat percentage. Not always a reliable indicator of health. Although body fat percentage is often used to measure health, it is not always reliable. For example, some individuals may have a higher body fat percentage due to genetics, but still maintain a good overall health. Again I have had patients.
Dawn (33:45):
many patients actually who really had zero health conditions or so that’s what they explained to me. They didn’t have any health conditions prior to having bariatric surgery. They had the risks in their family. So the family risks were there, the genetics were not known and they felt like bariatric surgery was the best option. Because it was the best option for more guaranteed weight loss. Although there’s no hundred percent guarantee even with bariatric surgery to lose weight it has the best outcomes.
Is Body Fat Percentage Not Always a Reliable Indicator of Health?
Dawn (34:27)
Now, some people may have low body fat percentage but still have poor health habits. Think of smoking or sedentary lifestyle. So again, it’s not the body fat percentage is not always a reliable indicator of health. Just because you are thin doesn’t mean you’re healthy or that you don’t have health problems. So it’s a wrong interpretation.
Dawn (34:58):
This was believed decades ago, multiple decades ago. This was the belief, and I still know <laugh> interact with people today that believe this, that if you are thin, you are healthy. That is the only thing that you need to be worried about is your thinness. And that is just so incorrect, so incorrect. And it doesn’t matter how I try to explain this. I gave up, I’m, I have realized that I don’t have these conversations with people because that is their belief system and they’re allowed to have that belief system.
Dawn (35:41)
I will just say I have learned after decades of doing this and tens of thousands of patients, that is just not what I see. That is just not what I see in clinical practice. So the next one does fat provide protection and fat reserves are protective in the body and having less fat meant that someone had fewer nutritional stores to weather an illness, making it harder for them to cope. So adipose tissue is vital for hormone regulation. And we do know that our adipose tissue, so our fat cells are an endocrine system in and of itself.
Dawn (36:31):
we know that this is a piece and menopause that our fat cells produce estrogen to help us when our ovaries no longer produce estrogen. So it’s by design. So by design females, we are supposed to have some additional fat mass to help manufacture this estrogen that our ovaries no longer can do.
Dawn (36:58)
So again, it has a protective nature. It is just when that balance gets out of place is when it creates health problems. Now, which is healthier fat or muscle muscle is extremely beneficial to your body and overall health, regardless of whether you want to lose weight or build muscle, despite being denser than fat, muscle promotes metabolism by requiring more calories even at rest. So again, having more muscle is going to provide you with a better metabolic rate that will help support a healthier weight in the long run. Next, what is the importance of maintaining muscle mass in your body?
Dawn (37:53):
It is important to have strong muscles. So that you can move freely and keep your body strong as a result. You can participate in sports dance, walk the dog swim and do their fun, do other fun activities. But you can also think of it in terms of maybe not fun things, but things like making your bed, vacuuming your carpet, mowing the lawn, things that we would want to do.
Dawn (38:23)
And then as I have said before, just our basic self-care things, getting in and out of a bathtub, going to the bathroom by yourself and standing to cook your own meal, all of that is super important and requires muscle mass in order for that to occur now, which is heavier body fat or muscle. And you may have heard that muscle weighs more than fat. But science shows that however that muscle and fat weigh the same and it is the density and that differentiates the two.
Dawn (39:04):
So it basically, you can think of muscle as it just takes up less space. Despite weighing the same, there can be a greater deal of difference between the size of the muscle and fat. So again, think of it as a size thing or an inches thing. The more inches or the more muscle you develop, it will take up less space. Which means you will lose inches, which will eventually translate into losing fat mass and pounds.
Which is harder to gain fat or muscle
Dawn (39:38)
So the scale will change. So next is which is harder to gain fat or muscle. And according to a study, gaining muscle is more difficult and time consuming than gaining fat. And over time you need to continuously challenge yourself by lifting weights and gradually overloading your muscles. So again, this is where why I would say it’s sometimes hard. To prioritize muscle work because you don’t necessarily see the results. And then you throw in like people with thyroid disease, we have a harder time building muscle. And then another piece hormone piece is testosterone. If your testosterone is low, you are going to have a harder time building muscle.
Dawn (40:31):
again, it is harder to build muscle, but it is something that you have to prioritize. And it is something that’s super important to incorporate into your life. Now how can you tell if it’s muscle or fat?
Why is lean muscle better?
Dawn (40:46)
Muscles are dense and firm and take up less space than fat. And the opposite is true for fat, which is very high in volume. And takes up more space, which results in tighter clothes. Additionally gaining weight rapidly or significantly in an indication of body fat accumulation. So the more fat you have the easier it is to gain fat. And the more muscle you have, the less likely you will put on body fat. Because that muscle is going to be burning the fat or utilizing it for energy. Why is lean muscle better?
Dawn (41:27):
It is crucial to maintain a lean body mass in order to combat. In order to combat obesity despite being at rest muscle require calories to maintain their function. Therefore, gaining more lean muscle tissue will increase your daily calorie expenditure, decreasing your risk of excessive fat accumulation. And lastly, which burns first muscle or fat?
Dawn (41:55)
The first source of energy for your muscle is stored glycogen. And your body begins burning fat approximately 30 to 60 minutes into aerobic exercise. So once that stored glycogen reserves are gone. Then your body will then tap into your fat stores for fuel and convert it into fuel. So that’s why it is important to move your body so that you can utilize the fat stores for energy. So what do you do? What can you do to help with maintaining muscle mass? Number one, resistance training.
Dawn (42:41):
And this is just really utilizing weights, your body weight, bands, those types of things. All of any way you can use your muscles. Walking alone can help use your lower your leg muscles your quadriceps, your calf muscles. And all your muscles in your legs. W work great for building those, but if you only walk. You’re not going to be getting any help on the top half and utilizing muscles that way.
How to Build and Maintain Muscle MassÂ
Dawn (43:12)
So you want to find something that’s going to incorporate your whole body when choosing some type of resistance training. Number two is protein intake. So you have to make sure you have adequate protein intake to build muscle and repair it. So when you exercise, you tear down your muscle and then you do. Your body has to build it back up with the protein that you consume. So you should have to make sure that. You provide sufficient protein from high quality sources of animal or plant sources to support muscle growth.
Dawn (43:55):
And this is we’re working on with a provider like myself who can really help you. Determine the appropriate amount of protein that your body needs for your overall health conditions. And we can take into account your activity factors and really dial in a gram. Amount that is going to work for you and all where you’re at in your season of life.
Dawn (44:20)
And then thirdly is adequate sleep. The importance of sleep in muscle recovery and growth cannot be overstated. This is where your body is repairing and restoring and resetting is when we sleep. And not getting an adequate seven to eight hours of sleep every night is definitely. Going to impair your muscle mass long-term if this continues for years and years. So let’s wrap this up. Hopefully you have seen that prioritizing muscle over just losing the body fat is way more important long term. And for me I think personally it is about prevention. I want to do the things I can to prevent the onset of things. And any way that I can do that, this would be included prioritizing muscle.
Dawn (45:23):
And I will tell you that especially when you get into your forties and fifties as a female. You’re going through perimenopause and menopause. This is when you’re really going to notice changes in your muscle mass. And when you have to work a little harder.
Conclusion
Dawn (45:39)
So this is where you want to connect with somebody. Who can develop a program that works for you . Or utilize some of the free fitness apps or . YouTube videos or go to a trainer or go to different programs. That can utilize or teach you and educate you how to protect and. Build your muscles throughout different seasons of your life. And hopefully you’ve seen that a person’s overall health. Requires both reducing body fat but also prioritizing muscle mass. And maintaining your muscle mass can help prevent metabolic diseases and. Keep a healthy metabolism going while losing muscle muscle mass. Can negatively impact overall health and make weight loss more difficult.
Dawn (46:29):
Fitness routines emphasizing strength training and adequate protein intake and. Getting adequate amounts of sleep will can help you maintain and build muscle for optimal health and longevity. So if you are needing someone to help you kind of sort through. Your health and your current intake of protein. Your current strategies that you use for fat loss. And is it being protective of muscle mass check out our gastric health membership. Because definitely this is the biggest value and the easiest way for you to have access to a registered dietician. Who has counseled tens of thousands of you. But who also understands and can look through the lens of more functional and integrative nutrition.
Dawn (47:28):
Nutrition so that you can optimize and maximize. Your health for right now as well as 10, 20, 30 years from now. So I would love to connect with any of you. Feel free to message me on any of the social media platforms. Ask any questions reach out on our website, castrate health.com. I would love to chat with any of you. I do offer free consultations and to kind of see if we’re a good fit. And see if I can even help you with your goals. But I’d love to connect with any of you and. Try to find a way to help you attain the goals you have for yourself. So I hope you have a great week and we will see you next time. Bye-bye.
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