Read week one here.

by Dr. Natasha Turner ND

Week Two of My Five Week Metabolic Reset: Start Working on Your Marvelous Muscle

We all lose muscle as we age and this is exacerbated and accelerated at a much greater rate if we:

• Do not sleep well
• Fail to consume enough protein
• Excessively restrict calories
• Follow harmful rapid weight loss programs
• Intermittent fast on a daily basis
• Fail to exercise correctly – too much, too hard, not including strength training and using workout styles that increase cortisol and suppress thyroid hormone (which can cause muscle loss if done regularly for more than 40 minutes at a time). Examples of this include spinning, running, Orange Theory, Barry’s Bootcamp (these are workouts that are an hour long and mix cardio with weights, which I do not recommend as it stimulates cortisol and suppresses thyroid hormone).

In general, I recommend and personally complete on a weekly basis two types of workouts for my own strength, muscle mass, hormonal and bone health:

• Those that are long, low intensity and slow such as walking (minimum one hour) or yoga (one to one and a half hours or;
• Those that are high intensity which is hot and fast and cause you to sweat example like interval training/sprinting (maximum 10 sprints or 20 minutes) and metabolic strength training workouts (maximum 30 minutes, after a five to seven-minute warmup).

My gift to you as part of your metabolic reset for week two is the perfect workout to preserve fat loss, optimize the hormones of strength and metabolism (growth hormone, cortisol, thyroid hormones, DHEA and testosterone). This workout is also the best for mood boosting and preventing burnout. The wrong type of exercise when you are stressed, burned out, anxious, depressed, nervous system in decline, it will only make your symptoms worse – I like to call this the Avici Effect after watching his life story documentary on Netlfix. I was so saddened to see the wrong type of support he was receiving. It was truly heartbreaking.

Strength Training:

• Increases DHEA, testosterone, growth hormone and decreases cortisol
• Lifting weights faster = metabolic training = breathless, burning, heavy, heat – the burning doesn’t stop when the workout stops. It continues for 24 to 48 hours – unlike jogging.
• Post workout – use a protein shake within one hour to prevent cravings and aid muscle repair
• Strength training impacts insulin levels –by improving insulin sensitivity – cardio alone does not!

The Hormone Diet Exercise (Cardio Component) Prescription for Fat Loss, Reducing Stress, Preserving and Building Muscle and Boosting Metabolism:

Two to five times a week: Cardio Component For Fat Loss, Strength and Energy – Pick depending on your time, energy and brain space:

Long/Low/ Slow: Walking minimum an hour at a time (outside) – needs to be this long for fat loss – or on treadmill – walk incline 4 speed of 4)

Or

Red/Hot/hot/Sweating: Sprinting 20 seconds X10 or do intervals on the treadmill – max twice a week for sprinting. Or on the treadmill – see my facebook page.

These can be completed on an empty stomach. Be sure to eat a Hormone Diet friendly meal within 45 minutes of finishing. Or before the workout start out with my breakfast challenge which is a healthy way to implement intermittent fasting into your lifestyle.

The Hormone Diet Exercise Prescription (Strength and Metabolic Component)  Minimum to, Ideal is Three to Maximum of Four Workouts Per Week (More Important Than Cardio if you have to pick based on your time)
Tips:

• Complete 10 – 12 reps of each exercise per round/set, you can choose different exercises based on your ability and current possible injuries. But sticking to doing four or five exercises in the workout is the plan.
• Rest when needed for as long as needed and then continue to the end of your 30 mins. At the beginning you may only get through one round or even less, the goal is to work up to doing the four exercises three to four times. You can increase your weight as you gain strength. I highly recommend seeing a personal trainer as I have done for years as an essential component of my success two to three times per week. If you are local and want to give personal training a try, call us and we can book you in with a Clear Medicine Personal Trainer.
• The goal is to work up to continuously moving 30 mins

Metabolic Workout 1 (see Youtube for descriptions of workouts and to learn proper techniques)

• Dumbbell squat and press
• Lunge and curl
• Pushups
• Bent over row

Metabolic Workout 2

• Squat or leg press
• Chest DB press
• Tricep Dips
• Shoulders press (curl and press)

Never complete your strength training workouts on an empty stomach. The best pre-workout combination is my alternative to intermittent fasting mixture that also provides collagen, creatine and protein for your performance and strength. You will also have significantly reduced level of soreness after working out. Follow your workout with a Hormone Diet meal when you get hungry.

To learn more about the importance of protein, muscle and strength as well as why we approach fat loss like we do at Clear Medicine, read this Men’s Health 2015 article. This is a fantastic summary and I share it with all of my patients to educate them on avoiding weight loss versus fat loss and keeping strong, no matter how old they are.

Photo by bruce mars on Unsplash