Heidi Skolnik is joining Claire on the podcast today. Considered a thought leader in nutrition, Heidi has influenced millions through her media work, writing and thriving consulting business. Heidi has been part of The Women’s Sports Medicine Center at HSS for over 20 years. Her company Nutrition Conditioning, oversees the Performance Nutrition program at The Juilliard School and the School of American Ballet and she has consulted with numerous Broadway shows.
Her book Whole Body Reset: Your Weight-Loss Plan for a Flat Belly, Optimum Health and a Body You’ll Love at Midlife and Beyond is the topic for today’s conversation.
Weight gain is one of the things that affect women as they enter menopause. Heidi joined journalist and author Stephen Perrine to answer the question about why this happens. AARP staff also tested the science as part of this project.
Our metabolism does not change in any significant way as we age.
That’s right! It’s steady throughout our life. What does change is less muscle which begins declining at about age 30 and continues unless we actively work to maintain muscle.
If muscle loss is the issue, what can we do about that?
We are always breaking down and building back metabolically. When we are younger, building back happens quickly. As we age, the process continues but we don’t build back muscle at the same rate.
Part of the solution is protein timing. We need to hit 25 grams of protein at every meal to overcome the resistance to muscle-building. Heidi outlines how you can do this by adding protein at each meal since most of us consume most of our protein at the end of the day.
All foods fit.
Heidi explains why timing is key to your nutrition overall. The benefits impact our muscles, bone health, weight gain or loss as well as strength and balance. Staying active and functional as we age is related to keeping our muscles strong.
The concept of aging is changing.
That’s the good news. We now know things that we can do to not just extend our lives but to also to stay active so we can do the things we want to do. Heidi shares several easy concepts that will help support a long active lifestyle. It’s not an either or, it’s both. Good nutrition, more muscle and staying active are part of a complete solution to aging well.
She recommends thinking about fat loss and muscle maintenance and growth instead of weight loss. Learning to eat in a way that support muscle mass is a great first step.
Changing habits is part of the solution.
Part of the solution is making changes in movement, nutrition, and lifestyle. Addressing things like portion control, moving more, adding resistance training, and making sure you add more protein and fiber to each meal will all make positive impacts to your health.
Start where you are.
Heidi encourages all of us to focus on the process and the behavior. We have control of our choices each day and making incremental changes in those choices can result in better health outcomes.
If you’re looking for specifics about how-to the book is a great place to start. There are things all of us can do to feel good.
Resources:
Whole Body Reset Book
Heidi’s Website
Heidi on Instagram