Thursday, October 29, 2015

How to eat right for your age. Fitness and nutrition strategies for your 20s through to your 80s.

Workout Tips

Good health and a killer bod might come naturally in your 20s… but what about your 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, and yes, even 70s? Here’s how to eat right for your age and feel great at every stage of life.

++

Growing up ain’t easy.

Whether you’re just entering ‘the real world’ after college, doing the kids-and-career-dance, or preparing for retirement, all stages of life have their surprises and curveballs.

In the words of Ferris Bueller, “life moves by pretty fast.” Nothing stays the same for long. And sometimes it can feel hard to keep up.

This goes for health and fitness, too.

As we age, our bodies change. (Yes, 20-somethings, this will actually happen to you.) Our focus changes. Our motivation changes. Our nutritional needs change. Our activity habits and abilities change.

How do we adapt? And keep up the awesome even as we age?

How do we make the best of where we are, right here and now?

The trick is to focus on the right things at the right times. By giving our bodies what they need today, we can help ourselves stay as healthy and vibrant as possible.

Here’s a quick guide to your best healthy habits to make the most of each life stage. But first a quick note…

Age categories are less meaningful or fixed than they used to be. Your age might not align with the commonly presumed life stage.

For instance, you may come into parenthood unusually early or late in life.

Or you might be an advanced senior with no immediate plans for retirement.

Or you may have habits that are accelerating your biological aging or slowing it down.

Wherever you’re at, there are some pretty universal standards that apply. We call these foundational health habits. These are useful for everyone.

Then there’s the special age-related stuff.

Different decades bring unique features. Sometimes these “unique features” are interesting, or even rewarding. And sometimes they really suck.

That’s where fine-tuning your exercise, nutrition, and other health habits can really help. This guide shows you how.

Feel free to read the whole thing from top to bottom. Or jump to the section most relevant to you by clicking one of the links below.

The 20s: Building and exploring

Business People Having Meeting And Eating Sushi

The good stuff:

In our 20s, our bodies are biologically at their peak in many ways. For example:

  • We recover relatively quickly and well.
  • Our bodies are pretty forgiving. We can get away with a lot of shenanigans, such as drinking a little too much, eating a little too much junk food, or skipping a few workouts.
  • We can build bone, muscle, and connective tissue relatively easily and rapidly.
  • We’re at our most fertile, hormonally speaking, and often looking for love.

We’re also exploring and trying stuff — new educational opportunities, new career opportunities, new relationship opportunities, new identities and life situations.

It can feel like anything is possible… and your body seems to agree.

The challenging stuff:

You might be combating the stress of trying to “make it” in school or the early stages of a career.

In particular, if you’re a competitive athlete, you can probably expect that most of your top performance will occur in your 20s; perhaps your athletic career might even be over by your early or mid-20s. That’s a lot of pressure.

Another common stressor at this age: looking good. The need to look a certain way might be a big motivator for you right now — and that can come with its own dose of stress and pressure.

Your best health habits right now:

In your 20s, some of the best things you can do for your health and fitness may include:

  • Start to build your “owner’s manual.” Now that you’re out on your own, learn the fundamentals of exercise and nutrition choices and how they work for you. What is important to you? What are your goals? What healthy habits make sense for you and your life?
  • Look for simple, general habits that you can still follow on a small budget or transient living arrangements (such as living in a student dorm).
  • Weight train regularly and get enough protein. (Yes, this goes for both men and women!) Your 20s is a great time to build muscle, bone, and strong connective tissues: you’re building a foundation for your body that will last the rest of your life.
  • Consider a variety of activities. Cross-training will build a solid foundation of movement, and it will help you explore a wide range of options to see what you enjoy the most. This is especially important if you’re an athlete, as it will provide a great base for future development.

These aren’t too complicated; the principles of healthy living never really are. However, implementation is always a challenge. For your next steps, click here. Or click here to learn more about coaching with us.

The 30s: Finding your groove

Young man cutting vegetables on wooden board in domestic kitchen

The good stuff:

In your 30s, you might find you’ve accumulated more self-knowledge… you may have a clearer sense what’s important to you in life — and a little more confidence to chase it.

You might be taking on some big, rewarding endeavors in your life: like career advancement, or raising children (or both).

Healthy habits might become a little more important to you now.

And you might have a little more stability and income. In other words, you probably have a bigger grocery budget and something nicer than a secondhand beer fridge to store it in.

The challenging stuff:

In our 30s, most of us are still feeling pretty good, but noticing some small physical differences. For example:

  • Maybe it’s not quite as easy to lose body fat or gain muscle.
  • Maybe things feel just a little achier or creakier in the morning.
  • Maybe it takes you an extra day or two to recover from a tough workout.

Also, life might feel a little more ‘complicated’.

You might find you have more demands on you. More responsibility.  And less time to work out and eat properly.

You may also have more mouths to feed, literally.

Your best health habits right now:

In your 30s, you may find that you need to:

  • Adjust your caloric intake and activity levels to account for a slightly slower metabolism. (Remember how you used to be able to consume all that pizza and beer and never gain a pound? Those are now the good old days.)
  • Be more careful with the quality of your intake. Your body might be a little more sensitive to what you feed it. For example, you may find you can’t tolerate alcohol as well.
  • Optimize your hormonal (and overall) health if you are planning on starting or growing a family.
  • Establish simple nutrition and fitness routines that juggle many demands (e.g. quick, effective workouts or fast-prep healthy dinners).
  • Include de-stressing type activities as part of your exercise routine.

Sure, a little more to think about than your 20s. However, a little extra goes a long way at this stage. For your next steps, click here. Looking for some coaching and support? Learn more about PN Coaching.

The 40s: Going strong

Fit-man-lifting-dumbbells-lying-on-the-bench-000053340814_Small

The good stuff:

Your 40s are the start of early mid-life. Famous for being a bit of a roller-coaster, this decade can bring lots of satisfying experiences, which may include:

  • Gaining confidence; more willingness to say ‘yes’ to what you really want and ‘no’ to the stuff you don’t.
  • New, exciting levels of career development or professional success. Maybe even the guts to take some risks and try things you were afraid to do before.
  • Deepening relationships with loved ones, possibly including children.

For some people this can be a time of personal growth. When it comes to health and fitness, that may mean improving healthy habits, devoting more time and energy to de-stressing, or fine-tuning some routines that will you allow you juggle all those balls in the air.

Meanwhile, you may feel great physically. (Especially if you’re active and taking care of yourself.) It’s still very possible to kick ass in your 40s!

The challenging stuff:

Chickens are coming home to roost. Your earlier choices are starting to show long-term effects.

You may really be noticing the effects of a slower metabolism, sarcopenia (age-related muscle loss) and changing body now.

You may notice things like:

  • Minor aches and pains becoming more persistent.
  • Small nagging health problems, or things taking longer to heal.
  • Reduced levels of many hormones (such as thyroid or sex hormones).
  • Having a harder time building strength / muscle, or losing fat; shifts in where you store your body fat.
  • Declining athletic performance (even if you’re awesome, you probably won’t be competitive against 20-year-olds at the elite levels).
  • New food sensitivities and intolerances.

If you’re female, you may be noticing some early ups and downs of perimenopause, the period before menopause when hormone levels decline and/or become a little more erratic. (For some women, this process can start in their 30s.)

If you’re male, you’re likely noticing lower testosterone.

Regardless of gender, you may have had one or more good old-fashioned mid-life crisis where you questioned your priorities along with your beliefs about yourself and the world. (On the upside, you have that shiny new sports car in the driveway.)

Your best health habits right now:

In your 40s, you may find that you need to:

  • Keep adjusting your caloric intake as your metabolism continues to slow down.
  • Spend more time on strength / resistance training to slow muscle loss as well as to maintain insulin sensitivity (which helps regulate blood sugar and prevent Type 2 diabetes).
  • Spend more time on mobility, “pre-hab” types of activities, warming up, and active recovery.
  • Consider your nutrition more carefully. That can mean focusing more on quality food choices and prevention of chronic disease, including:
    • nutrient-rich foods such as colorful fruits and vegetables.
    • a wide range of food types that cover the nutritional bases.
  • Eliminate certain foods that now bother you, while adding others that help control inflammation (such as foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids).
  • Supplement with a good probiotic as digestion starts to change.
  • Practice mindful eating in the midst of life’s whirlwind.

Many of us here at Precision Nutrition are in our 40s. So we know this phase all too well. For more “fitness at 40” steps, click here. Or click here to learn more about coaching with us.

The 50s: Refocusing and renewing

High angle shot of an attractive mature woman doing yoga outdoors

The good stuff:

People in their 50s and 60s often report a renewed sense of purpose and vitality as they let go of earlier self-images and look ahead to the next phase of life.

They’re “over themselves” and don’t feel so pushed and pulled by many stressors that 20-somethings might struggle with, such as pleasing others.

This can be a time to find balance in your life, as well as focus on a larger purpose. The things that matter most to you start to come into focus.

Case-in-point: Many folks check out our PN Certification later in life when they feel like they have something to offer as mentors and guides, and when they want to work on their own terms.

The challenging stuff:

In your 50s, some physical signs of aging are definitely starting to pop up.

Joints are now creaking and crunching. Formerly lean parts may be a bit squishy, even if you’re fit. Your favorite foods now give you heartburn.

Your circadian rhythm may have shifted. While you might have partied to 5 AM in your 20s, you’re now finding 5 AM is your normal wake-up time in your 50s.

If you’re female, you’re likely noticing pre-menopause or menopause symptoms; if you’re male, you’re likely noticing lower testosterone.

Your work in the gym might have more to do with rehabbing injuries and controlling inflammation than showing off your killer abs.

And, um, by the way, when did the print on everything get so small?

Your best health habits:

To be at your best in your 50s, you may choose to incorporate some of the following habits:

  • Keep adjusting your caloric intake as your metabolism continues to slow down.
  • Make an effort to get essential fatty acids to keep your brain sharp and other fatty tissues such as eyes healthy. (Omega-3 fatty acids in particular help fight the inflammation underlying many chronic diseases.)
  • Eat colorful fruits and vegetables; the carotenoids and other pigments help fight oxidative stress and reduce the risk of chronic diseases.
  • Try evidence-based anti-inflammatory supplementation, such as:
    • bromelain
    • garlic
    • turmeric
    • cocoa, tea and berries.
  • Watch your blood sugar levels and stay moving. Regular activity helps keep muscles strong as well as regulate glucose / insulin levels to prevent Type 2 diabetes.
  • Keep on enjoying your favorite fitness activities, but factor in more time for mobility, “pre-hab” types of activities, warming up, and active recovery.
  • Focus on nutrition, with an orientation towards quality food choices and prevention of chronic disease, such as:
    • nutrient-rich foods such as colorful fruits and vegetables.
    • a wide range of food types that cover the nutritional bases.
  • Enjoy mindful eating as part of an overall “refocusing” and enjoyment of life.

More to think about than in your 40s, for sure. But, for many of us, it’s well worth the investment. Now’s the time to prepare for our health and abilities after retirement. For your next steps, click here. Looking for some coaching and support? Learn more about PN Coaching.

The 60s: Second wind

Senior couple on cycle ride in countryside

The good stuff:

While previous generations tended to slow down around this age, being in your 60s today is a lot different. (60 is the new 40, after all!)

Older people are more engaged than ever. In fact, your 60s can be a time to learn new things, have fun, and go on adventures.

You might be seeking new challenges, new opportunities, new ideas—but more meaningful ones. For many, this is a time of personal fulfillment.

Staying active during this time is a way to help maintain brain health, and overall physical function. But it’s also a gateway to personal fulfillment.

The challenging stuff:

It’s on now. You can’t argue with aging anymore.

Some days, it feels like you’re living in a different body—one you don’t recognize. It’s almost like a second puberty, where physiological stuff is just randomly happening without your prior knowledge or consent.

On the plus side, you’ve probably started to reconcile yourself to it, and are looking forward to the opportunities that experience and wisdom bring.

Your best health habits:

This is a great time to take on new challenges. You might have a bit more time on your hands now, so why not explore? Try some things? Challenge yourself?

Learning and novelty are important for brain function—and overall satisfaction.

Here are some other practices to consider:

  • Focus on high-quality, nutrient-rich nutrition that helps you meet health challenges, such as:
    • inflammation and pain (for instance, supplementing with Omega-3 fatty acids or removing foods that cause flare-ups).
    • poorer digestion (for instance, adding sublingual vitamin B12, a digestive enzyme, probiotic, and/or fiber supplement).
    • decreased or disrupted metabolism (for instance, adjusting how much you eat, or getting on a regular meal schedule).
  • Exercise that helps you stay active, strong and vibrant while accommodating physical limitations or reduced recovery. For example:
    • maintaining lean muscle mass and bone density with resistance training (plus activity with impact, if you can tolerate it; walking and running included.)
    • balance, mobility and flexibility-promoting activities such as yoga or Tai Chi.
    • rehabbing injuries or recovering from regular workouts with water-based exercise like swimming, water jogging, or Aquafit.
    • activities that take some load off lower body joints while still giving you a good workout, such as cycling or rowing.
    • trying new activities that are challenging, interesting and fun.
  • Find some new healthy routines to help you cope with life transitions, which can include parents aging / dying, kids leaving home, job changes or retirement. You might join a local running group. Or get a dog — and walk it. Or travel somewhere new with a friend.
  • Make sure you have your bases covered. Your annual check-up. Your regular dentist visit. Do your due diligence and check out those lumps and bumps.

Take advantage of this opportunity to do the things that bring value to your life. For a few next actions you can start today, click here. Or click here to learn more about coaching with us.

The 70s: Making a contribution

Happy-grandmother-gardening-000069561765_Small

The good stuff:

People in their 70s are more likely than younger people to say they’re able to be present in the moment.

You might find you’re more conscious that health is a precious commodity and life is finite.

Simple pleasures in life — such as spending time with family and friends — may feel more enjoyable and rewarding.

This means lots of health, fitness, and nutrition opportunities. Many 70-somethings expect to stay just as active (perhaps differently so) as they did when they were younger.

Your 70s can also be a time to pass on wisdom, help others, or make financial contributions. For many, it is a time to reap the reward of hard work by seeing the positive influence they have made.

The challenging stuff:

If you’ve gotten this far without at least one major or minor health scare, you’re in a small minority. Many people find they’re taking a lot more supplements and drugs, and seeing a lot more doctors, than ever before.

As people age, they often become less active.

This sets up a vicious cycle where the normal effects of chronological aging are reinforced (and worsened) by inactivity: Physical function declines, dense muscle and bone disappear, falls become more common, and doing even everyday tasks can become more intimidating.

Digestive function decreases even more, along with oral health. Even small factors like declining smell, taste, and saliva production can affect food choices.

Your best health habits:

At this age, some important health habits may include:

  • Compensating for decreased digestive function and absorption by:
    • supplementing with digestive enzymes and possibly some types of sublingual vitamins
    • increasing fiber intake to help gastric motility
  • Packing more nutrition into smaller meals, since many folks in their 70s notice their appetite declining.
  • Possibly adding a multi-vitamin / multi-mineral supplement, since nutrient deficiencies go up sharply in later life.
  • Doing some exercise that includes “functional strength” and balance to stay strong in daily life and prevent falls; and weight-bearing exercises to maintain bone density.
  • Doing some exercise that includes socializing and building relationships, such as a group exercise class or a hiking group.
  • Incorporating social activities into daily life — which may include volunteer work or something that resonates with you. Community and connection become even more important as we age. The research is clear: once our relationships and sense of meaning decline, so does our health.

What to do next

As we’ve said, the above life stages are just a general guideline: everybody is a little bit different.

Think about where you’re at in life today. What can you do at this stage to help make the most of wherever you’re at—and make ‘future you’ a little healthier and happier?

Here are some general recommendations for staying fit, strong, lean and healthy at any age:

Stay moving.

Many “normal” parts of aging are due more to inactivity than the march of time. Get and stay active, however you can.

Choose nutrient-rich foods that add value to your body.

Lean protein, healthy fats, colorful fruits and vegetables, etc. all help prevent chronic disease and promote health.

Avoid things that take value away from your body.

This will change over time. In your 20s, a night of partying or a junk-food binge might be no big deal. In your 50s, it might wallop you. Notice how your body responds to your intake and behaviors, and adjust your decisions accordingly.

Recognize what you can control, and what you can’t.

You can’t control time. You can’t control random health problems. But you can control your behaviors. Making healthy choices won’t make you immortal or invincible, but it’ll give you a fighting chance at awesome aging.

Build and maintain connection and community.

Whether you’re playing on a team at 21, swapping tips with other sleep-deprived parents at 31, or caring for aging parents at 55, having meaningful relationships and a strong social support network is an essential part of health.

Get coaching.

Life is complex, and your experiences are unique. If you’re wondering about what might be best for you, or how you might tailor your own nutrition and exercise plan to your individual needs, seek out support. Life can be pretty confusing; we can all use a little guidance sometimes.

Want some help?

If you’d like some help staying consistent with your exercise and eating plan, we’d be happy to help. In fact, we’ll soon be taking new Precision Nutrition Coaching clients.

You see, we accept new clients every 6 months, and coaching spots typically sell out in hours. However, those motivated enough to put themselves on the presale list get to register 24 hours before everyone else. Plus, they receive a big discount at registration.

So put your name on the list below—because, as always, spots are first come, first served, and when they’re gone, they’re gone.

The post How to eat right for your age. Fitness and nutrition strategies for your 20s through to your 80s. appeared first on Precision Nutrition.

Workout Tips
Precision Nutrition

The post How to eat right for your age. Fitness and nutrition strategies for your 20s through to your 80s. appeared first on Workout Tips.


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Wednesday, October 28, 2015

How to eat right for your age. Fitness and nutrition strategies for your 20s through to your 80s.

Workout Tips

Good health and a killer bod might come naturally in your 20s… but what about your 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, and yes, even 70s? Here’s how to eat right for your age and feel great at every stage of life.

++

Growing up ain’t easy.

Whether you’re just entering ‘the real world’ after college, doing the kids-and-career-dance, or preparing for retirement, all stages of life have their surprises and curveballs.

In the words of Ferris Bueller, “life moves by pretty fast.” Nothing stays the same for long. And sometimes it can feel hard to keep up.

This goes for health and fitness, too.

As we age, our bodies change. (Yes, 20-somethings, this will actually happen to you.) Our focus changes. Our motivation changes. Our nutritional needs change. Our activity habits and abilities change.

How do we adapt? And keep up the awesome even as we age?

How do we make the best of where we are, right here and now?

The trick is to focus on the right things at the right times. By giving our bodies what they need today, we can help ourselves stay as healthy and vibrant as possible.

Here’s a quick guide to your best healthy habits to make the most of each life stage. But first a quick note…

Age categories are less meaningful or fixed than they used to be. Your age might not align with the commonly presumed life stage.

For instance, you may come into parenthood unusually early or late in life.

Or you might be an advanced senior with no immediate plans for retirement.

Or you may have habits that are accelerating your biological aging or slowing it down.

Wherever you’re at, there are some pretty universal standards that apply. We call these foundational health habits. These are useful for everyone.

Then there’s the special age-related stuff.

Different decades bring unique features. Sometimes these “unique features” are interesting, or even rewarding. And sometimes they really suck.

That’s where fine-tuning your exercise, nutrition, and other health habits can really help. This guide shows you how.

Feel free to read the whole thing from top to bottom. Or jump to the section most relevant to you by clicking one of the links below.

The 20s: Building and exploring

Business People Having Meeting And Eating Sushi

The good stuff:

In our 20s, our bodies are biologically at their peak in many ways. For example:

  • We recover relatively quickly and well.
  • Our bodies are pretty forgiving. We can get away with a lot of shenanigans, such as drinking a little too much, eating a little too much junk food, or skipping a few workouts.
  • We can build bone, muscle, and connective tissue relatively easily and rapidly.
  • We’re at our most fertile, hormonally speaking, and often looking for love.

We’re also exploring and trying stuff — new educational opportunities, new career opportunities, new relationship opportunities, new identities and life situations.

It can feel like anything is possible… and your body seems to agree.

The challenging stuff:

You might be combating the stress of trying to “make it” in school or the early stages of a career.

In particular, if you’re a competitive athlete, you can probably expect that most of your top performance will occur in your 20s; perhaps your athletic career might even be over by your early or mid-20s. That’s a lot of pressure.

Another common stressor at this age: looking good. The need to look a certain way might be a big motivator for you right now — and that can come with its own dose of stress and pressure.

Your best health habits right now:

In your 20s, some of the best things you can do for your health and fitness may include:

  • Start to build your “owner’s manual.” Now that you’re out on your own, learn the fundamentals of exercise and nutrition choices and how they work for you. What is important to you? What are your goals? What healthy habits make sense for you and your life?
  • Look for simple, general habits that you can still follow on a small budget or transient living arrangements (such as living in a student dorm).
  • Weight train regularly and get enough protein. (Yes, this goes for both men and women!) Your 20s is a great time to build muscle, bone, and strong connective tissues: you’re building a foundation for your body that will last the rest of your life.
  • Consider a variety of activities. Cross-training will build a solid foundation of movement, and it will help you explore a wide range of options to see what you enjoy the most. This is especially important if you’re an athlete, as it will provide a great base for future development.

These aren’t too complicated; the principles of healthy living never really are. However, implementation is always a challenge. For your next steps, click here. Or click here to learn more about coaching with us.

The 30s: Finding your groove

Young man cutting vegetables on wooden board in domestic kitchen

The good stuff:

In your 30s, you might find you’ve accumulated more self-knowledge… you may have a clearer sense what’s important to you in life — and a little more confidence to chase it.

You might be taking on some big, rewarding endeavors in your life: like career advancement, or raising children (or both).

Healthy habits might become a little more important to you now.

And you might have a little more stability and income. In other words, you probably have a bigger grocery budget and something nicer than a secondhand beer fridge to store it in.

The challenging stuff:

In our 30s, most of us are still feeling pretty good, but noticing some small physical differences. For example:

  • Maybe it’s not quite as easy to lose body fat or gain muscle.
  • Maybe things feel just a little achier or creakier in the morning.
  • Maybe it takes you an extra day or two to recover from a tough workout.

Also, life might feel a little more ‘complicated’.

You might find you have more demands on you. More responsibility.  And less time to work out and eat properly.

You may also have more mouths to feed, literally.

Your best health habits right now:

In your 30s, you may find that you need to:

  • Adjust your caloric intake and activity levels to account for a slightly slower metabolism. (Remember how you used to be able to consume all that pizza and beer and never gain a pound? Those are now the good old days.)
  • Be more careful with the quality of your intake. Your body might be a little more sensitive to what you feed it. For example, you may find you can’t tolerate alcohol as well.
  • Optimize your hormonal (and overall) health if you are planning on starting or growing a family.
  • Establish simple nutrition and fitness routines that juggle many demands (e.g. quick, effective workouts or fast-prep healthy dinners).
  • Include de-stressing type activities as part of your exercise routine.

Sure, a little more to think about than your 20s. However, a little extra goes a long way at this stage. For your next steps, click here. Looking for some coaching and support? Learn more about PN Coaching.

The 40s: Going strong

Fit-man-lifting-dumbbells-lying-on-the-bench-000053340814_Small

The good stuff:

Your 40s are the start of early mid-life. Famous for being a bit of a roller-coaster, this decade can bring lots of satisfying experiences, which may include:

  • Gaining confidence; more willingness to say ‘yes’ to what you really want and ‘no’ to the stuff you don’t.
  • New, exciting levels of career development or professional success. Maybe even the guts to take some risks and try things you were afraid to do before.
  • Deepening relationships with loved ones, possibly including children.

For some people this can be a time of personal growth. When it comes to health and fitness, that may mean improving healthy habits, devoting more time and energy to de-stressing, or fine-tuning some routines that will you allow you juggle all those balls in the air.

Meanwhile, you may feel great physically. (Especially if you’re active and taking care of yourself.) It’s still very possible to kick ass in your 40s!

The challenging stuff:

Chickens are coming home to roost. Your earlier choices are starting to show long-term effects.

You may really be noticing the effects of a slower metabolism, sarcopenia (age-related muscle loss) and changing body now.

You may notice things like:

  • Minor aches and pains becoming more persistent.
  • Small nagging health problems, or things taking longer to heal.
  • Reduced levels of many hormones (such as thyroid or sex hormones).
  • Having a harder time building strength / muscle, or losing fat; shifts in where you store your body fat.
  • Declining athletic performance (even if you’re awesome, you probably won’t be competitive against 20-year-olds at the elite levels).
  • New food sensitivities and intolerances.

If you’re female, you may be noticing some early ups and downs of perimenopause, the period before menopause when hormone levels decline and/or become a little more erratic. (For some women, this process can start in their 30s.)

If you’re male, you’re likely noticing lower testosterone.

Regardless of gender, you may have had one or more good old-fashioned mid-life crisis where you questioned your priorities along with your beliefs about yourself and the world. (On the upside, you have that shiny new sports car in the driveway.)

Your best health habits right now:

In your 40s, you may find that you need to:

  • Keep adjusting your caloric intake as your metabolism continues to slow down.
  • Spend more time on strength / resistance training to slow muscle loss as well as to maintain insulin sensitivity (which helps regulate blood sugar and prevent Type 2 diabetes).
  • Spend more time on mobility, “pre-hab” types of activities, warming up, and active recovery.
  • Consider your nutrition more carefully. That can mean focusing more on quality food choices and prevention of chronic disease, including:
    • nutrient-rich foods such as colorful fruits and vegetables.
    • a wide range of food types that cover the nutritional bases.
  • Eliminate certain foods that now bother you, while adding others that help control inflammation (such as foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids).
  • Supplement with a good probiotic as digestion starts to change.
  • Practice mindful eating in the midst of life’s whirlwind.

Many of us here at Precision Nutrition are in our 40s. So we know this phase all too well. For more “fitness at 40” steps, click here. Or click here to learn more about coaching with us.

The 50s: Refocusing and renewing

High angle shot of an attractive mature woman doing yoga outdoors

The good stuff:

People in their 50s and 60s often report a renewed sense of purpose and vitality as they let go of earlier self-images and look ahead to the next phase of life.

They’re “over themselves” and don’t feel so pushed and pulled by many stressors that 20-somethings might struggle with, such as pleasing others.

This can be a time to find balance in your life, as well as focus on a larger purpose. The things that matter most to you start to come into focus.

Case-in-point: Many folks check out our PN Certification later in life when they feel like they have something to offer as mentors and guides, and when they want to work on their own terms.

The challenging stuff:

In your 50s, some physical signs of aging are definitely starting to pop up.

Joints are now creaking and crunching. Formerly lean parts may be a bit squishy, even if you’re fit. Your favorite foods now give you heartburn.

Your circadian rhythm may have shifted. While you might have partied to 5 AM in your 20s, you’re now finding 5 AM is your normal wake-up time in your 50s.

If you’re female, you’re likely noticing pre-menopause or menopause symptoms; if you’re male, you’re likely noticing lower testosterone.

Your work in the gym might have more to do with rehabbing injuries and controlling inflammation than showing off your killer abs.

And, um, by the way, when did the print on everything get so small?

Your best health habits:

To be at your best in your 50s, you may choose to incorporate some of the following habits:

  • Keep adjusting your caloric intake as your metabolism continues to slow down.
  • Make an effort to get essential fatty acids to keep your brain sharp and other fatty tissues such as eyes healthy. (Omega-3 fatty acids in particular help fight the inflammation underlying many chronic diseases.)
  • Eat colorful fruits and vegetables; the carotenoids and other pigments help fight oxidative stress and reduce the risk of chronic diseases.
  • Try evidence-based anti-inflammatory supplementation, such as:
    • bromelain
    • garlic
    • turmeric
    • cocoa, tea and berries.
  • Watch your blood sugar levels and stay moving. Regular activity helps keep muscles strong as well as regulate glucose / insulin levels to prevent Type 2 diabetes.
  • Keep on enjoying your favorite fitness activities, but factor in more time for mobility, “pre-hab” types of activities, warming up, and active recovery.
  • Focus on nutrition, with an orientation towards quality food choices and prevention of chronic disease, such as:
    • nutrient-rich foods such as colorful fruits and vegetables.
    • a wide range of food types that cover the nutritional bases.
  • Enjoy mindful eating as part of an overall “refocusing” and enjoyment of life.

More to think about than in your 40s, for sure. But, for many of us, it’s well worth the investment. Now’s the time to prepare for our health and abilities after retirement. For your next steps, click here. Looking for some coaching and support? Learn more about PN Coaching.

The 60s: Second wind

Senior couple on cycle ride in countryside

The good stuff:

While previous generations tended to slow down around this age, being in your 60s today is a lot different. (60 is the new 40, after all!)

Older people are more engaged than ever. In fact, your 60s can be a time to learn new things, have fun, and go on adventures.

You might be seeking new challenges, new opportunities, new ideas—but more meaningful ones. For many, this is a time of personal fulfillment.

Staying active during this time is a way to help maintain brain health, and overall physical function. But it’s also a gateway to personal fulfillment.

The challenging stuff:

It’s on now. You can’t argue with aging anymore.

Some days, it feels like you’re living in a different body—one you don’t recognize. It’s almost like a second puberty, where physiological stuff is just randomly happening without your prior knowledge or consent.

On the plus side, you’ve probably started to reconcile yourself to it, and are looking forward to the opportunities that experience and wisdom bring.

Your best health habits:

This is a great time to take on new challenges. You might have a bit more time on your hands now, so why not explore? Try some things? Challenge yourself?

Learning and novelty are important for brain function—and overall satisfaction.

Here are some other practices to consider:

  • Focus on high-quality, nutrient-rich nutrition that helps you meet health challenges, such as:
    • inflammation and pain (for instance, supplementing with Omega-3 fatty acids or removing foods that cause flare-ups).
    • poorer digestion (for instance, adding sublingual vitamin B12, a digestive enzyme, probiotic, and/or fiber supplement).
    • decreased or disrupted metabolism (for instance, adjusting how much you eat, or getting on a regular meal schedule).
  • Exercise that helps you stay active, strong and vibrant while accommodating physical limitations or reduced recovery. For example:
    • maintaining lean muscle mass and bone density with resistance training (plus activity with impact, if you can tolerate it; walking and running included.)
    • balance, mobility and flexibility-promoting activities such as yoga or Tai Chi.
    • rehabbing injuries or recovering from regular workouts with water-based exercise like swimming, water jogging, or Aquafit.
    • activities that take some load off lower body joints while still giving you a good workout, such as cycling or rowing.
    • trying new activities that are challenging, interesting and fun.
  • Find some new healthy routines to help you cope with life transitions, which can include parents aging / dying, kids leaving home, job changes or retirement. You might join a local running group. Or get a dog — and walk it. Or travel somewhere new with a friend.
  • Make sure you have your bases covered. Your annual check-up. Your regular dentist visit. Do your due diligence and check out those lumps and bumps.

Take advantage of this opportunity to do the things that bring value to your life. For a few next actions you can start today, click here. Or click here to learn more about coaching with us.

The 70s: Making a contribution

Happy-grandmother-gardening-000069561765_Small

The good stuff:

People in their 70s are more likely than younger people to say they’re able to be present in the moment.

You might find you’re more conscious that health is a precious commodity and life is finite.

Simple pleasures in life — such as spending time with family and friends — may feel more enjoyable and rewarding.

This means lots of health, fitness, and nutrition opportunities. Many 70-somethings expect to stay just as active (perhaps differently so) as they did when they were younger.

Your 70s can also be a time to pass on wisdom, help others, or make financial contributions. For many, it is a time to reap the reward of hard work by seeing the positive influence they have made.

The challenging stuff:

If you’ve gotten this far without at least one major or minor health scare, you’re in a small minority. Many people find they’re taking a lot more supplements and drugs, and seeing a lot more doctors, than ever before.

As people age, they often become less active.

This sets up a vicious cycle where the normal effects of chronological aging are reinforced (and worsened) by inactivity: Physical function declines, dense muscle and bone disappear, falls become more common, and doing even everyday tasks can become more intimidating.

Digestive function decreases even more, along with oral health. Even small factors like declining smell, taste, and saliva production can affect food choices.

Your best health habits:

At this age, some important health habits may include:

  • Compensating for decreased digestive function and absorption by:
    • supplementing with digestive enzymes and possibly some types of sublingual vitamins
    • increasing fiber intake to help gastric motility
  • Packing more nutrition into smaller meals, since many folks in their 70s notice their appetite declining.
  • Possibly adding a multi-vitamin / multi-mineral supplement, since nutrient deficiencies go up sharply in later life.
  • Doing some exercise that includes “functional strength” and balance to stay strong in daily life and prevent falls; and weight-bearing exercises to maintain bone density.
  • Doing some exercise that includes socializing and building relationships, such as a group exercise class or a hiking group.
  • Incorporating social activities into daily life — which may include volunteer work or something that resonates with you. Community and connection become even more important as we age. The research is clear: once our relationships and sense of meaning decline, so does our health.

What to do next

As we’ve said, the above life stages are just a general guideline: everybody is a little bit different.

Think about where you’re at in life today. What can you do at this stage to help make the most of wherever you’re at—and make ‘future you’ a little healthier and happier?

Here are some general recommendations for staying fit, strong, lean and healthy at any age:

Stay moving.

Many “normal” parts of aging are due more to inactivity than the march of time. Get and stay active, however you can.

Choose nutrient-rich foods that add value to your body.

Lean protein, healthy fats, colorful fruits and vegetables, etc. all help prevent chronic disease and promote health.

Avoid things that take value away from your body.

This will change over time. In your 20s, a night of partying or a junk-food binge might be no big deal. In your 50s, it might wallop you. Notice how your body responds to your intake and behaviors, and adjust your decisions accordingly.

Recognize what you can control, and what you can’t.

You can’t control time. You can’t control random health problems. But you can control your behaviors. Making healthy choices won’t make you immortal or invincible, but it’ll give you a fighting chance at awesome aging.

Build and maintain connection and community.

Whether you’re playing on a team at 21, swapping tips with other sleep-deprived parents at 31, or caring for aging parents at 55, having meaningful relationships and a strong social support network is an essential part of health.

Get coaching.

Life is complex, and your experiences are unique. If you’re wondering about what might be best for you, or how you might tailor your own nutrition and exercise plan to your individual needs, seek out support. Life can be pretty confusing; we can all use a little guidance sometimes.

Want some help?

If you’d like some help staying consistent with your exercise and eating plan, we’d be happy to help. In fact, we’ll soon be taking new Precision Nutrition Coaching clients.

You see, we accept new clients every 6 months, and coaching spots typically sell out in hours. However, those motivated enough to put themselves on the presale list get to register 24 hours before everyone else. Plus, they receive a big discount at registration.

So put your name on the list below—because, as always, spots are first come, first served, and when they’re gone, they’re gone.

The post How to eat right for your age. Fitness and nutrition strategies for your 20s through to your 80s. appeared first on Precision Nutrition.

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Monday, October 26, 2015

10 ways to get the most nutrients from your food. Think raw is always best? Then you seriously need this.

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Wondering if your nutrient intake stacks up? Check out these strategies to make sure you’re getting what you need.

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Last year, I visited a good friend in Vermont. She and her family live in an old farmhouse on a bunch of land — enough for a massive garden, where she grows most of the plants they eat.

Picture rolling green hills, baskets of bright heirloom tomatoes, and little kids in galoshes. (Plus a layer of potting soil on most household surfaces).

My friend’s family eats from their own farm to table pretty much every night. She knows nutrients.

So it was really funny when she looked up from a steam pot one night and brazenly announced, “I like my green beans overcooked.” Like, limp. Like, wilted. Like you’re not supposed to like them.

The nerviness! The waste! The nutrients evaporating from those beans!

That’s what a lot of my “clean-food” obsessed peers would say, at least.

Is raw (or lightly cooked) really always best for your health?

I checked with three of Precision Nutrition’s nutrition experts: Ryan Andrews, Sarah Maughan, and Brian St. Pierre, all coaches in our men’s and women’s nutrition programs (and all credentialed beyond belief).

Turns out, the story is a lot more interesting than “cooked vs. raw”.

As you prepare, bite, chew, and digest, you create a series of mechanical and chemical changes that affect:

  • a food’s nutritional content (i.e. the nutrients it contains) and
  • each nutrient’s “bioavailability” (i.e. the degree to which it can be absorbed by your body).

This means:

  • Some nutrients are indeed best available when the foods containing them are eaten raw.
  • But other nutrients are best available when the foods containing them are cooked, or broken down by cutting or crushing, and/or eaten alongside other foods.

Here are the 10 best ways to get the most nutrition from your food.

1. Eat locally grown food soon after it’s been picked.

Fresh organic radish in woman's hand

Eating locally grown and “straight from the earth” maximizes the vitamins and minerals (and deliciousness) you get from your produce.

Plucking them from the soil (or vine, or bush, or tree) means separating them from their nutrient source. The longer they’re separated, the more nutritional value they lose.

Some experts estimate that by the time you pick up a “fresh” fruit or vegetable at the grocery store, it may have lost 15-60 percent of many vitamins … unless you can buy and eat it within 72 hours of harvest.

Forget organic vs. traditional — that’s another debate altogether — when it comes to nutrients, local is king. That’s why hitting a local farm, or farmers market, ensures that you’re getting the most nutrient-dense product.

My only problem: I live in New Jersey. And not the “Garden State” part, either. Shop Rite (or “Shop Wrong”, as a neighbor calls it) is much more convenient than our cute but very limited farmer’s market.

Plus, there’s winter. Not a ton of freshly harvested produce to be had in the American northeast from November to June.

Thankfully, there are a lot of other ways to get the most nutrition from the food you eat — without having to sell your home and move out to the country.

2. Soak, chop, crush, blend

These basics of food prep can make vitamins, minerals, and other compounds more available in a few ways:

  • Cutting up fruits and vegetables generally frees up the nutrients by breaking down rigid plant cell walls.
  • Crushing and chopping onion and garlic releases alliinase, an enzyme in these foods that helps form a nutrient called allicin. Allicin, when eaten, helps form other compounds that may protect us against disease.
  • Soaking grains and beans reduces phytic acid, which might — in part — block your absorption of iron, zinc, calcium, and magnesium.

If you’ve already been doing these things, great. Now you know why they work.

3. Store fruits and vegetables the right way

When thinking about storage, balance two things:

  • Make it easy to eat your plants: Keep fruits and vegetables where you’re most likely to access them.
  • Slow down nutrient loss: Heat, light, and oxygen degrade nutrients.

That’s why you should store…

  • all vegetables — except those of the root variety — in the refrigerator until you need them.
  • all fruits except berries — this includes tomatoes and avocados — at room temperature away from direct light.
  • all cut fruits and vegetables with a squeeze of lemon juice on them and in an airtight container. (Cut produce rapidly oxidizes and vitamin C, an antioxidant, slows decay.)
  • all herbs — with their amazing phytonutrients — chopped up and frozen in an ice cube tray with water. (Maughan says she sees a lot of clients leave them unused — and eventually unusable — when they’re stored in the produce drawer.)

4. Eat most sources of water-soluble and heat-sensitive nutrients raw.

Heat breaks down vitamin B1, vitamin B5, folate, and vitamin C, so you get more of these when you eat certain foods raw.

Thus, foods like:

  • sunflower seeds, peas, beet greens, and Brussels sprouts (sources of vitamin B1),
  • broccoli, cauliflower, kale, and avocado (sources of vitamin B5),
  • spinach, turnip greens, broccoli (sources of folate), and
  • bell peppers, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts (sources of vitamin C)

are generally best eaten raw to maximize absorption of these water-soluble nutrients.

For example, raw spinach contains 3 times more vitamin C than cooked spinach.

You lose water-soluble B-vitamins and vitamin C when you boil them. So, if you’d like to cook these types of foods, cook them at low heat without exposing them to too much water.

This includes:

  • blanching;
  • steaming;
  • sautéeing;
  • roasting; and/or
  • microwaving.

5. Know which foods are best when cooked.

Baby carrots cooked with garlic, honey and thyme. Delicious!

There’s actually a wide range of nutrient loss from cooking — anywhere from 15 to 55 percent. In most cases, you lose the most nutrients by boiling in water.

But some foods actually deliver the most nutrients when cooked.

For example, cooking:

  • significantly increases bioavailability of lycopene, found in tomatoes. Research shows that lycopene increases by 25 percent when tomatoes are boiled for 30 minutes.
  • significantly increases the bioavailability of beta carotene, found in red/orange/yellow plants like tomatoes, carrots, sweet potato, and spinach. Cooking helps here by breaking down the plants’ cell walls.
  • denatures protein in eggs and meat, making them much more digestible.
  • makes iron and other minerals more available for absorption by decreasing oxalates, an acid that makes the minerals inaccessible by binding to them.
  • reduces certain harmful food components, such as cyanide (found in yuca) and possible anti-nutrients (found in grains and beans), making way for all the good stuff those foods have to offer.

Pro tip: If you do end up boiling veggies, keep the liquid for something like soup stock. This way you can eat those nutrients later and they’re not really “lost”.

As always, keep the big picture in mind: Boiled potatoes are still far better than French fries.

6. Pair food strategically to maximize nutrient absorption.

Many world cuisines put particular foods together. (Think of greens with lemon and olive oil in Italian cooking, or the complex spice blends in Caribbean, African, or South Asian cooking.)

Perhaps over 20,000-odd years of trial and error, cooks figured out instinctively that a “balanced” diet with a wide variety of foods is the best kind.

Putting the right foods together doesn’t just taste awesome, it also helps you absorb all nutrients in the foods you do eat.

Here are a few examples.

Pair fat with fat.

Eat foods that contain the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K with dietary fats, which help dissolve the vitamins and ready them for absorption.

Therefore, foods like:

  • sweet potatoes, carrots, and squash (vitamin A),
  • eggs and mushrooms (vitamin D),
  • spinach, Swiss chard, and asparagus (vitamin E), and
  • kale, spinach, and broccoli (vitamin K)

all go better with 1-2 thumb-sized portions of healthy fats like:

  • mixed nuts;
  • avocado;
  • olive oil;
  • coconut oil; and/or
  • butter.

Cool note: Foods like salmon (which contains vitamin D), egg yolk and liver (vitamin A) and sunflower seeds (vitamin E) take care of themselves, since they’ve got their own healthy fat.

Pair iron with vitamin C.

Iron from non-meat sources is known as nonheme iron. Nonheme iron is not as well absorbed as heme iron, which is found in animal foods (such as red meat or dark poultry).

To absorb the nonheme iron from our plant friends up to 6 times better, pair them with foods rich in vitamin C.

This works in two ways:

  • Vitamin C can help the plant food “let go of” the mineral.
  • Vitamin C can block other dietary compounds that can inhibit absorption.

Therefore foods like:

  • spinach,
  • kale,
  • soybeans, and
  • lentils

all go better with:

  • a squeeze of lemon juice,
  • orange slices,
  • strawberries, or
  • chili peppers.

Think: Spinach salad with orange slices, strawberries, and a lemon juice vinaigrette. Or braised kale with chilis and a squeeze of lemon.

Pair iron and zinc with sulfur

Finally, foods rich in iron and zinc are usually best eaten with foods rich in sulfur. Sulfur binds to these minerals and helps you absorb them better.

Therefore foods like:

  • liver, beef, and turkey (rich in iron)
  • oysters, beef, and turkey (rich in zinc)

all go better with garlic, onion, and egg yolks. (Visit your local deli to get Bubbie’s delicious chicken liver and egg yolk pâté.)

7. Keep it simple.

Vegetable-with-medicine-000014174710_Small

Don’t start creating spreadsheets to track all of this. Keep it simple and sane.

It’s still better to eat broccoli any way you can get it than to not eat it because it’s not “perfect”. As Brian “Voice of Reason” St. Pierre likes to say:

“60 percent of something is still better than 0 percent of nothing.”

It’s also important to factor in things like the quantity. For example, it’s a lot easier to eat five cups of cooked spinach (and all the nutrients therein) than five cups of raw spinach.

Sometimes the cooked and raw versions of a food are equally nutritious, just in different ways. For example, raw spinach might have more iron, but it also has more of the chemicals that block your absorption of iron.

Here’s a great rule of thumb in case you carry a little of the “to cook” or “not to cook” angst.

  • Water soluble vitamins (vitamins B and C) lose the most nutrients when cooked.
  • Fat soluble vitamins lose (vitamins A, D, E, D) lose the fewest nutrients when cooked.
  • Just eat some darn vegetables already.

8. Frozen foods are still an option.

Does frozen broccoli have the same nutritional value as the stuff you just picked from the earth and ate raw? Maybe not. But how often do you eat raw, straight from the earth?

Research shows that processing can decrease a food’s vitamin C content by 10-90 percent. But the reality is that frozen or canned fruits and veggies come in handy when you’re busy. And a little vitamin C is better than none.

“I’ve seen too many clients opt for pizza because they think the frozen broccoli is the nutritional equivalent of cardboard,” Andrews says. Don’t be those people.

Remember, too that fiber isn’t affected much by freezing or canning. So eat your veggies … however you can get them.

9. If possible, try an animal source.

Many animal-based sources of vitamins and minerals are more bioavailable than plant-based sources (which may bind up vitamins and minerals chemically, or require a lot of steps to be converted to what our bodies prefer).

For instance, as we’ve noted, the iron you get from meat is more available for absorption than the iron you get from plants:

  • Heme iron, found in animal protein, is encased in hemoglobin molecules, which protect the nutrient from getting degraded by other nutrients and minerals in your GI tract. That means you’re absorbing the iron intact via gut cells that are specifically designed to take up the nutrient.
  • Nonheme iron, from vegetable sources like spinach, starts to change the minute it comes into contact with other stuff in your intestines, meaning you can only absorb a small fraction of it.

The same is true of many other vitamins and minerals, such as calcium or vitamin A.

We think that’s a great reason to enjoy a nice ribeye or sashimi platter from time to time.

If you’re an exclusively plant-based eater, remember you might have to work a little harder to pry some of those vitamins and minerals from your produce buddies.

10. Monitor your tolerance

Nutrients don’t do you much good if you’ve got an undetected food intolerance that keeps you from absorbing them.

Unfortunately, not everyone tolerates raw foods very well even if they’re technically “better for you” sometimes.

If you have GI symptoms such as gas, bloating, or problems with your stool, consider an elimination diet to figure out what you’re not tolerating, and see a doc (nutrient deficiencies are more common than you might think).

Once you eliminate the foods that affect you the most, you can better optimize your nutrient intake.

What to do next

Remember: We don’t believe in wondering and worrying, or making too much of a fuss about your food choices. Keep things sane and simple.

If you’d like to improve your nutrient intake a bit, here are some simple steps you can take, in order of importance:

1. Just eat.

Choose a wide variety of whole foods. The fresher and more colorful, the better. Do that and you’re 99 percent there.

2. Eat a combo of raw and cooked dishes.

Focus on the foods you enjoy, the way you like them prepared. That way you’ll actually eat them.

3. Want to level up?

If you’re already eating at least 5 fist-sized servings of veggies each day, and want to improve your nutrient intake without supplements, consider:

  • eating more locally grown produce,
  • consuming that produce soon after harvested,
  • eating most vegetables raw or lightly cooked,
  • eating other vegetables cooked,
  • storing your fruits and veggies appropriately, and
  • pairing complementary foods to maximize absorption.

4. Look to traditional or ancestral cuisines for cues.

These diets have often figured out how to make the most of micronutrients. For instance:

  • The famed Mediterranean diet includes both crushed garlic and cooked tomatoes, as well as the antimicrobial powers of the phytonutrients in fresh herbs. They also enjoy nutrient-rich organ meats.
  • South Asian and Caribbean cuisine does the same and throws in some anti-inflammatory turmeric and ginger plus painkilling hot peppers for good measure.
  • Arctic cultures such as Scandinavians and Inuit make sure to eat fish liver to give them enough vitamin D during the long, sunless winters. (The famous Icelandic sheep’s head dish, or svið, offers phosphorus and vitamin A to brave eaters who consume the eyes.)

As you learn more about nutrition, look at world cuisines and notice what foods they traditionally put together in dishes and meals. There may be a reason beyond just taste!

5. Think you have a food intolerance and/or nutrient deficiency?

Get to the bottom of those through dietary analysis or nutrient testing and work with a healthcare professional to get them corrected.

Eat, move, and live… better.

The health and fitness world can sometimes be a confusing place. But it doesn’t have to be.

Let us help you make sense of it all with this free special report.

In it you’ll learn the best eating, exercise, and lifestyle strategies — unique and personal — for you.

Click here to download the special report, for free.


References

Click here to view the information sources referenced in this article.

The post 10 ways to get the most nutrients from your food. Think raw is always best? Then you seriously need this. appeared first on Precision Nutrition.

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Tuesday, October 20, 2015

3 powerful ways to get more health and fitness clients. Plus Precision Nutrition’s “Tripod Marketing Formula” exposed.

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Every day thousands of fitness and health people try to “get their name out there” in the hope that fame and celebrity will help them grow their business. But that rarely happens. If you want to get more health and fitness clients, focus on these 3 things instead.

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A friend of mine—let’s call her Stacey—used to be one of the world’s top fitness models and figure competitors. She won many professional figure contests. Made the covers of the biggest health and fitness magazines. Appeared on network television shows.

But at the height of her fame, she was also living in her parent’s basement, barely making ends meet as a personal trainer.

Surprised? It’s a little-known fact that physique athletes make almost no money competing in fitness contests or doing photo shoots for magazines. Even network TV shows pay very poorly.

Stacey was a household name in fitness, but all that celebrity translated to very few dollars.

At least she could leverage her fame to get clients, right?

Not really.

Even with her fame, she wasn’t attracting many more clients than before she was recognizable. (Of course, she was so busy doing figure shows, photo shoots, and auditions, she didn’t have much time to develop her personal training business or even serve her existing clients.)

Now, don’t get me wrong. Stacey has done some really cool things. She’s worked extremely hard. She’s proud of her trophies, her fitness modeling successes, her network appearances, and her magazine covers.

However, there’s an important lesson here. Like many fitness professionals, Stacey assumed famous = rich. In fact, many professionals assume “getting exposure” or chasing fame will help them earn a good living. But it rarely does.

That’s why, if you want to get more health and fitness clients, I have a counterintuitive suggestion: Do the opposite.

The difference between celebrity and success

In my experience, coaches who achieve financial success and make a real impact in this industry rarely focus on themselves (i.e. personal fame).

Instead, they focus on their clients.

More specifically:

  • They focus on figuring out what their clients really need and want.
  • Then, they deliver it in an awesome way.

Sure, sometimes they do get famous. But they’re not out there chasing fame.

Rather, they’re focusing on doing the right work for the right people. They’re mastering their coaching craft. And they’re relentless about serving people well.

Personal accomplishments—like getting published in a magazine, or winning a competition—feel good. And they’re fun. But they’re not business opportunities.

They don’t make the rubber hit the proverbial road. They don’t attract people to you. They don’t help you expand your coaching practice or hone your coaching skills. And they don’t build your business in a real, practical, show-me-the-money, make-rent-on-time sense.

In fact, focusing too heavily on your own accomplishments will often distract you from the things that can actually help you achieve success and make a difference.

Fitness fame is for people who think a lot about themselves.

Fitness success is for people who think a lot about their potential and actual clients.

How do you do that?

Enter the Precision Nutrition “Tripod Marketing Formula”.

The Tripod Marketing Formula

Picture a tripod: All three legs equally spaced and perfectly balanced.

precision-nutrition-tripod

Take away one leg from the tripod, and it immediately collapses. A tripod needs all three legs to be complete.

Now apply that concept to marketing.

  • Leg #1: Know what your audience really wants.
  • Leg #2: Do something awesome to deliver that thing.
  • Leg #3: Tell everyone about it.

Think about your own business. Are you trying to balance your business on a tripod with only one or two legs?

You may know what your clients want… but do you know how to deliver it? And then tell everyone about it?

More likely: You think you know what your clients need and want. But you don’t really know. So what you give them may not match what they truly require.

I speak from personal experience.

What I learned from getting honest client feedback

At Precision Nutrition, we used to think people joined our coaching programs because they wanted to be healthy and fit.

Maybe they wanted to lose weight. Or maybe they wanted to gain muscle. Whatever their physical goal, we thought that as soon as they attained it, they’d be happy.

We were wrong.

Some years back, I read a review from a former client. Someone asked her if she would recommend our program. Here was the gist of her response:

I don’t recommend it. I lost some weight, but I never felt like I connected deeply with my coach. I didn’t really need much help from her.  But if I would have needed help, I’m not sure how much I’d have gotten. So no. I don’t recommend it.

This woman, by the way, lost over 50—yes, fifty—pounds working with us.

I was floored.

All this time, we expected women like her would be happy if they lost weight and kept it off. Especially if they’d tried and failed using other programs before. (Which she had.)

As it turned out, there was a completely different and legitimate reason why she couldn’t recommend us:

She didn’t feel like anyone cared.

She didn’t feel heard or understood.

Losing weight, while nice, wasn’t enough.

How to know what your clients want

As fitness professionals, we often assume we know what our clients want: to lose weight, to “look good naked”, to get better at their sport.

And while that’s likely part of why they hire us, it’s probably not the full story.

We assume. We guess. But we don’t know for sure.

The best way to find out what’s really important to your clients is to study them.

In PN’s case, I realized we needed to learn more, and learn better, about what our clients really wanted.

We spent months doing client interviews and exit surveys with people who left our coaching program. We wanted to figure out why they were leaving, even when they were getting great physical results.

This exercise—and the humbling yet powerful data and insight it yielded—was a turning point for Precision Nutrition.

When we learned for sure what our clients were seeking, business took off.

Clients felt better served and better connected.

This approach can do the same for you.

I encourage you to become an “anthropologist of your clients”.

Here are some ways you can get started:

  • Watch. Pay attention to what makes them light up and get excited. Notice their body language and self-expression. Look for small details that could tell you more about them and what they might be seeking.
  • Listen. Hear what they have to say and ask follow-up questions to make sure you understand. Wait a moment or two before jumping in to give advice.
  • Stop assuming. Start knowing for sure. Ask them directly what they like, what they want, what they need. They might not know right away, but working around “not sure” is way better than not asking at all and getting it completely wrong.
  • Observe. Where do your clients hang out online? What social media channels do they use, what kinds of things do they respond to, what kinds of content do they like and share?
  • Find out their story. Why did they come to see you, today? Why not six months ago, or six months from now? What series of events brought them through your door today?
  • Ask for feedback. Ask probing questions and create a safe environment for them to answer honestly. Yeah, it can be uncomfortable, but it’s incredibly valuable if you’re brave enough to step up and really absorb that input.

If you want to go deeper, try a method like Jobs-to-be-Done. (That’s what we use at Precision Nutrition and we highly recommend it.)

How to do something awesome to deliver that thing

We learned that everyone who hired us wanted the same thing:

They wanted personal attention. But they didn’t necessarily want a lot of it.

Another way to think about it: They wanted to be pleasantly surprised by personal attention. They wanted to feel cared for and acknowledged outside the context of a normal coaching interaction.

So it wasn’t enough to respond to their emails quickly and offer guidance when asked for. To give our clients what they truly needed, we needed to find strategic ways to show them we were paying attention—especially at times when they were least expecting it.

This didn’t have to be complicated.

For instance, we made small changes to our client “intake questionnaire” that made it much easier to deliver a personal touch.

Previously, when a new client joined our program, they’d fill out a comprehensive form that asked about everything from their previous exercise and nutrition experience to their personal goals and any injuries or illnesses they had.

But armed with our new insight (people want unexpected personal attention), we added a few more questions, including things like:

  • Do you have any pets? If so, what kind of animal and what’s their name?
  • How will you reward yourself if you achieve your goals? (Will you take a big trip somewhere? Try a new sport or hobby?)

We also ensured that coaches had this important information about their clients close at hand.

Every client soon had a “profile” and their coach could see things like:

  • Their clients’ exercise and nutrition history
  • Where they lived
  • The names of their family members and pets
  • Their hobbies and what they did for fun
  • Their goals and aspirations
  • How they planned on rewarding themselves once they accomplished their goals
  • And dozens of other data points.

Our coaches could now offer exercise and nutrition help and personalize their interaction with their client in small ways that had a big impact.

They started adding simple comments like:

Make sure to stay warm out there this week; looks like you have a hell of a snowstorm on the way.

Hey, I see it’s your birthday coming up. Do you have any plans?

My dog loves these sweet potato doggie treats; I hope you don’t mind, but I just sent you and Sparky a box. Let me know what he thinks!

It may not seem like much.

But when you’re working with an online client, any kind of personal connection—especially an unexpected sentence or two—is amplified and appreciated.

So. Think about your coaching practice.

How could you offer unexpected personal attention like this for your clients?

My favorite way is something popularized by Jon Goodman, creator of the Personal Training Development Center (the PTDC).

Here’s his strategy, in a nutshell:

Whenever there’s an opportunity to do something cool (and quick) for your client, take it.

For instance, let’s say during one of your training sessions, your client mentions he’s sick of eating the same thing for breakfast every morning.

You can try to give him some suggestions right then.

But there’s actually a more thoughtful and personal way to show you care.

After your session is over, you can make a note for yourself:

Bill hates eating oatmeal every day for breakfast.

Find a couple of recipes and send them his way.

Then, before your next session with Bill, prepare your gift. It could be a simple link to an article with breakfast ideas. It could be a list of your favorite breakfasts and how to make them. It could be a cookbook or even a Magic Bullet blender. If you like playing chef, maybe you even make him some simple homemade granola, pop it into a Mason jar, and include the recipe. (Very hipster.)

Whatever it is, the next time you have a session with Bill, hand him the gift and say:

Hey, I was thinking about you after our last session, and I thought you’d really like this.

Why is this simple act so powerful?

1. Bill doesn’t expect it.
Telling Bill that you’re going to get him a cookbook or write down your favorite breakfast meal is nice, but it’s also an explicit promise.

If you fulfill that promise, Bill feels good. But if you don’t fulfill that promise—if you forget to grab the cookbook or didn’t have time to write down your ideas—then Bill loses a little bit of trust in you.

By writing a note to yourself and surprising Bill with the gift the next time you see him, you’re calling attention to the fact that you listen and you care.

It’s unexpected personal attention.

2. It shows you don’t stop thinking about them once they’re out of the gym.
And that comes down to how you frame your gift-giving:

Hey, I was thinking about you after our last session, and I thought you’d really like this.

Who wants to be thought about and cared for, even if they’re not around?

Everyone.

How to tell everyone about it

Once we figured out what our clients wanted (unexpected personal attention) and simple ways to deliver it awesomely (small, strategic comments and better coaching intel) we wanted to tell everyone about it.

The goal quickly became clear: Find a way to tell our story to more people.

For an online business, that means getting more people to visit our website.

Of course, more website traffic means more people sign up for our coaching programs. When more people join our coaching programs, we make more money. More people get help. Plus, when we make more money, we can pay our team members well and help even more people!

The cycle continues in perpetuity.

(Illusion shattered: Precision Nutrition does not use its profits to pay for lavish parties, artisanal kale-and-caviar canapés, nor Dr. Berardi’s private invisible supersonic jet. All we earn goes back into serving more clients, better.)

But… how to get more people? Better yet, how to get the right people?

You’re probably wondering this yourself. There are so many options out there. And none of them are necessarily “right” or “wrong”.

For instance:

  • Do you write more blog posts and articles targeted specifically to the kinds of people who would be most likely to join your coaching programs?
  • Do you write guest articles for other blogs and get a link back to your website?
  • Do you improve your referral network and get more affiliates who can send you more website traffic?
  • Do you improve your website’s SEO (search engine optimization) and do more targeted ads?
  • Do you do strategic promoted posts on Facebook targeted to people who had friends who know about your business, and link them to helpful articles and free courses?
  • Or about a dozen other possible options?

Your coaching practice may not be exactly the same as ours, but business realities are the same: There’s only so much time, money, energy, and resources to go around.

You have to prioritize and focus. Pick a path. And have a solid, data-driven rationale for it.

We went with the option with the highest probability of paying off big for us: Promoted posts on Facebook, targeted to people who had friends familiar with Precision Nutrition.

We chose this for a few reasons:

  1. We already had many Facebook fans: just over 100,000 at the time. That meant millions of friends of friends we had the potential to reach.

  2. Through our interviews and research with clients, we realized one key factor: People were more likely to join our coaching program if a person they knew (a friend, family member, or acquaintance) had tried it and been successful.

  3. We were already getting roughly 10,000 website visits per week from Facebook; in other words, there was already an established connection with room to grow.

We spent the next few weeks coming up with a strategy and a budget for running promoted posts on Facebook and then rolled it out.

Ka-blam. In a few weeks, our weekly Facebook traffic went from around 10,000 visitors per week to just under 100,000 visitors per week. More people visited our website, more people heard about the awesome things we’re doing, and more people signed up for our programs.

Let’s be clear:

There’s no best diet, and there’s no magic marketing method.

The particular tactic that worked for us may not work for you.

(Plus, unless you’ve spent the time to deeply understand your clients and devoted resources to deliver something awesome, marketing doesn’t matter. Worry about making something valuable that people really want first, then figure out how to sell it.)

Focus on the one or two methods that best connect you to your audience. Look at your client data. What does it tell you about where and how people are finding you?

Choose the option that brings in the most qualified leads. In other words, the people most likely to buy your product or service and get benefit from it.

Sheer numbers don’t count. Anyone can print out a thousand flyers and plaster them all over the neighborhood.

Instead, ask yourself:

Where is my audience? And how can I reach them?

(By the way, if you aren’t sure who your specific audience is, go back to Tripod Leg #1: Know your audience.)

Gather the data. Look at your current client roster and ask yourself: How did these people find out about me?

You may quickly find a pattern (e.g. most of your clients heard about you from a friend or family member). Once you find a pattern, you can find ways to do more of that.

What to do next

Understand the difference between a personal accomplishment and a business strategy.

Think pragmatically.

Don’t confuse your personal awesomeness (abundant though it is) with real business strategies like interviewing customers, creating new services, and designing a marketing or referral plan.

Keep the lights on first.

Discover what your clients really want.

Brutal honesty: Clients don’t really care if you’re a superstar. They care about whether you can help them with their specific concerns.

We discovered our clients wanted more than improved health and fitness. They also wanted unexpected personal attention.

Make it your mission to understand your clients and figure out what they really want.

Start by paying closer attention. Become an anthropologist of your clients. Ask questions, watch and listen, take notes. Then, if you’re ready for client studies 2.0, consider trying a method like Jobs-to-be-Done.

Do something awesome to deliver that thing.

To give our clients more unexpected personal attention, we created a more in-depth questionnaire for new clients and gave our coaches more easily accessible intel. Then our coaches were able to strategically reach out to clients and offer value when they were least expecting it.

You can do something similar by following Jon Goodman’s rule: Whenever there’s an opportunity to do something cool (and quick) for your client, take it.

Don’t tell your client you’re going to do it. Don’t be predictable about it. Surprise them. Let them know you’re thinking about them.

Make a list of ways to tell people about it.

Remember, your resources are limited. Focus your efforts like a laser beam. Prioritize.

Use data. Find the pattern. Look at your current client roster and ask yourself: How did these people find out about me?

As soon as you identify a pattern, simply improve and amplify what’s already working.

Learn more business and coaching success from Precision Nutrition

Building a successful business and becoming a master coach is much more than knowing how to help people get in shape.

At Precision Nutrition, we’ve spent over a decade testing and perfecting our coaching methods, including strategies for increasing client success and retention.

And we teach it all in our Level 2 Certification Master Class.

Here’s what a few of our most recent L2 students discovered:

I feel like my coaching worldview has gone from a pinhole to a telescope in the last few weeks. I’m able to take in so much more information from clients now. Even though I’m hearing the same things from clients I always have, now I’m understanding and seeing more meaning behind those words. I’m getting better at asking deeper questions with the intention of bringing client awareness to their behaviors and what triggers them.  – Brandon Cole

I’ve realized that coaching is so much more complex than I thought. It’s almost like people, and coaching, are a puzzle. You have to figure search for the pieces (the info), and figure out how to put them together. – Abby Keyes

This course has made me aware of so many more things that are going on with clients, causing me to take a much broader view and be more client-centered. – Joe Currie

I’ve had a few nutritional breakthroughs and more clients making progress. They’re starting to buy into the strategies I’m discussing with them. We all want our clients to succeed. This course has made a big difference. I have more top quality tools in my toolbox now. I feel as motivated as my clients. Thank you! – Karen Burton

If the idea of this kind of success stokes your fire, consider the Precision Nutrition Level 2 Certification Master Class. It’s an elite-level coaching program for fitness professionals who want to master the art and science of coaching.

Starting on , a limited number of students will get unprecedented access to our absolute best coaching research, strategies, tools, and technologies.

Since we only take a limited number of students, and since the program sells out every time, I strongly recommend you add your name to our presale list below.

When you do, you get the chance to sign up 24 hours before everyone else. Even better, you save over $ 1,300 off the cost of the program.

[Note: Our Level 2 Master Class is for students and graduates of our Level 1 Certification Program. So, if you haven’t yet participated in Level 1, that’s where you should begin.]

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