Remember the good ol’ days of being able to eat doughnuts on a Saturday morning and not have to worry about gaining a pound? By now, your eating habits have probably taken a turn for the better, but for some reason, the pesky pounds are still accumulating. 

With age comes wisdom, and it also brings a lot of activities that call for your energy and time, which can make it easy to put exercise and nutritious eating at the bottom of your to-do list.

Here are two techniques to impact your body and brain all the way down to the cellular level. If you include these strategies on a daily basis, you’ll discover a newfound vitality. 

Hint… A great place to start: The FREE 14-Day Full-Body Workout Plan for Women Over 40. 

1 – FUNCTIONALLY YOUNGER

Aging starts in your muscles! First, your fast-twitch muscle fibers dwindle, and then you start to store more fat.

Learn how to develop fast- and slow-twitch muscles for peak performance. One type is not better than the other… you need them both for optimal performance!

FAST-TWITCH
During strength training and explosive routines, you’re typically working your “fast-twitch” muscles. These fibers generate a lot of force, but are more quick to fatigue. They’re responsible for the size and definition of a specific muscle. 

To recruit fast-twitch fibers most efficiently, use explosive movements whether it’s with a kettlebell, your own body weight, or a medicine ball.

SLOW-TWITCH
During aerobic and endurance training, you’re typically working what’s called your “slow-twitch” muscles. These fibers can boost your stamina and ability to absorb oxygen.

YOUNGER WITH EACH YEAR

Strength training becomes more important for with every passing year. That’s because of a process I like to call “The Great Decline.” Starting around age 30, you can lose three to five percent of your muscle mass each decade if you don’t stay active. You start to lose bone density, your energy gets depleted, and you become more prone to chronic illness. The key to reversing the Great Decline is strength training.

Of course, don’t forget your cardio! Supplementing your aerobic activity with strength training is essential.

Get started with this 10-minute video from Ultimate Sculpt that features functional training. The routine’s unique “clock” method targets your muscles from every angle so you’re even hitting those hard-to-reach areas….

Related: How to Build Lean Muscle as we Age 

2 – NEWFOUND VITALITY

If “an apple a day keeps the doctor away,” imagine what a pound of veggies a day will do!

New York Times best-selling author of Younger, and frequent Art of Living podcast guest, Dr. Sara Gottfried, M.D. recommends eating one pound of veggies a day and incorporating 20-30 different plant species each week to promote diversity in the microbiome.

“Use your fork to fuel your body with the proper nutrients and use supplements only to fill in the gaps.”

My recommendation is that when you think about your meals, start with your plants. It might sound excessive but begin a wide variety of colors…from your greens to your yellows to your reds to your purples. And don’t forget about your mushrooms!

Then, continue to add more plant-based ingredients. A go-to option for me is either black beans and garbanzos. Don’t forget to add something fermented to the mix, such as sauerkraut and kimchi.

Top it off with some good fats…olives, avocado, or extra virgin olive oil.

Need more flavor? Salsa, lemon, or balsamic vinaigrette are all good choices.

Remember…this can be a salad or steamed veggies. I always have some quinoa, millet, or barley on hand to sprinkle on salads or serve with veggies.

Voilà! You have a power-packed meal that you can build every day with different ingredients.

For a real vitamin-mineral boost, GET YOUR VEGGIES IN A DAILY SHAKE! It will increase your focus, satiety, and…JOY! Try this green machine shake recipe that incorporates broccoli, kale, arugula, avocado…and more.