To view “The Perks of Exercising Every Day of Your Life” graphic, click the image to the left (or here).
Reaching retirement age should not mean retiring your running shoes, yet it happens all too often. The thought of exercising may sound like an uphill battle for many adults, but Isagenix products can help.
Plus, it could mean the difference between succumbing to reduced mobility, reduced function, and chronic health problems, or reaching and enjoying a healthy old age.
One in three adults worldwide are already considered physically inactive, according to the World Health Organization. Less than 5 percent are getting the recommended 150 minutes of exercise weekly, and 42 percent are sitting for at least four hours per day (1).
As these adults get older, and particularly in countries where people enjoy higher incomes per capita, their amount of physical inactivity only increases. This physical inactivity accounts for more than 3 million deaths per year (2).
Scientists warn that being sedentary can result in poor health. Chief among the consequences is a higher risk of insulin resistance that can lead to metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease (1-3).
Beyond Blood Sugar
“What we’re learning is that more important than controlling blood sugar for protecting against insulin resistance is where that sugar is going,” said cardiovascular health researcher Zhaoping Li, M.D., a member of the Isagenix Scientific Advisory Board (SAB), during a Science Talk at Isagenix 2014 Celebration in San Diego.
When skeletal muscle is exercised, Dr. Li explained, it then becomes the body’s main sugar disposal keeping it out of the bloodstream and fat tissue. Less sugar in the bloodstream and into muscles ultimately results in improved insulin sensitivity, better appetite control, and less body weight.
Otherwise, according to nutritionist Michael Colgan, Ph.D., also a SAB member speaking at the conference, inactivity leads to muscle loss. In fact, the average person loses 1 to 2 percent of muscle every year between 40 and 50, with that amount doubling after 60.
The result is a drop in strength and mobility, as well as brittle bones, Dr. Colgan said. But worse yet, body fat accumulates, and the poor blood sugar control affects cardiovascular and brain health.
Muscling Through Aging
To make the most of the exercise they do, older adults also need enough protein daily to avoid age-related loss of muscle, according to Dr. Li.
Older adults generally require protein in amounts higher than the current recommended daily allowances (RDA) of 0.8 grams per kilogram (4). New estimates predict that older adults ought to be getting 1.5 to 2 grams per kilogram (5). But the difficulty is that older adults have the greatest trouble meeting recommendations. According to data from national surveys, up to 30 percent only receive half of the recommended amounts daily (4).
Plus, when older adults do seek to obtain enough protein in their diets, they often underestimate how many calories they are also consuming (6). For example, if choosing to eat a serving of chuck eye steak (308 g), they may not realize that it contains a whopping 852 calories (a large part of it from saturated fat) that will only end up around their middles.
High-protein meal replacements offer adults a convenient way to control calories while still reaching their protein requirements, Dr. Li said. These include Isagenix products such as IsaLean® Shakes, IsaLean Pro Shakes, and IsaLean Bars.
The whey protein found in these products offers a key advantage because it is higher in branched-chain amino acids needed to stimulate muscle synthesis without an accompanying excess of calories, Dr. Li said.
Moreover, Dr. Colgan said, using whey protein, especially after workouts, helps muscles recover faster from exercise allowing consumers to engage in it more often and seek greater benefits.
“Adapt” to Activity
Additionally, there are other products that assist in helping older adults move more to gain more from physical activity – Ionix® Supreme, e+™, and t+ Chai – each of which contain botanicals called Adaptogens.
Speaking on the topic of Adaptogens at 2014 Celebration was nutritional biochemist Eric Gumpricht, Ph.D., who discussed how these special botanicals assist the body in overcoming stress and improving performance.
For older adults taking them daily, these products can provide the extra energy and support needed for regular daily activity, as well as help in improving performance and quickening recovery.
According to Dr. Gumpricht, a typical method of using the products would be a shot of Ionix Supreme in the morning, followed by e+ just before a workout for its load of caffeine, and t+ Chai as a calming recovery drink at night.
Sleep More to Move More
Right after a t+ Chai, the surest way to optimize recovery is through proper, healthy amounts of sleep. However, in older adults, sleeping is usually restless due to inadequate amounts of melatonin.
Supplementing with melatonin comes easy with a spray or two of Sleep Support and Renewal™. The product is part of the Isagenix Brain and Sleep Support System formulated by Dr. Colgan.
Dr. Colgan describes it as an important part of the regimen for exercise, especially when getting older, to take advantage of the body’s natural circadian rhythms that determine when muscles go through their stage of rebuilding – usually occurring at night.
Essentials to Energize
Another way to re-energize aging muscles is taking Ageless Essentials™ Daily Pack for its several ingredients including vitamin C, highly absorbable coenzyme Q10, vitamin D, and resveratrol.
Exercise by itself helps the body improve its own antioxidant status, according to molecular biologist Bill Andrews, Ph.D., but the addition of these other ingredients can work at a mitochondrial level in muscle cells.
Mitochondria are ultimately responsible for 90 percent or more of the energy provided to the body—and muscles.
“B” More Active
Because regular exercise, antioxidant status, muscle health, and the health of telomeres are all intertwined (7), Dr. Andrews recommends adding Product B® IsaGenesis® to the Ageless Essentials Daily Pack.
Adding in Product B IsaGenesis to the Ageless Essentials Daily Pack not only provides a sure win for healthier aging, but supports cellular integrity through increased antioxidant status by protecting telomeres.
Ultimately the combining of regular exercise, consuming IsaLean Shake or IsaLean Pro, taking Sleep Support Renewal Spray nightly for recovery, and taking Ageless Essentials Daily Pack with Product B IsaGenesis, is what Dr. Andrews considers a more comprehensive approach to healthier aging. It’s also convenient in that exercising more—while using these Isagenix products—could lead to a more enjoyable, longer life.
References
- Kohl HW, et al. The pandemic of physical inactivity: global action for public health. Lancet. 2012 Jul 21;380(9838):294-305.
- Pratt MP, et al. The implications of megatrends in information and communication technology and transportation for changes in global physical activity. Lancet. 2012 Jul 21;380(9838):282-93.
- Lee IM, et al. Eff ect of physical inactivity on major non-communicable diseases worldwide: an analysis of burden of disease and life expectancy. Lancet. 2012 Jul 21;380(9838):219-29. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(12)61031-9.
- Fulgoni VL. Current protein intake in America: analysis of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2003-2004. Am J Clin Nutr. 2008 May;87(5):1554S-1557S.
- Paddon-Jones D, Leidy H. Dietary protein and muscle in older persons. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2014 Jan;17(1):5-11.
- Coker R, et al. Whey protein and essential amino acids promote the reduction of adipose tissue and increased muscle protein synthesis during caloric restriction-induced weight loss in elderly, obese individuals. Nutr J. 2012 Dec 11;11:105. doi: 10.1186/1475-2891-11-105.
- Kim JH, et al. Habitual physical exercise has benefi cial eff ects on telomere length in postmenopausal women. Menopause. 2012 Oct;19(10):1109-15.
