You are not at war with your body. And a recipe.

Hello friends~

This is the Recipe Issue, but first – and I know, it’s so annoying to have to scroll down past a ton of stuff to get to the recipe – but this is worth it. Stick with me here.

I keep saying it.

BUILD MUSCLE. THERE ARE ONLY 2 WAYS TO DO IT. NUTRITION AND STRENGTH TRAINING.

A recent study followed more than 400,000 adults for nearly 20 years. The researchers found that muscular strength can reduce risk of dying from all causes.

The problem is that most of these studies have been done with male subjects.

WOMEN ARE NOT SMALL MEN.

I wish I had known this when I was in my 30’s and 40’s. Skinny was an unachievable aspiration, influenced by magazines and . I finally learned, and 20 + years later I’m stronger and fitter (and leaner) than ever.

New research on strength training for women found that regular resistance/strength training and HIIT training reduced negative health and body composition changes associated with perimenopause and post menopause.

5 Reasons Women Should Strength Train That are WAY Better than just Building a Great Looking Body

YOU ARE NOT AT WAR WITH YOUR BODY.

Your body is not the enemy. Your body IS you! In fact you don’t have to “listen to your body”, it’s not gonna sabotage you, and you don’t have to “love your body” either. Your body is not separate from you. You are your body and your mind together, in one amazing organism.

If we can accept that neutrality we can stop being at war with our bodies.

Take a listen: Why are we at war with them and can we ever make peace?

And listen to this: You don’t have to love your body.

Special thanks for the expertise from Dr. Stacy Sims, Selene Yeager, Nia Shanks, and The team at Life Hacker.

And for this awesome podcast: We can Do Hard Things.

HERE’S THE FOOD PART. DIETING IS BS. EAT ENOUGH GOOD FOOD. THAT’S ALL

Health and nutrition might seem like a confusing mess. You don’t need a gimmicky program, a week long cleanse, or a detox. But you might need a reboot of your diet.

As an active woman you need to get more quality calories – eat enough through menopause. Maybe even more than you’ve been eating – but the balance of carbs, fat, and protein are the key. Eating less than your active body needs can lead to long-term damage, not to mention low performance, and low energy.

Restrictive dieting is gonna backfire. Calorie restriction, especially carb restriction will result in low energy, irritability, anxiety, and poor sleep and decreased performance at all levels. The diet world is dominated by scapegoats and silver bullets.

Think that intermittent fasting is a good idea? Research has shown that when people lost weight through IF, they lose more than 60 percent of it from muscle. And guess what? If you eat dinner at 7pm and breakfast at 7am you’re doing intermittent fasting.

Nail your fat, carbohydrate and protein needs. You need them ALL. The three macronutrients are fat, carbohydrates, and protein. Fat has been vilified. Carbs are still vilified. Protein continues to be hailed as the hero in fitness, but we need them ALL to function and perform mentally and physically.

“Low energy availability often stems from low carbohydrates – as so many women (and men) are still afraid that eating carbs will make them gain fat”. When it comes to immunity and bone health, some studies suggest that carbohydrate restriction is more detrimental than not getting enough calories overall.

Get 25-30 grams of protein at every meal, or 90g throughout the day, especially in the morning to kick start the anabolic, muscle-building process.

I’m so glad that the low fat nonsense is over. Eat healthy fats.

Even if you haven’t opened any of the links in this article, know this one thing –  you are awesome RIGHT NOW whether you’re a size 2 or size 20. Whether you have training experience or not. Bust through self-imposed limitations. You have everything you need right now to get healthy, and get strong, and stronger.

Not an endorsement, but I’m impressed with the way My Fitness Pal has evolved. Good advice, science, and these breakfast recipes.

I like this because of the crunchy, sweet, and creamy all in one bowl. (It’s how I like my ice cream too!)

Hope you enjoy it.

Onward~

Polli