Move, Eat Right During COVID #Stayhome

Eat less, but focus on protein while COVID 19 restricts your usual activities.

This study, just published in the European Journal of Sports Science offers so much interesting information as well as guidelines to help us come out of our COVID isolation with as little loss of our pre-COVID capacity as possible.

Alarmingly, it takes less than a week of inactivity for muscle loss to  start having an impact and that increases the longer we remain that way, with greater impacts the older we are. But it is possible to avoid the sorts of losses that could  put you at higher risk of falls or impact your immune response on the other side of these #stayhome times - you need to get up and get moving  AND you must consider what you are eating and how.

These researchers suggest:

• reduce the amount of energy (kJ) eaten a bit to avoid packing on extra body fat
• get at least 1.3g protein for every kg you weigh - for most that will mean at least 20% more protein in your meals than you usually eat
• choose good quality protein foods: meat, fish, eggs, dairy, pulses, seeds, nuts, tofu etc
• eat lots of vegetables and fruit
• have a long space between dinner and breakfast the next day - more than 12 hours.
• try to eat larger meals early in the day, with the smallest meal at night

And you need to combine that food intake with activity. There is no alternative: you MUST work your muscles to have them there for you when we all come out of these times. You need to get moving every day - step it out, get those muscles working - remind them what they are there for at every opportunity.

This research supports what is in all my books: protein, colours and activity. Read more in Eat To Cheat Ageing.