Carol Mathis

These are the 6 habits that keep me leaner at 52 than I was in my 40s.

1. Lift heavier than feels comfortable.
Nothing moved until I picked a weight where 8-12 reps genuinely sucked.

2. Eat more, not less. Protein and fuel for muscle building. 130-150 G protein a day. 1-2 protein shakes a day has been super helpful to reach my goals. I just couldn’t get there with meals alone. MSG me for a LINK for my fav! Which powder you use does matter. So many are loaded with artificial sweeteners, flavors and additives that are not beneficial. And others taste bad.

3. Walk. 10k steps beats joint-pounding cardio.
This does more for midlife fat loss than a sweaty, joint pounding cardio. You only get leaner, faster, stronger when your body has the ability to recover.

4. Pre-sleep protein. 25-30g before bed.
This helped protect muscle and boost calories on days I was super busy & didn’t take time to eat much. Cottage cheese is a great one.

I’d eaten like a rabbit because I was afraid of getting fat.
5. Keep the carbs. Especially after my workout. I have learned to pick more beneficial carbs.
The deficit does the work, not deprivation.

6. Sleep. The unsexy magic bullet.
Sleep is where muscle builds and hunger hormones reset. not always easy when the kids are little but so so important.