A Fresh Perspective on Health Goals

When someone brings up “health goals” what’s the first thing that comes to mind?  For many, it’s often “losing weight.” Dr. Gabrielle Lyon offers a unique perspective on this in her best-selling book Forever Strong: A New, Science-Based Strategy for Aging Well, where she describes her Muscle-Centric program.

Muscle-Focused Wellness

Through years of treating patients with diverse health conditions, Dr. Lyon made a groundbreaking discovery: the core issue was insufficient muscle, not excessive fat. By focusing on helping her patients build muscle, she saw remarkable improvements in their health.

Dr. Lyon isn’t advocating that everyone become bodybuilders.  Instead, she promotes maintaining a healthy muscle mass so we can reap the following benefits:

• Increase longevity
• Decrease age-related cognitive impairment
• Correct body composition
• Maintain activities of a fulfilling life
• Prevent high blood sugar and high cholesterol
• Be strong!

Starting in our 30s, our muscle mass progressively declines.  As we lose skeletal muscle, we lose the mitochondria, which produce energy in our cells.  Less energy results in fatigue, burning fewer calories, and accumulating more stored fat.  To counteract the effects of aging, building healthy muscle is crucial. The good news is no matter where you are on your fitness journey, it’s never too late to start!

Dr. Lyon recommends a weekly exercise target that includes 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise plus 3-4 days of resistance training and 1 HIIT (high intensity interval training) session.  Resistance training can involve lifting weights or simple bodyweight exercises like pushups.  She outlines a specific workout program in her book.

Protein Power

In addition to providing movement for our muscles, we must also be intentional about the fuel we supply.  Dr. Lyon emphasizes consuming protein since it is essential for the repair, maintenance, and growth of muscle tissue. It also helps to balance blood sugar, increase energy and mental clarity, decrease body fat, improve body composition, and reduce cravings. 

While the US Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) suggests .36 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight, Dr. Lyon recommends consuming 1 gram of protein for every pound of ideal body weight.  So that means if your target weight is 130 pounds, aim to consume 130 grams of protein per day.  Initially you can weigh your food and track it on an app like Cronometer.  After a few weeks you’ll gain an understanding of what to consume to meet your daily protein requirements without the need to weigh and track your food.

Dr. Lyon suggests eating at least 30 grams of protein at each meal and recommends eating carbs at a 1:1 ratio.  That means for every gram of protein you eat, consume no more than 1 gram of carbohydrates.  A meal that contains 30 grams of protein would include no more than 30 grams of carbs.  This also means you would never eat carbs alone – always eat them with protein. As for fat, she recommends .3 to 1 gram per pound of bodyweight per day. 

To make meal planning easy, Dr. Lyon offers a weekly newsletter containing a 30-grams-of-protein recipe.  You can sign up for this email on her website https://drgabriellelyon.com/.  Look under “Free Resources.”  Her book and website offer a wealth of information to jumpstart a muscle-centric lifestyle. 

I’m incorporating Dr. Lyon’s suggestions in my 2024 goals.  Will you join me in becoming Forever Strong?