Weight Vests And Taking Protein Powder In Midlife.

I have been wearing weights and taking protein to build on my wellness toolkit.

The wearable weights are to help with my strength training and the protein powder is to increase my protein deficit.

Strength training, along with cardiovascular exercise, are seen as a benefit in many health journals for both men and women, especially in midlife.

The wearable weights I have invested in include a weighted vest (5kg) and two pairs of wearable weights (1kg x 2 and 0.5kg x 2) which can be worn on either my wrists or ankles.

I wear my weights four to five days a week on my brisk walk, (45 mins) or, while doing chores around the house. 

We have just returned from the Canary Islands where I wore the ankle weights under my tracksuit bottoms to travel in, removing them to go through the security check because I didn’t want to set any alarms off. 

When the weights showed up on the scanner, I explained to an amused security person what they were for, much to the hilarity of my family. Yes, I am that eccentric English woman in the queue.

Whilst there, I wore the weights, most days. Our accommodation was a twenty to thirty-minute walk into the resort. So, I alternated by wearing them on my wrists, then my ankles. When I returned home, I saw a slight visible difference in the calf muscles – which is great.

My Reasons For Wearing Weights

“We typically lose 3-5% of our muscles every decade after the age of 30.” Dr Michael Mosley.

The changes we experience in our bodies over time are a gradual mix of decreasing hormones, muscle mass and a slowing metabolism. Muscle is a highly active tissue that burns a lot of energy, so, by losing muscle, it is easier to gain weight. 

I purchased my weights after receiving inspiration from various places. First of all, I noticed a few women wearing weights on my daily walks and wondered if they were being used to gain strength following an operation of some kind. Then, recently, I have seen a few articles highlighting the benefits of wearing weights for short durations, either when exercising or just hanging around the house. I noticed Davina McCall has designed her own version of a weighted vest (3kg), and she looks amazing! I thought body weights were usually worn in gyms, by soldiers, Bear Grylls, or serious bodybuilders. How wrong I was.

My family go to the gym and that is their way of keeping fit. I prefer walking in the fresh air, or swimming. For instance, on my walk today, I saw spring blooms, horses enjoying their feed, a few young bunny rabbits frolicking in the local fields and swans, nesting – nothing really beats that.

I’ve been using the weights for around two months and I’m hoping I will gain a little more tone and strength in my arms and calves – hopefully, improving my bone density, which can help prevent osteoporosis, especially in midlife.

I have had “bingo wings” since my late thirties and I accepted my wobbles and bobbly bits, a long time ago. I don’t run because I’ve never enjoyed it. And, I find it too difficult.

When I was a schoolgirl, I would dread cross country runs. I would see my friend, another Alison, gliding along at an easy pace without any effort while I was in a red-faced, sweaty heap, trailing behind. Hence, a quick-paced walk is more my style. It gets my heart beating faster, resulting in the right amount of sweatiness, showing that I have worked hard. 

I am so thankful to be able to do all of this and be fit and healthy. I have family members and friends who simply can’t do this level of activity. Life is too short to be worrying about the small stuff and good health is key.

The Weights I Chose

Before buying my weights, I read lots of articles and user reviews because I was unsure which brand to go for, and which weights would be right for me. I eventually chose the 5kg vest by calculating my weight and height. I didn’t want to go too light and then have to buy a heavier vest within a few months because they are not inexpensive.

When my vest arrived, my husband remarked on the heftiness of it. And, I did wonder if I had made a mistake. But, when I tried it on, the weight was evenly distributed around my torso making it very comfortable. I started slow, wearing it for ten minutes, then twenty, slowly building up to an hour. And, I have stopped at this duration. I wear my weights around four to five times a week.

I have found there are great benefits to be gained from wearing weights in this way. My favourite is to wear my weights when I’m walking because I feel like I’m working lots of muscles in my legs, back, chest, shoulders and abdominals – as well as improving my cardiovascular fitness. My face is pink and sweaty on my return….proof that I have done a workout.

Along with wearing weights, I have used my two sets of hand-held weights for over five years. The smaller ones are used for stretches and squats along with some overarm reaches (no more than ten minutes following my walk). I then use the larger ones for bicep curls and a few shoulder press stretches. 

There’s probably room for improvement regarding the time I give to each set of exercises. Maybe, in the future, I will join a gym where I will use the machines available for weight training. However, at the moment I’m content with the time I devote to this, in my normal day.

Why I Wanted to Lose Weight and Maintain It.

Three years ago, I lost around two stone. Prior to the weight loss, I simply felt unfit. The extra weight I was carrying was due to a carb-heavy diet which had slowly built up, over time.

My mobility and movement around this time reminded me of the latter stages of pregnancy – being “out of puff” due to the extra weight I was carrying. And, I wasn’t able to wear the clothes I so enjoyed wearing. As shallow as this may sound, being able to wear what I love is very important to me. 

I had a few inspirational prompts leading up to me taking action. One of the them came on a trip to Nerja (Spain). I love people-watching with an afternoon coffee. And it was in the beautiful Spanish cobblestone streets that I noticed women of all nationalities wandering around in the sunshine, looking effortlessly chic and serene. Whereas, I simply didn’t feel that way – quite the opposite!! And, this spurred me on to improve my health, resulting in me beginning my weight loss and fitness journey on my return.

Protein

The last tweak to my fitness – which is fairly new to me – are protein supplements. Since mid-December, I have had one virus after another. I’m now on the back end of another cold which has left me with an irritating cough. I will have to get it checked as it has gone on and on. So, with my immune system being “up the spout”, I wondered if there was anything lacking in my diet (being a “Pescatarian”) which could help improve my immunity.

We hear, time and time again, about how protein plays such a large part in our diet.  And, how important it is for every part of our body. It was my son who first suggested upping the protein in my diet – eg, adding a daily protein powder to help build my protein intake. The daily protein guideline for muscle maintenance and overall health is 45g per day (NHS Website). However, the research I came across suggested that an increase in this amount in midlife can be beneficial.

To find out what my personal intake should be, I used a protein calculator (Holland and Barrett). I entered my height, weight and age and the result was 85 grams (which is a guideline).  Click here for the calculator.

Following this, I wrote down everything I eat in a day, totalling up the protein (not counting the Cadbury chocolate egg). I then realised I wasn’t eating nearly enough protein….even if I added more fish and lots of eggs (not chocolate eggs), my daily amount of protein wouldn’t meet the daily requirement. So, I decided to send away for some powdered protein.

I went on the recommendation of my son and bought “Bulk Clear Whey Isolate” in the vanilla flavour, which is quite pleasant, though a little sweet. There is 20g of protein per serving of which I have two a day. I have one in my porridge and one in a drink, mixing the powder with 200ml of cold water. There is approx 86 kcal per serving. This is not a weight loss tool unless there is a calorie deficit.

My son advised me to go for the Whey isolate as it is more refined in a process that removes the fat and the lactose from the compound.  This means, if you have lactose intolerance or have other digestive issues, this will be easier to digest.

I have only been using the protein powder for over a week and it is too early to report on any changes. I will report back in three months’ time when I have had a good run of taking it.

My hope is this protein powder will be a great accompaniment to the wearable weights, building my strength and helping reverse muscle wastage, which is normal in midlife. I’m also hoping that, if there is any weight loss, it is fat and not muscle.”

Thank you for reading my post – I hope you have enjoyed it. If you have any suggestions or questions regarding the content, please let me know in the comments as I love to hear from you.  As Arnold Schwarzenegger said, “I’ll be back” with the results of the protein powder, in a few months.

Disclaimer

This is not a sponsored post. The information I have provided is for general informational purposes only. It does not constitute medical advice. It is essential to consult with a qualified healthcare professional for any health concerns or before making any decisions related to your health or treatment.  My post may contain affiliate links. If you click through to the product, there is no extra cost to you.  The small commission I may earn helps me with the costs of running my blog.