15 Oct The Double Dip Effect – Demand vs Capacity

The challenge of aging – how to slow it down or stop it has preoccupied us. But for most adults our physiological peak is around 30 years. After that, the body can potentially lose up to a kilogram of muscle every year and gain a half a kilogram of fat. At this stage, the demand on our body starts to overcome its capacity. This is a theory call ‘Double Dip’.

Our bodies don’t metabolise proteins from food as well as before and we lose muscle mass – this leads to muscle breakdown, feeling unfit, carrying excess weight, strain joints, muscles and tendons, increased injuries and so on.  The reduction in physical capacity leads to decreased ability to move freely and enjoy a good quality of life. Its a vicious cycle.

So how do we ensure that our ‘aging’ body and brain maintain its physical capacity to support the demand of our personal and professional life? By creating a BUFFER.

So how do we create a buffer between our physical capacity and demands on our body? Firstly, we need to understand the EXPOSURE THEORY – refers to the repeated exposure tp toxic stress and unhealthy lifestyle. This exposure can accelerate our natural decline in capacity  and put us at a higher risk of early burnout and premature expression of disease.

The strategy therefore is not to put additional pressure to our body by seeking quick fixes such as fad diets and workouts which eventually reduced its capacity but seeking to reduce our exposure to the three main factors:

• Overload of the sympathetic nervous system (stress)
• Lower levels of physical activity
• Highly refined and processed foods

We cannot stop aging but we can certainly delay it by creating a buffer between physical capacity and the demand to our body.

Yours in Health and Fitness – Marites