Why we don’t need as many carbohydrates after the age of 30.......
So why is it that most people male and female can get away with eating the burger with a bun and fries in their 20’s, and why is it that this changes after the age of 30????
The answer is quite simple.  The body stops reproducing cells as efficiently after the age of the 30 and the body also begins the process of breaking down.   Carbs are a great source of quick energy for very active people as well as for those under the age of 30, who need the extra energy and are able burn it off.  As we age, the body requires different sources of energy for upkeep.  For example, the brain is made up of mostly fat, therefore, to keep the brain healthy as we age, it is important to feed it healthy fats such as omegas and DHAs (found in nuts and dairy).  After the age of 30 we also begin to lose 1 pound of lean mass per year.  That means that if you are not working to build muscle and eating to maintain it, you will lose it!  Protein is one of the best ways to help build, repair and maintain muscle.  Your body in middle age physiologically craves these 2 macro nutrients.
So when do carbs come back into play?????  Unfortunately, not in the form of French Fries.  The blood in our body requires vitamins to be delivered to it each and every day.  As you can well imagine, there are no vitamins hiding in French Fries!   In mid age the body utilizes carbohydrates mainly in the form of vegetables and fruits.  Each time you fill your body with these beautifully natural and colourful foods, you are feeding and providing your blood with much needed vitamins.  For example, broccoli is high in vitamin B and spinach is high in iron.  Both of these micronutrients are needed to keep the blood healthy and working for you.
Your body is a very complex machine!  It needs to be fed the right nutrients as you age if you want it to keep working well for you!!!  The next time you would like to order fries instead of a salad, or eat that extra cookie because it tastes good.......ask yourself........What is this doing for my body right now?????

Since the birth of my first child 5 years ago I have had to change many things in my life.  One of the biggest changes was the way that I worked out.  For me, missing a workout is not an option, nor is spending quality time with my children.  I also have a business and house to run.  My workouts are my time for ME!  I had to think of a creative way for my workouts to still be challenging without taking an hour or two.  This is when I developed the 12 minute workout.  I had already been practicing interval training but with a little less intensity.  I thought to myself, why not work a little harder for less time and see if I can achieve the same results????  I cut my interval workout time in half and pushed it harder.  I couldn’t and still can’t believe that 12 minutes can feel so long!  After a month of training this way I realised that I was getting better results than when I was training for twice the time!  I was amazed and intrigued.  This led me to do a little more research as to why and how this could be as well as deciding upon 3 reasons everyone should be training harder for a shorter period of time.
Reason#1   This one goes without saying.........anyone can find 12 minutes in the day whether it be morning noon or night.  I was discussing this option for a busy mom of 3 and she said, “I can do that at work, during my lunch!”  Another new mom said to me, “I can do this when my baby is sleeping!”  The idea of only having to work out for 12 minutes is much easier to commit to 5 times a week.  In my experience with all of my clients, this method really works!
Reason#2   Less chance of injury.  Because you are only working out for 12 minutes the body has more time to repair.  12 Minutes of intense interval training is much less stress on the body than going out for a 10 km run or spending 2 hours at the gym lifting heavy weights.  You also have more time to stretch when you are finished.
Reason #3 If you are looking for weight loss this method will benefit you most due to the simple reason that the body burns most of its calories after your workout.  You can make the judgement call; however, it makes more sense to me to give it my all for those 12 minutes in instead of wasting my time for 1 to 2 hours at the gym.  I was able to get my workout in today while my kids were having some quiet time! 
Life get’s busy, but you don’t have to sacrifice getting a great workout in if you keep it short, and make it count! 

Coming into the New Year, I found it fitting to share this story with you............
Tuesday evening my client came into my studio as she does every Tuesday evening with her folder in hand to show me that she had completed all of her workouts for the past week.  I asked her if she completed her outdoor stair running (part of her program is to run stairs twice a week).  She answered with the following, which inspired me to share her story...........
It was the second day of stair training when my client began to get ready to brave our Barrie winter weather.  It had snowed that day and she was sure that the stairs would be snow covered.  Now many of us would have taken this as a reason to stay indoors and skip the workout.  Not this lady!!!  She layered up in her winter wear and proceeded to put a shovel in her car.  She was not going to let this snow take her workout away from her!  When she got to the set of stairs she quickly began to shovel.  After a few steps, she realized that much of the snow could not be cleared.  With that, she put the shovel down and began to run her 10 sets of stairs.  By the 9th round my client was feeling as though the footing was becoming a little unsafe.  However, bound and determined she decided to push through her last set!  Well, she was right, the footing had become unsafe and she slipped.  She went to grab the railing and felt her arm pull. (I thought I would take this opportunity to note that she did not get injured, as she has been strength training for the past 3 years!  She had enough muscle built up around her shoulder to protect her from injury.  She was very grateful for all of the time and effort she has put into taking care of her body.)
Getting back to the story............
She had to admit that at that point she was feeling a little defeated, but mostly that her ego took a big hit!   She loved her stair workout and realized at this point that she needed to find another way to get it in.  The next day when she was at work she realized that at the back of her building was an amazing set of indoor stairs to run!  The next day, she brought her workout gear to work and decided to get her stair training in during lunch.  Not only did she get a challenging and energizing workout in.......she also inspired another co-worker to join her.   I expect next week to hear that more of her workplace friends have decided to take part!
Her “No Excuses” approach to this situation helped her to find a new way to stay committed to getting her workouts in.  I thought of how many people so often choose to come up with reasons as to why it is not possible to get a little exercise in a few times a week.  There will always be obstacles in life.........but, we have the power to decide to let it remain an obstacle or turn it into a new opportunity.
As Winston Churchill once said, “Never, Never, Never Give Up.”